Lavie Tidhar - Zeno Agency Ltd.

STRATA Launches Today, Featuring E.J. Swift and Lavie Tidhar

Posted on Monday, April 11th, 2016

Today, Penguin Random House launches their digital project, STRATA. Zeno clients E.J. Swift and Lavie Tidhar have both contributed stories to the project, which can be accessed from today. The site works best on a mobile device, too (although it does work in a desktop browser).

E.J. Swift is the author of the critically-acclaimed Osiris Project, which includes OSIRIS, CATAVEIRO and TAMARUQ. They are published in the UK by Del Rey, and are available as eBooks via the JABberwocky eBook Program. Emma has also written many critically-acclaimed short stories. Here are the Osiris covers…

Lavie Tidhar is the award-winning author of A MAN LIES DREAMING, published by Hodder (UK) and Melville House (US); THE VIOLENT CENTURY, published by Hodder (UK) and Thomas Dunne (US); OSAMA; and the Bookman Histories, published by Angry Robot Books. Lavie is also a prolific writer of short stories and novellas. His next work of fiction is CENTRAL STATION, due to be published in May 2016 by Tachyon Publications.

Tidhar’s THE VIOLENT CENTURY Nominated for Award in Japan!

Posted on Thursday, March 31st, 2016

Lavie Tidhar‘s critically-acclaimed THE VIOLENT CENTURY has been nominated for the 2016 Seiun Award for Best Translated Novel in Japan! Published as 完璧な夏の日 by Tokyo Sogensha (東京創元社) in Japan (in two parts), here’s the synopsis…

第二次世界大戦の直前、世界各地に突如現れた異能力者たちは各国の情報機関や軍に徴集され、死闘を繰りひろげた。そして現在。イギリスの情報機関を辞して久しい異能力者のひとりフォッグは、かつての相棒と上司に呼び出され、過去を回想する。突然の能力発現、仲間との初めての出会い、終わりなき闘いの日々…

THE VIOLENT CENTURY is published in the UK by Hodder, and in the US by Thomas Dunne Books. PS Publishing have also released a limited edition. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

For seventy years they guarded the British Empire. Oblivion and Fogg, inseparable friends, bound together by a shared fate. Until one night in Berlin, in the aftermath of the Second World War, and a secret that tore them apart.

But there must always be an account… and the past has a habit of catching up to the present.

Now, recalled to the Retirement Bureau from which no one can retire, Fogg and Oblivion must face up to a past of terrible war and unacknowledged heroism — a life of dusty corridors and secret rooms, of furtive meetings and blood-stained fields — to answer one last, impossible question: What makes a hero?

Here is just a small selection from the many great reviews the novel’s received…

‘THE VIOLENT CENTURY… may be his best yet: a blistering alt-historical retelling of a 20th century lousy with superheroes.’ — The Guardian, Best SFF of 2013

‘Lavie Tidhar’s latest is at once a love story, a tragedy, a spy novel, a memoir of a friendship, an exposé of the horrors of war, and a very serious study of the superhero: the origins of the concept as well as its relative relevance. THE VIOLENT CENTURY is a difficult text, yes, but one that gives as good as it gets.’ — Tor.com

‘[A] new masterpiece… a tremendous, unforgettable read… This study in heroism, love, revenge and violence will be in demand by lovers of complex, intelligent sf and alternative history. Anyone who enjoys stories of people with supernatural abilities will thrive reading Tidhar’s world.’ — Library Journal

‘THE VIOLENT CENTURY is about legacy and how heroics play into it, a deeper message than defining what heroics mean: The actions of Fogg and Oblivion have lasting consequences, while at the same time, we can see the weight of the world they’ve helped to build grow on their shoulders. By the end of the book, it’s clear that their own journeys are defined by the actions which they’ve undertaken because it’s what they felt was right, rather than what their orders were.’ — io9.com

‘At the centre of this is the question, ‘What makes a hero?’ The supermen of Tidhar’s novel are forced to commit terrible acts in the name of the greater good, and stand by and watch as terrible acts are committed for the same reason. As well as being a wonderfully drawn and detailed historical espionage tale, THE VIOLENT CENTURY is ultimately a very human story. It’s gripping, imaginative and, finally, moving.’ — SciFi Now

(UK, Ltd., US)

A MAN LIES DREAMING Cover Wins Award!

Posted on Monday, March 7th, 2016

Lavie Tidhar‘s A MAN LIES DREAMING has racked up yet another award! This time, Ben Summers’s composition for the UK edition has won the Academy of British Cover Design Award in Sci-Fi/Fantasy! The award was announced in the Bookseller.

The novel is published in the UK by Hodder, and is out now. Here’s the synopsis…

The Man in the High Castle for the 21st century, A MAN LIES DREAMING is the award-winning novel by Lavie Tidhar, the next Philip K. Dick.

Deep in the heart of history’s most infamous concentration camp, a man lies dreaming. His name is Shomer, and before the war he was a pulp fiction author. Now, to escape the brutal reality of life in Auschwitz, Shomer spends his nights imagining another world — a world where a disgraced former dictator now known only as Wolf ekes out a miserable existence as a low-rent PI in London’s grimiest streets.

An extraordinary story of revenge and redemption, A Man Lies Dreaming is the unforgettable testament to the power of imagination.

Last year, A MAN LIES DREAMING won the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Award. The novel has also been published as a Limited Edition from PS Publishing, and in Italy via Frassinelli. It is due out in the US next week, published by Melville House (covers below).

Here’s just a small selection of the great reviews A MAN LIES DREAMING has received…

‘Savagely funny… A MAN LIES DREAMING, by the Israeli-born novelist Lavie Tidhar, has not been published with the fanfare bestowed on Martin Amis’s The Zone of Interest or Howard Jacobson’s J, but it is their equal for savage humour… Those who enjoy laughter in the dark will relish Tidhar’s parade of mordant ironies… This novel is weird, upsetting, unmissable.’ 5* — Telegraph

‘Like Tarantino, Tidhar may find that some people don’t take him seriously. But the joke’s on them. Seriousness is the least of it: A MAN LIES DREAMING is a twisted masterpiece.’ — Guardian

‘Theodor Adorno said that to write poetry after Auschwitz was barbaric. To which I would say, yes, but you can still write an excellent novel. A MAN LIES DREAMING is that novel.’ — Philip Kerr

‘Absolutely engrossing…a fascinating narrative… a must-read for anyone that likes books that make them think; it is complex, with plenty of meaty themes to mull over…’ — A Fantastical Librarian

‘It’s good. It’s damn good… a tight, masterful creation, an unexpectedly moving work.’ — Jewish Book Council

‘To call this a delightful book, would do it a disservice. None of Shomer’s imagined characters are likeable. He has all kinds of misfortunes befall them, especially Wolf. At the start, a reader might wonder why these men who tried to exterminate Jews, have been given a relatively easy exile compared to the life which Shomer and his fellows are experiencing. Shomer, though, has a very devious fate awaiting Wolf… This is a book that fully deserves to be on an awards shortlist.’ — British Fantasy Society

New Cover and Pre-Publication Buzz for Lavie Tidhar’s CENTRAL STATION!

Posted on Tuesday, February 23rd, 2016

Above you can see the fabulous new cover for Lavie Tidhar‘s highly-anticipated CENTRAL STATION. Due to be published by Tachyon Publications in May 2016, here’s the 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. The city is literally a weed, its growth left unchecked. 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.

The artwork has also been used in one of two advance ‘travel poster’ for Central Station (second at end of post)…

Here are just a couple of pre-publication reactions to the book…

‘If you want to know what SF is going to look like in the next decade, this is it.’ — Gardener Dozois

‘A dazzling tale of complicated politics and even more complicated souls. Beautiful.’ — Ken Liu

‘If Nalo Hopkinson and William Gibson held a séance to channel the spirit of Ray Bradbury, they might be inspired to produce a work as grimy, as gorgeous, and as downright sensual as CENTRAL STATION.’ — Peter Watts

‘Tidhar weaves strands of faith and science fiction into a breathtaking and lush family history of the far future.’ — Max Gladstone

New BOOKMAN HISTORIES Covers

Posted on Friday, February 12th, 2016

The new US covers for Lavie Tidhar‘s superb Bookman Histories steampunk series were unveiled last week. Published by Angry Robot Books, the three new editions will be published this summer: THE BOOKMAN (June), CAMERA OBSCURA (July) and THE GREAT GAME (August). Here’s the synopsis for the first novel…

When his beloved is killed in a terrorist atrocity committed by the sinister Bookman, young poet Orphan becomes enmeshed in a web of secrets and lies. His quest to uncover the truth takes him from the hidden catacombs of a London on the brink of revolution, through pirate-infested seas, to the mysterious island that may hold the secret to the origin, not only of the shadowy Bookman, but of Orphan himself…

Tor.com published a piece by the designer of the new covers, Sarah Anne Langton, about the creative process.

Tidhar is also the author of the World Fantasy Award-winning OSAMA, the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Award-winning A MAN LIES DREAMING, and the critically-acclaimed THE VIOLENT CENTURY.

A MAN LIES DREAMING is published in the UK by Hodder, in the US by Melville House (March), and in Italy by Frassinelli. THE VIOLENT CENTURY is also published in the UK by Hodder, and in the US by Thomas Dunne Books.

Lavie’s next book, CENTRAL STATION, is due to be published by Tachyon Publications, in May 2016.

Lavie Tidhar’s WOLF Out Now in Italy!

Posted on Tuesday, January 19th, 2016

Lavie Tidhar‘s award-winning A MAN LIES DREAMING is out now in Italy. Published as WOLF by Frassinelli, here’s the synopsis…

In un altro tempo e luogo, un uomo dorme e sogna.

Londra, 1939. Herr Wolf è un investigatore privato, tedesco. Viene assoldato per ritrovare una ragazza scomparsa. La ragazza è ebrea. Wolf accetta il caso perché ha un disperato bisogno di soldi, ma Wolf odia gli ebrei. È colpa degli ebrei, infatti, se nel 1933 ha dovuto lasciare la Germania; è colpa degli ebrei se i comunisti hanno preso il potere a Berlino e da qui in quasi tutta l’Europa; è colpa degli ebrei se il partito nazista, che avrebbe portato ordine e disciplina, è stato sconfitto e distrutto; è colpa degli ebrei se Wolf e molti dei suoi vecchi camerati sono finiti così, dispersi e braccati. L’indagine porterà Wolf a ripercorrere il suo passato e precipitare nelle sue nevrosi, e condurrà invece il lettore in un gioco di continui spiazzamenti. Niente è come sembra, in questo romanzo, che è a un tempo una grande prova di narrativa ucronica, un noir, un libro perversamente erotico, e un avvincente spaccato della psicologia «nera» e malata del Novecento.

A MAN LIES DREAMING is published in the UK by Hodder, as a Limited Edition by PS Publishing, and is due to be published in the US by Melville House in March 2016. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Deep in the heart of history’s most infamous concentration camp, a man lies dreaming. His name is Shomer, and before the war he was a pulp fiction author. Now, to escape the brutal reality of life in Auschwitz, Shomer spends his nights imagining another world – a world where a disgraced former dictator now known only as Wolf ekes out a miserable existence as a low-rent PI in London’s grimiest streets.

An extraordinary story of revenge and redemption, A Man Lies Dreaming is the unforgettable testament to the power of imagination.

Here are some of the rave reviews the novel has received…

‘Savagely funny… Those who enjoy laughter in the dark will relish Tidhar’s parade of mordant ironies… This novel is weird, upsetting, unmissable.’ 5* — Telegraph

‘Wild, noir-infused alternative history from genre-bender Tidhar… A wholly original Holocaust story: as outlandish as it is poignant.’ — Kirkus (Starred Review)

‘Lavie Tidhar wrote a novel in which the world has taken a different path, and Hitler, the ruthless executioner, found himself a loser. Just like in a Tarantino movie, the effect is powerful and liberating… Rewriting history, even as a product of imagination, requires a lot of freedom and courage. Those who attempt to do it are often rewarded. In WOLF, Tidhar is not afraid to tell an alternate reality.’ — Rolling Stone (Italy)

‘When Tidhar writes of the Holocaust it is with brutal accuracy and a deep sensitivity… it’s poetic and terrible… To top it all of course is Tidhar’s voice itself — at times humorous, at times grim but never frivolous and always taught and controlled… As with his previous novels, Tidhar knows how to say a great deal in very little. There is eloquence and gravitas in the sparseness and brevity of noir fiction when it is good, and Tidhar’s is quite incredible.’ — Tor.com

Lavie Tidhar’s A MAN LIES DREAMING coming to Italy in January!

Posted on Friday, December 4th, 2015

Lavie Tidhar‘s award-winning novel, A MAN LIES DREAMING, will be available in Italian this coming January! Due to be published by Frassinelli as WOLF, here’s the English-language synopsis…

Deep in the heart of history’s most infamous concentration camp, a man lies dreaming. His name is Shomer, and before the war he was a pulp fiction author. Now, to escape the brutal reality of life in Auschwitz, Shomer spends his nights imagining another world – a world where a disgraced former dictator now known only as Wolf ekes out a miserable existence as a low-rent PI in London’s grimiest streets.

An extraordinary story of revenge and redemption, A Man Lies Dreamingis the unforgettable testament to the power of imagination.

‘I love this cover,’ Lavie’s written, ‘it catches the essence of the book for me in a very real way, though I have to say I’ve loved all the covers for the book so far.’

Here is just a small selection of the reviews the novel has received so far…

‘Comes crashing through the door of literature like Sam Spade with a .38 in his hand. This is a shocking book as well as a rather brilliant one… Like Tarantino, Tidhar may find that some people don’t take him seriously. But the joke’s on them. Seriousness is the least of it: A MAN LIES DREAMING is a twisted masterpiece.’ — Guardian

‘Savagely funny… Those who enjoy laughter in the dark will relish Tidhar’s parade of mordant ironies… This novel is weird, upsetting, unmissable.’ 5* — Telegraph

‘No one can accuse Lavie Tidhar of being risk-averse… such an interesting writer… the novel is not without a fair amount of humor, and that might well be the boldest risk Tidhar is taking here…’ — Locus

‘It’s nasty, clever, waspish and witty. It finds room for guest appearances from Leni Riefenstahl, Ian Fleming and Evelyn Waugh and quotations from everyone from Chandler to Ukip… You turn the pages avidly. You read it for the pulp story. And you read it for the frame that surrounds it. And you can’t stop reading.’ — Herald Scotland

A MAN LIES DREAMING is published in the UK by Hodder, and as a Limited Edition by PS Publishing. The novel is due to be published in the US by Melville House in March 2016. The novel has won the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize, and has been nominated for the Dublin Literary Award.

Cover & Details: US Edition of A MAN LIES DREAMING

Posted on Tuesday, November 24th, 2015

In March 2016, Melville House are due to publish Lavie Tidhar‘s award-winning A MAN LIES DREAMING. Above is the cover, and here is the synopsis…

A noir thriller with a twist and a Holocaust novel infused with the spirit of shund—the dark Israeli pulp fiction that thrived in the years after World War II — the British Fantasy Award-shortlisted A Man Lies Dreaming is a radical literary experiment that brings alternate history to life.

Lavie Tidhar has reimagined the rainy, atmospheric energy of London in the 1930s, and the troubled private detective with an unspeakable secret who roams its streets. As A Man Lies Dreaming unfolds and more of its mysteries come to the surface, we find ourselves drawn into a novel at once gripping and profoundly unsettling.

A MAN LIES DREAMING won the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize earlier this year, and (as we shared on Monday) has been nominated for the Dublin Literary Award. The novel is published in the UK by Hodder; and by PS Publishing as a Limited Edition (cover below).

Here’s just a small selection from the praise that A MAN LIES DREAMING has enjoyed…

‘One of the most powerful books I’ve read this year thanks to its combination of alternate history noir and the harsh reality of life in the concentration camps. Tidhar doesn’t just describe situations, both real and fictional; he makes you feel them, with writing that stimulates all your senses… A MAN LIES DREAMING once again combines Tidhar’s love of alternate realities with insights into what it means to be human. It will haunt your dreams and is his best novel yet. Highly recommended. 9/10′ — SciFi Bulletin

‘Wolf’s story is interesting, well-plotted… tightly structured… Wolf is a fantastic character, reprehensible, but somehow piteous, hilarious, oddly likeable for all his terrible traits, and the ability to make the reader sympathise with Adolf Hitler, for god’s sake, cannot be underestimated. Tidhar is a masterful writer… he is perhaps the UK’s most literary speculative fiction writer, and we should celebrate A MAN LIES DREAMING as more a masterful work of literary fiction than of speculative fiction. But it is exactly that: masterful.’ — Strange Horizons

‘When did he become one of our best and most adventurous writers?’ — Jonathan Strahan in Locus (Feb.2015)

Lavie Tidhar’s A MAN LIES DREAMING Nominated for Dublin Literary Award!

Posted on Monday, November 16th, 2015

Lavie Tidhar‘s latest novel, A MAN LIES DREAMING, has been nominated for the Dublin Literary Award 2016! The novel, published in the UK by Hodder, also won the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize earlier this year. Here’s the synopsis…

Deep in the heart of history’s most infamous concentration camp, a man lies dreaming. His name is Shomer, and before the war he was a pulp fiction author. Now, to escape the brutal reality of life in Auschwitz, Shomer spends his nights imagining another world – a world where a disgraced former dictator now known only as Wolf ekes out a miserable existence as a low-rent PI in London’s grimiest streets.

An extraordinary story of revenge and redemption, A Man Lies Dreaming is the unforgettable testament to the power of imagination.

A MAN LIES DREAMING is due to be published in the US by Melville House in March 2016. Lavie’s previous novel, THE VIOLENT CENTURY, is also published in the UK by Hodder, and in the US by Thomas Dunne Books. THE VIOLENT CENTURY was nominated for the Dublin Literary Award 2015. Here’s just a small sample taken from the many glowing reviews the novel has received…

‘Comes crashing through the door of literature like Sam Spade with a .38 in his hand. This is a shocking book as well as a rather brilliant one… Tidhar’s novel treats its grim theme not as a comedy, although there is plenty of caustic humour, but instead as a pulp-noir tale of seamy city streets, gumshoes and lowlifes… Tidhar, who cut his teeth in the world of genre SF, understands how eloquent pulp can be… Like Tarantino, Tidhar may find that some people don’t take him seriously. But the joke’s on them. Seriousness is the least of it: A MAN LIES DREAMING is a twisted masterpiece.’ — Guardian

‘When Tidhar writes of the Holocaust it is with brutal accuracy and a deep sensitivity… poetic and terrible… Many will find elements of this story deeply disturbing, not the least of which is a possible sympathy to Wolf… To top it all of course is Tidhar’s voice itself — at times humorous, at times grim but never frivolous and always taught and controlled… As with his previous novels, Tidhar knows how to say a great deal in very little. There is eloquence and gravitas in the sparseness and brevity of noir fiction when it is good, and Tidhar’s is quite incredible.’ — Tor.com

Cover & Details: A MAN LIES DREAMING by Lavie Tidhar Ltd.Ed.

Posted on Thursday, October 22nd, 2015

PS Publishing have released a limited edition of Lavie Tidhar‘s most recent critically-acclaimed and award-winning novel, A MAN LIES DREAMING. Here’s the synopsis…

Deep in the heart of history’s most infamous concentration camp, a man lies dreaming. His name is Shomer, and before the war he was a pulp fiction author. Now, to escape the brutal reality of life in Auschwitz, Shomer spends his nights imagining another world – a world where a disgraced former dictator now known only as Wolf ekes out a miserable existence as a low-rent PI in London’s grimiest streets.

An extraordinary story of revenge and redemption, A MAN LIES DREAMING is the unforgettable testament to the power of imagination.

The Limited Edition comes with an exclusive, previously unpublished novella, LUST OF THE SWASTIKA. Here’s the cover…

A MAN LIES DREAMING, which won the Jerwood Undercover Fiction Prize this year, was published in the UK by Hodder, and is due to be published in the US next year by Melville House (cover and more details soon). It is also due to be published in Italy (details next week).

Here’s just a small selection of reviews the novel has enjoyed…

‘…savagely funny… A MAN LIES DREAMING, by the Israeli-born novelist Lavie Tidhar, has not been published with the fanfare bestowed on Martin Amis’s The Zone of Interest or Howard Jacobson’s J, but it is their equal for savage humour… Those who enjoy laughter in the dark will relish Tidhar’s parade of mordant ironies… This novel is weird, upsetting, unmissable.’ 5* — Telegraph

‘When Tidhar writes of the Holocaust it is with brutal accuracy and a deep sensitivity… it’s poetic and terrible… Many will find elements of this story deeply disturbing, not the least of which is a possible sympathy to Wolf… To top it all of course is Tidhar’s voice itself — at times humorous, at times grim but never frivolous and always taught and controlled… As with his previous novels, Tidhar knows how to say a great deal in very little. There is eloquence and gravitas in the sparseness and brevity of noir fiction when it is good, and Tidhar’s is quite incredible.’ — Tor.com

Cover: ART AND WAR by Lavie Tidhar and Shimon Adaf

Posted on Tuesday, October 20th, 2015

Above is the cover for Lavie Tidhar‘s upcoming collaboration with Shimon Adaf, ART AND WAR: POETRY, PULP AND POLITICS IN ISRAELI FICTION. Due to be published by Repeater Books in 2016, here’s the synopsis…

Shimon Adaf and Lavie Tidhar are two of Israel’s most subversive and politically outspoken writers. Growing up on opposite sides of the Israeli spectrum — Tidhar in the north of Israel in the Zionist, socialist Kibbutz; Adaf from a family of religious Mizrahi Jews living in Sderot — the two nevertheless shared a love of books, and were especially drawn to the strange visions and outrageous sensibilities of the science fiction that was available in Hebrew. Here, they engage in a dialogue that covers their approach to writing the fantastic, as they question how to write about Israel and Palestine, about Judaism, about the Holocaust, about childhoods and their end. Extending the conversation even into their fiction, the book contains two brand new short stories — “Tutim” by Tidhar, and “third attribute” by Adaf — in which each appears as a character in the other’s tale; simultaneously political and fantastical, they burn with an angry, despairing intensity.

In related news, Lavie has also been selected as one of seven ‘Israeli expat writers to watch in the new year’ by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Few writers have the chutzpah to write fiction about Osama bin Laden or create an alternate history of Auschwitz, yet the prolific Tidhar has done both… Raised on a kibbutz but now a resident of London, Tidhar also edited the recently published anthologies “Jews Vs. Zombies” and “Jews Vs. Aliens.” Tidhar writes at the intersection of speculative fiction, noir, thriller and fantasy. His newest novel, “Central Station,” about Tel Aviv’s bus station, was written in English, like the majority of his work, and is forthcoming in March 2016.

Lavie Tidhar’s latest novel, A MAN LIES DREAMING, is published in the UK by Hodder. It is due to be published early 2016 by Melville House (details to come). Earlier this year, the novel won the Jerwood Fiction Undercover Prize. He is also the author of the critically-acclaimed THE VIOLENT CENTURY, published in the UK by Hodder and in the US by Thomas Dunne Books. His 2011 novel OSAMA won the World Fantasy Award — it is available from PS Publishing.

Cover & Details: CENTRAL STATION by Lavie Tidhar

Posted on Friday, October 2nd, 2015

Above is the cover for Lavie Tidhar‘s upcoming CENTRAL STATION collection. Due to be published by Tachyon Publications in May 2016, here’s the 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. The city is a weed, its growth left unchecked. Life is cheap and data is cheaper.

When Boris Chong returns to Tel Aviv from Mars, much has changed. Boris’s ex-lover Miriam is raising a strangely familiar child who can tap into the data stream of a mind with the touch of a finger. His cousin Isobel is infatuated with a robotnik — a cyborg ex-Israeli soldier who might well be begging for parts. Even his old flame Carmel — a hunted data-vampire — has followed him back to a planet where she is forbidden to return.

Rising above all 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 entities who, through the Conversation — a shifting, flowing stream of consciousness — are just the beginning of irrevocable change.

Lavie Tidhar is the World Fantasy Award-winning author of OSAMA (PS Publishing), the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Award-winning A MAN LIES DREAMING (Hodder and Melville House), THE VIOLENT CENTURY (Hodder and Thomas Dunne), and The Bookman Histories (Angry Robot).

Short Fiction Watch: Zeno Clients Recently in Clarkesworld

Posted on Tuesday, September 8th, 2015

Short fiction is a great way to try out authors for the first time, and many of our clients frequently have their short stories published in leading SFF zines and outlets. We haven’t featured as much short fiction recently, but we wanted to take this opportunity to share some links to work that has appeared in Clarkesworld — all of it available to read for free online. So, without further ado, here are just three of the latest…

Lavie Tidhar‘s THE BOOK SELLER
Aliette de Bodard‘s THREE CUPS OF GRIEF, BY STARLIGHT (also available in audio)
Ian R. MacLeod‘s NEVERMORE

Lavie Tidhar is the award-winning author of OSAMA (PS Publishing), THE VIOLENT CENTURY (Hodder/Thomas Dunne Books) and A MAN LIES DREAMING (Hodder/Melville House – forthcoming in 2016).

Aliette de Bodard is the author of multiple short stories and novellas, as well as the Obsidian & Blood trilogy, and the critically-acclaimed THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS, which was published last month by Gollancz in the UK and Roc Books in the US.

Ian R. MacLeod is the award-winning author of multiple novels, including THE LIGHT AGES, THE SUMMER ISLES and SNODGRASS. Many of his novels are available as eBooks, published by Open Road Media. His most recent book is FROST ON GLASS, published by PS Publishing.

Zeno Clients’ Nine Worlds 2015 Schedule

Posted on Monday, August 3rd, 2015

This week, Nine Worlds holds its second convention in London, from August 7th-9th. The convention features a veritable smorgasbord of events, screenings, panels, etc., and we wanted to share the schedule for our authors.

Friday, August 7th

11:30am-12:30pm — Panel: “Monsterclass – Mechanics of Publishing” — John Wordsworth — What does it take to get your book published and how does the publishing world work? Find out from some of London’s publishing experts.
1:30-2:45pm — Panel: “Evidence Handling – Primary source work for historians and writers” — Kari Sperring — What is a primary source, and how do historians use them? Three professional historians lead a workshop on how to work with various kinds of evidence, both written and physical. Examples of sources will be provided for participants to explore and analyse.
3:15-4:30pm — Panel: “The Companions – They save the universe a lot” — Kari Sperring — Our intrepid panellists discuss the companions of Doctor Who. Which ones worked best, and which ones fell by the wayside? Who’s under-rated and who deserved a run of seven years? What companion storylines have been the most compelling? And going into the future: what do we want to see on-screen, what can we realistically get, and what new archetypes and new ideas would we like to see played out?
5:00-6:15pm — Panel: “Childhood Influences – I want to be a Wild Thing when I grow up” — Edward Cox — From the fantasy worlds of Blyton’s Magic Faraway Tree to whizz-poppers and marvellous medicines of Roald Dahl, how important are childrens stories on us as adults and do they shape what authors write when they grow up?
6:45-8:00pm — Panel: “Historical Heroines – The women from history that we admire” — Kari Sperring — History is often seen as being about Great Men, but there were plenty of Great Women, from Katherine the Great to Florence Nightingale. This panel celebrates the women who have, against the odds, made their mark on history: a group of historians and writers will pick their favourites.
8:00-10:00pm — Event: “Jo Fletcher Books – Summer Party & Book Launch” — Naomi Foyle and Ian McDonald in attendance

Saturday, August 8th

9:00-9:45am — Panel: “What makes Fantasy fantastic?” — Anne Lyle — Why is it that even people who don’t claim to like genre still love fantasy? They can’t get on board with magicians and dragons but they love LOTR, Harry Potter and Twilight. So what is it that makes fantasy so fantastic?
10:00-11:15am — Panel: “The End of Author Mystique” — Edward Cox — Do authors need to be on social media to sell books and does an ability to tweet improve your chances of getting published? Are authors losing the mystery they once maintained from behind their keyboards and with blog posts and sneak peaks, have our expectations as readers changed?
11:45am-1:00pm — Panel: “Collaborative Writing – How to write with others (and stay friends)” — Naomi Foyle — Our panel discusses the trials and pitfalls of collaborative writing, examining why people write together, and the best techniques and technologies to use.
3:15-4:30pm — Panel: “Favourite Historical Movies – What we like and why” — Kari Sperring — Historians are often thought of as people who sit and watch historical movies, looking for the errors. But there are some movies set in the past that we like. Here, a group of historians will talk about their favourites, and why they are particularly loved.
5:00-6:15pm — Panel: “The dead will rise again – Resurgence of Gothic Literature” — Lavie Tidhar — Some of the greatest monsters just can’t stay dead. Here, we explore the pull of Gothic literature.

Sunday, August 9th

10:00-11:15am — Panel: “They used what? – Historical research for fanfiction” — Kari Sperring — Writing fanfiction set in a historical period can involve a great deal of research. (Possibly more than has been done by canon creators, in some cases!) And writing historical AUs can be a great way of unpacking the unspoken prejudices of a modern-day canon. Research can be immensely diverting, it can spark a renewed interest in history, and it can affect the course and content of your story. This panel will discuss how historical AUs open up some canons, and share some of the more interesting facets of their own research into various historical periods.
1:30-2:45pm — Panel: “The Stars My Destination – Exploring the Future of SF” — Naomi Foyle — We’re living in a science fiction world where technology and global warming are changing things faster than sci-fi writers can type — so where does the future of sci-fi sit?
3:15-4:30pm — Panel: “Writing the Other” — Naomi Foyle

The Nine Worlds 2015 convention takes place at the Radisson Blu Edwardian, Heathrow, 140 Bath Rd, Hayes, Middlesex UB3 5AW. (Google Maps)

Short Fiction Watch: MAMMOTH BOOK OF BEST NEW SF 28

Posted on Sunday, August 2nd, 2015

Published on October 1st, 2015 by Robinson, the 28th edition of the MAMMOTH BOOK OF BEST NEW SF includes a number of Zeno clients! Here’s the volume’s description…

An annual institution – the year’s best science fiction short stories and novellas

For decades now Gardner Dozois has been presenting his annual selection of the very best of recently published SF stories, both byoutstanding up-and-coming writers and undisputed masters of the genre. It has been voted Year’s Best Anthology by the readers of Locus magazine an unparalleled eighteen times and remains the definitive anthology for both diehard sci-fi fans and newcomers to the genre.

Without fail, Dozois pinpoints the previous year’s most exciting and ambitious science fiction, showcasing truly exceptional contemporary writing.

The Mammoth Book of Best New SF 28 includes, as ever, Dozois’s extensive recommended reading guide and his illuminating and incisive summation of the year in science fiction.

Among the included authors are Zeno’s own…

Aliette de Bodard is the author of the critically-acclaimed, newly-released THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS — published by Gollancz in the UK and Roc Books in the US. Here’s the synopsis…

A superb murder mystery, on an epic scale, set against the fall out — literally — of a war in heaven

Paris in the aftermath of the Great Magicians War. Its streets are lined with haunted ruins, Notre-Dame is a burnt-out shell, and the Seine runs black, thick with ashes and rubble. Yet life continues among the wreckage. The citizens retain their irrepressible appetite for novelty and distraction, and The Great Houses still vie for dominion over France’s once grand capital.

House Silverspires, previously the leader of those power games, 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, an alchemist with a self-destructive addiction, and a resentful young man wielding spells from the Far East. They may be Silverspires’ salvation; or the architects of its last, irreversible fall…

Ian McDonald is the author of the highly-anticipated new science fiction novel LUNA: NEW MOON, which is to be published this month by Gollancz in the UK and Tor Books in the US. Here’s the synopsis…

The Moon wants to kill you. Whether it’s being unable to pay your per diem for your allotted food, water, and air, or you just get caught up in a fight between the Moon’s ruling corporations, the Five Dragons. You must fight for every inch you want to gain in the Moon’s near feudal society. And that is just what Adriana Corta did.

As the leader of the Moon’s newest “dragon,” Adriana has wrested control of the Moon’s Helium-3 industry from the Mackenzie Metal corporation and fought to earn her family’s new status. Now, at the twilight of her life, Adriana finds her corporation, Corta Helio, surrounded by the many enemies she made during her meteoric rise. If the Corta family is to survive, Adriana’s five children must defend their mother’s empire from her many enemies… and each other.

Lavie Tidhar is, most recently, the author of the Jerwood Fiction Undercover prize A MAN LIES DREAMING, which is published in the UK by Hodder, and is due to be published next year in the US by Melville House. Here’s the synopsis…

An extraordinary story of revenge and redemption, A Man Lies Dreaming is the unforgettable testament to the power of imagination.