Lavie Tidhar’s THE BOOKMAN Turns Ten!


This month marks the tenth anniversary of Lavie Tidhar‘s debut novel, THE BOOKMAN! Published in September 2010 by Angry Robot Books, we thought it would be nice to just give the novel and series a quick shout out.

Above you can see the original cover. Here’s the synopsis…

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…

Angry Robot Books published the second and third novels in the series CAMERA OBSCURA (2010) and THE GREAT GAME (2012). The trilogy was also published as an omnibus edition (2012).

The trilogy was re-issued in 2016, with new covers (below) and bonus content:

  • THE BOOKMAN — novelette ‘Murder in the Cathedral’: Discover, truthfully, what actually happened when Orphan visited Paris.
  • CAMERA OBSCURA — short story ‘Titanic‘, from the Lost Files of the Bookman Histories
  • THE GREAT GAME — short story ‘Dynamics of an Asteroid‘, also from the Lost Files of the Bookman Histories

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

‘Lavie Tidhar’s THE BOOKMAN is simply the best book I’ve read in a long time, and I read a lot of books. If you’re worried that Steampunk has turned into a mere fashion aesthetic, then you’d better read this one. It’s a stunningly imaginative remix of history, technology, literature, and Victorian adventure that’s impossible to put down. The book is immensely smart and readable at the same time. I very much hope that it’s the first of many such books. Buy it.’ — James P. Blaylock

‘Literary figures emerge from the swirling fog, automatons patrol the streets, space probes head for Mars and giant lizards rule over Victorian England. A potent and atmospheric steampunk adventure.’ — Chris Wooding

‘This is a steampunk gem. The settings are marvellously detailed, giving you the feeling that there is a London in which Lizards reign and whales swim up the Thames to sing lullabies to the city dwellers… Bring on a sequel, Tidhar! I’m craving to know what happens after the ending!’ — SFF World

THE BOOKMAN is a delight, crammed with gorgeous period detail, seat-of-the-pants adventure and fabulous set-pieces.’ — The Guardian

The juicy backstory is unfolded by Tidhar, making it a key part of what makes the narrative so compelling… skilful, clever and highly enjoyable. 4*’ –– SFX Magazine

THE BOOKMAN Re-Issued in US Today!


Tidhar-B1-BookmanUS

Hot on the heels of THE BOOKMAN‘s re-issue in the UK last week, we’re very happy to report that the new edition of Lavie Tidhar‘s debut (pictured above) is out today in the US, too! Published by Angry Robot Books, here’s the synopsis…

In a 19th century unlike our own, the shadowy assassin known as the Bookman moves unseen. His weapons are books; his enemies are many. And when Orphan, a young man with a mysterious past, loses his love to the sinister machinations of the Bookman, Orphan would stop at nothing to bring her back from the dead.

In The Bookman, World Fantasy Award winner Lavie Tidhar writes a love letter to books, and to the serial literature of the Victorian era: full of hair-breadth escapes and derring-dos, pirates and automatons, assassins and poets, a world in which real life authors mingle freely with their fictional creations – and where nothing is quite as it seems.

New 2016 edition includes the novelette “Murder in the Cathedral”. Discover, truthfully, what actually happened when Orphan visited Paris.

The second and third novels in the series — CAMERA OBSCURA and THE GREAT GAME — will be published in August and October, respectively.

Tidhar-Bookman2&3-2016

The Bookman Histories have also been published in Japan, by Hayakawa Shobo…

Tidhar-BookmanHistoriesJP

Lavie Tidhar is, most recently, the author of the critically-acclaimed CENTRAL STATION, published by Tachyon Publications. He is also the multi-award winning author of A MAN LIES DREAMING (Hodder UK/Melville House US), THE VIOLENT CENTURY (Hodder UK/Thomas Dunne US) and OSAMA (PS Publishing), among many novellas and short stories.

Tidhar-BacklistTo2016

Lavie Tidhar’s THE BOOKMAN Reissued in UK Today!


Tidhar-B1-BookmanUS-Blog

Today, Angry Robot Books re-release the first novel in Lavie Tidhar‘s critically-acclaimed Bookman Histories steampunk series! THE BOOKMAN was originally published in 2010. Here is the synopsis…

In a 19th century unlike our own, the shadowy assassin known as the Bookman moves unseen. His weapons are books; his enemies are many. And when Orphan, a young man with a mysterious past, loses his love to the sinister machinations of the Bookman, Orphan would stop at nothing to bring her back from the dead.

In The Bookman, World Fantasy Award winner Lavie Tidhar writes a love letter to books, and to the serial literature of the Victorian era: full of hair-breadth escapes and derring-dos, pirates and automatons, assassins and poets, a world in which real life authors mingle freely with their fictional creations – and where nothing is quite as it seems.

New 2016 edition includes the novelette “Murder in the Cathedral”. Discover, truthfully, what actually happened when Orphan visited Paris.

The new edition of THE BOOKMAN will be published in the US next week. The final two volumes in the trilogy, CAMERA OBSCURA and THE GREAT GAME, will be re-issued by Angry Robot in August and October, respectively.

Tidhar-Bookman2016-2&3-Blog

Lavie Tidhar is, most recently, the author of the critically-acclaimed CENTRAL STATION, published by Tachyon Publications. He is also the multi-award winning author of A MAN LIES DREAMING (Hodder UK/Melville House US), THE VIOLENT CENTURY (Hodder UK/Thomas Dunne US) and OSAMA (PS Publishing), among many novellas and short stories.

Tidhar-Backlist2016-UK&US-Blog

Here is just a handful of great reviews THE BOOKMAN has received…

‘Lavie Tidhar’s THE BOOKMAN is simply the best book I’ve read in a long time, and I read a lot of books. If you’re worried that Steampunk has turned into a mere fashion aesthetic, then you’d better read this one. It’s a stunningly imaginative remix of history, technology, literature, and Victorian adventure that’s impossible to put down. The book is immensely smart and readable at the same time. I very much hope that it’s the first of many such books. Buy it.’ — James P. Blaylock

THE BOOKMAN is a delight, crammed with gorgeous period detail, seat-of-the-pants adventure and fabulous set-pieces.’ — Guardian

‘This is a steampunk gem. The settings are marvellously detailed, giving you the feeling that there is a London in which Lizards reign and whales swim up the Thames to sing lullabies to the city dwellers… Bring on a sequel, Tidhar! I’m craving to know what happens after the ending!’ SFF World on THE BOOKMAN

The juicy backstory is unfolded by Tidhar, making it a key part of what makes the narrative so compelling… skilful, clever and highly enjoyable.’ –– SFX Magazine on THE BOOKMAN

‘An intelligent, clever book, that creates a wonderfully complex secondary world … as well-constructed as a Swiss cuckoo clock and as readable as any genre fiction being written today.’ — Red Rook Review