Tag: Novella

Czech Edition of Ben Aaronovitch’s THE OCTOBER MAN Out Now!

Posted on Thursday, October 1st, 2020

We’re very happy to share the news that the Czech edition of Ben Aaronovitch‘s THE OCTOBER MAN is out now! Published by Argo as STÍN NAD TREVÍREM, it’s the first set in Germany and starring Tobias Winter. Here’s the synopsis…

První případ, který se neodehrává v Londýně a který neřeší Peter Grant. Svižné dobrodružství, které si v ničem nezadá s eskapádami slavné partičky z Rozmaru a anglických říčních božstev. Tajnosti tentokrát obestírají řeku Moselu a jihoněmecké město Trevír, proslavené vínem a starověkými Římany. Právě zde je na vinici nalezena mrtvola muže pokrytého plísní. Místní policie s něčím takovým nemá zkušenosti, kolem případu se navíc vznáší aura nadpřirozena, a proto je na scénu pozván vyšetřovatel Tobias Winter, německá obdoba Petera Granta, který s pomocí trevírské policistky Vanessy Sommerové záhy odhalí propojení oběti se skupinkou místních mužů a čímsi, co město a jeho okolí prorůstá už pěkně dlouhou dobu. Případ se větví a nejde v něm pouze o plíseň a vraždu, nýbrž i o vlákna minulosti, sahající do dávné historie Trevíru.

Knižní řada Řeky Londýna se vydává do Německa!

Argo has also published Ben’s first seven Peter Grant novels, the novella THE FURTHEST STATION, and also the first two Rivers of London comic collections (co-authored by Andrew Cartmel).

THE OCTOBER MAN is published by Gollancz in the UK, Subterranean Press in North America, and DTV in Germany. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Trier is famous for wine, Romans and for being Germany’s oldest city. So when a man is found dead with, his body impossibly covered in a fungal rot, the local authorities know they are out of their depth.

Fortunately this is Germany, where there are procedures for everything.

Enter Investigator Tobias Winter, whose aim is to get in, deal with the problem, and get out with the minimum of fuss, personal danger and paperwork. With the help of frighteningly enthusiastic local cop, Vanessa Sommer, he’s quick to link the first victim to a group of ordinary middle aged men – and to realise they may have accidentally reawakened a bloody conflict from a previous century. But the rot is still spreading, literally and with the suspect list extending to people born before Frederick the Great solving the case may mean unearthing the city’s secret magical history.

… so long as that history doesn’t kill them first.

Finally, check out some of the reviews the novella has received so far…

‘In this enjoyable spin-off from the Rivers of London urban fantasy series, Aaronovitch successfully transfers his blend of the supernatural and humor from England to the Continent as he introduces Tobias Winter, a German police officer who practices magic… Supernatural mystery fans who enjoy more whimsical takes on the paranormal will hope for more of Winter and Sommer.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘Winter’s stolidness is a feature rather than a bug. While there are moments of adventure and daring, the story of this crime is both a satisfying whodunit and a primer on how magic works in Deutschland. THE OCTOBER MAN would be an interesting place to enter the Rivers of London world. Rather than fae, a new reader would anticipate werewolves, perhaps — and still greatly enjoy Aaronovitch’s work. Those who know the Folly will appreciate this outsider’s view of Grant and Nightingale, as well as learn a bit about how the latter spent the war, while still greatly enjoying Aaronovitch’s work, even if it is set someplace new.’ — Locus (Adrienne Martini)

‘Sommer and Winter are an interesting team, the latter especially being a fascinating take of the “ordinary copper” style trope that these books do so well… THE OCTOBER MAN is a must for any fan of the series so far and, unusually, a good introduction to the series. It only marginally connects to the big plot of the main books, but does introduce all the core ideas and distinctive style. More please, and soon.’ — Starburst

‘There is a joyous familiarity to Aaronovitch’s writing, meaning that fans of the series will delight in seeing how unexplainable events are dealt with in the Rhineland, without ever feeling like they left Grant or London behind… Aaronovitch continues to develop his well-crafted magical alternate/fantasy history backdrop with his usual level of attention to detail. Familiar geographical and historical touchstones are cleverly rolled away, leaving you with a non-fiction reading list that will keep you curious long after you’ve closed the last page… The characters are at once likeable and engaging… an enjoyable jaunt to the Continent that leaves you hoping that the Rivers Of London series will be packing its bags to take us on another outing to a new destination around the globe soon.’ — SciFi Now

‘Aaronovitch is well on his way to becoming this country’s standout voice of urban fantasy, with a sprinkling of humour… a tasty little mystery… Set in Germany, with all the usual murder and mayhem the author is famed for, it’s about as enjoyable as a tease can be from a writer on top form.’ — The Sun (UK)

‘Aaronovitch expands the universe of his Rivers of London series (Broken Homes, 2014) to include new characters operating in different countries with ties to supernatural crimes and detective work. THE OCTOBER MAN introduces Tobias Winter, a sanctioned magic practitioner who investigates the supernatural angles of crimes for the Abteilung KDA (which fans will recognize as the German extension of the British Folly)… Aaronovitch delivers yet another classic detective novel rich with the magical world building accomplished in his previous work.’ — Booklist

ICYMI: Aliette de Bodard’s Upcoming FIREHEART TIGER Gets a Gorgeous Cover!

Posted on Thursday, September 24th, 2020

Earlier this week, Tor.com unveiled the stunning cover for FIREHEART TIGER, the latest novella from Aliette de Bodard! You may have caught our enthusiastic Tweeting about the cover, but we wanted to share it here as well, just in case anyone missed it!

Due to be published by Tor.com in February 2021, here’s the synopsis…

Fire burns bright and has a long memory…

Quiet, thoughtful princess Thanh was sent away as a hostage to the powerful faraway country of Ephteria as a child. Now she’s returned to her mother’s imperial court, haunted not only by memories of her first romance, but by worrying magical echoes of a fire that devastated Ephteria’s royal palace.

Thanh’s new role as a diplomat places her once again in the path of her first love, the powerful and magnetic Eldris of Ephteria, who knows exactly what she wants: romance from Thanh and much more from Thanh’s home. Eldris won’t take no for an answer, on either front. But the fire that burned down one palace is tempting Thanh with the possibility of making her own dangerous decisions.

Can Thanh find the freedom to shape her country’s fate — and her own?

Aliette is also the multi-award winning and nominated author of the Dominion of the Fallen series (Gollancz, Roc Books, JABberwocky) and also the expansive Xuya series (Subterranean Press, JABberwocky).

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.

Aliette de Bodard’s OF DRAGONS, FEASTS AND MURDERS is out Today!

Posted on Tuesday, July 7th, 2020

The wait is finally over: Aliette de Bodard‘s new, highly-anticipated Dominion of the Fallen novella, OF DRAGONS, FEASTS AND MURDERS is out today! Published by JABberwocky, here’s the synopsis…

From the author of the critically acclaimed Dominion of the Fallen trilogy comes a tale of dragons, and Fallen angels — and also kissing, sarcasm and stabbing.

Lunar New Year should be a time for familial reunions, ancestor worship, and consumption of an unhealthy amount of candied fruit.

But when dragon prince Thuan brings home his brooding and ruthless husband Asmodeus for the New Year, they find not interminable family gatherings, but a corpse outside their quarters. Asmodeus is thrilled by the murder investigation; Thuan, who gets dragged into the political plotting he’d sworn off when he left, is less enthusiastic.

It’ll take all of Asmodeus’s skill with knives, and all of Thuan’s diplomacy, to navigate this one — as well as the troubled waters of their own relationship….

A sparkling standalone book set in a world of dark intrigue.

A must read for fans of Aliette’s Dominion of the Fallen series, the novella can stand on its own (perfect for newcomers, too)! Chronologically, it follows the third novel in the series: THE HOUSE OF SUNDERING FLAMES.

‘A delightful political mystery featuring de Bodard’s vibrant world-building, beautiful prose, and compelling characters.’ — Juliet Kemp, author of Shadow and Storm

‘Fantasy of Manners but with corpses and a stabby husband. The stabby husband may or may not have produced the aforementioned corpses.’ — Fantasy Inn

The Dominion of the Fallen novels are published by Gollancz in the UK and Roc Books (#1-2) and JABberwocky (#3) in North America: THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS, THE HOUSE OF BINDING THORNS and the aforementioned THE HOUSE OF SUNDERING FLAMES.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

‘Truly beautifully balanced: between new and old, birth and death, beauty and ugliness, inside and outside, beginning and, yes, ending. It walks the line, and walks it fine.’ — Tor.com on THE HOUSE OF BINDING THORNS

‘de Bodard’s people feel real to me… There is hope even in the darkest of places, and there is a desire for love, for trust, for harbor, that takes root no matter how often it’s destroyed. This is a stronger, more certain novel than THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS, and if reading it is sometimes walking the unfenced edge of a cliff, the vista is dizzying and beautiful. It is well worth the wait, and if you haven’t read the first novel, I urge you to do so. But have THE HOUSE OF BINDING THORNS in hand before you reach the end.’ — Fantasy & Science Fiction (Mar/Apr 2017)

‘If you’ve loved the previous entries in this series, consider it a must read. If you haven’t, know that it delivers an intoxicating blend of gothic mystery, apocalyptic fantasy, and Vietnamese myth—meaty, singular, and satisfying.’ — B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog on THE HOUSE OF SUNDERING FLAMES

Lavie Tidhar’s NEW ATLANTIS is a Sturgeon Memorial Award Finalist!

Posted on Thursday, June 18th, 2020

We are delighted to report that Lavie Tidhar‘s novella NEW ATLANTIS is a finalist for this year’s Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award!

Originally published in the May/June 2019 issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine, it was recently published as an eBook via the JABberwocky eBook Program. Available from all major eBook retailers, it also has a superb new cover by Sarah Anne Langton.

Here’s the synopsis…

When a mysterious message arrives from vanished New Atlantis, a restless Mai undertakes the perilous journey to its drowned isles. But the journey is long and hard: through the Blasted Plains and the ancient cities of Tyr and Suf, through shipwreck and wilderness.

For this is a world where ants develop inexplicable weapons, where a lonely robot lives surrounded by cats in the ruins of old Paris, and where floating coral islands host sleeping sentience. Mai’s journey takes her by land, sea and air to the islands of New Atlantis, and to the nightmare prison buried underneath old London.

On her way she will find heartbreak and love – and a new life, awakening.

The novella has already been described as ‘Excellent’ (SF Crowsnest), ‘Amazing’ (1000 Year Plan) and ‘A wonderful, imaginative story’ (SF Revu).

This year’s winner of the award will be announced at the Gunn Center Conference, which will take place on October 1st-3rd in Lincoln, Nebraska’s University of Nebraska.

Congratulations, Lavie!

A number of Lavie’s other novellas and stories have also been published as eBooks by JABberwocky. You can find more information about these books here.

Lavie’s recent novel is BY FORCE ALONE — a retelling of the King Arthur mythology, published by Head of Zeus in the UK (out now) and Tor Books in North America (due out in August).

Lavie is also the author of the highly-acclaimed, award-winning CENTRAL STATION, UNHOLY LAND, and THE VIOLENT CENTURY — all of which are published by Tachyon Publications (also with spectacular covers by Sarah Anne Langton).

Coming Soon: Aliette de Bodard’s FIREHEART TIGER!

Posted on Monday, June 15th, 2020

We are very happy to report that Tor.com has acquired Aliette de Bodard‘s new novella, FIREHEART TIGER! Described as ‘The Goblin Emperor meets Howl’s Moving Castle in a precolonial Vietnamese-esque world’, it is due to be published in February 2021. Here’s the synopsis…

Thanh is royalty in a beleaguered nation of scattered provinces pressured on all sides. The daughter of ancestors armed with swords and courage, she was fostered in a foreign capital to seal an alliance, and returned — to her powerful mother’s disappointment — quiet and thoughtful instead of brash and confident.

Propped up by the guns and silver of Ephteria, a far more powerful empire, her country is losing the game of power. In Eldris, an Ephterian princess, Thanh finds both romance and intoxicating risk. Eldris may desire her, but she doesn’t respect what Thanh holds dear.

Giang, Thanh’s humble handmaiden, who appeared to her the night of a terrible fire and who has deep secrets of her own, might be the one who holds the key to love, freedom, and true power.

Here’s what Aliette had to say about the upcoming novella…

FIREHEART TIGER is one of those pieces very dear to my heart, a story of a fire and how it resonates, a story of coming free from the long, long shadows of the past. I’m delighted it’s found a home with Tordotcom Publishing, who have been doing stellar work with powerful and wonderful novellas.

Aliette is the multi-award-winning author of the Dominion of the Fallen series (published by Gollancz in the UK; Roc Books and JABberwocky in North America), the Xuya Universe series (published by Subterranean Press and JABberwocky), and more.

NEW ATLANTIS by Lavie Tidhar available now!

Posted on Monday, May 25th, 2020

Lavie Tidhar‘s novella, NEW ATLANTIS is now available as an eBook! Previously published in the May/June 2019 issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine, it has been published solo via the JABberwocky eBook Program and is available from all major eBook retailers. Graced with a superb new cover by Sarah Anne Langton, here’s the synopsis…

When a mysterious message arrives from vanished New Atlantis, a restless Mai undertakes the perilous journey to its drowned isles. But the journey is long and hard: through the Blasted Plains and the ancient cities of Tyr and Suf, through shipwreck and wilderness.

For this is a world where ants develop inexplicable weapons, where a lonely robot lives surrounded by cats in the ruins of old Paris, and where floating coral islands host sleeping sentience. Mai’s journey takes her by land, sea and air to the islands of New Atlantis, and to the nightmare prison buried underneath old London.

On her way she will find heartbreak and love – and a new life, awakening.

The novella has already been described as ‘Excellent’ (SF Crowsnest), ‘Amazing’ (1000 Year Plan) and ‘A wonderful, imaginative story’ (SF Revu).

JABberwocky have made a number of Lavie’s novellas and stories available as eBooks. You can find more information here.

Lavie is also the author of, most recently, BY FORCE ALONE — a retelling of the King Arthur mythology, published by Head of Zeus in the UK (out now) and Tor Books in North America (due out in August).

Lavie is also the author of the highly-acclaimed, award-winning CENTRAL STATION, UNHOLY LAND, and THE VIOLENT CENTURY — all of which are published by Tachyon Publications (also with spectacular covers by Sarah Anne Langton).

Short Fiction Watch: New Alchemy Wars story by Ian Tregillis!

Posted on Thursday, April 30th, 2020

Ian Tregillis has a new Alchemy Wars story, COME THE REVOLUTION, in the latest issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction magazine! It’s a must-read for fans of the critically-acclaimed series. Here’s is the description, from the editors…

Like much of Tregillis’s fiction, this story combines elements of alternate history, hard science, and fantasy adventure with the exploration of difficult ethical questions and an unmistakable voice… “Come the Revolution” takes place before the first book in the series and plants the seed of that rebellion. Readers who loved the series now have the chance to find out more about it, and readers coming to Tregillis’s world for the first time will be happy to know that there are more books to read when they finish this story.

Ian was also interviewed about the story, and you can read that here.

The Alchemy Wars trilogy is published by Orbit Books in the UK and North America: THE MECHANICAL, THE RISING and THE LIBERATION. In case you missed it, here’s the synopsis for the first novel…

My name is Jax.

That is the name granted to me by my human masters.

I am a slave.

But I shall be free.

Set in a world that might have been, of mechanical men and alchemical dreams, the new novel from Ian Tregillis confirms his place as one of the most original new voices in speculative fiction.

Ian is also the author of the equally-acclaimed Milkweed Trilogy, also published in the UK by Orbit Books: BITTER SEEDS, THE COLDEST WAR, and NECESSARY EVIL.

Zeno represents Ian Tregillis in the UK & Commonwealth and in Translation, on behalf of Aurous, Inc.

James P. Blaylock’s RIVER’S EDGE and THE GOBBLIN’ SOCIETY out now as eBooks!

Posted on Monday, April 6th, 2020

UK Blaylock and steampunk fans rejoice: RIVER’S EDGE and THE GOBBLIN’ SOCIETY are now available as eBooks in the UK! The two books are novellas in James P. Blaylock‘s Langdon St. Ives series. Published by JABberwocky, here’s the synopsis for RIVER’S EDGE…

When poison fish begin to wash ashore along the River Medway, Langdon St. Ives sets out to investigate the Majestic Paper Mill and their corrupt owners. The body of a young girl is found dead in the river, and mystery grows darker and even more deadly, opening a door onto possible human sacrifice, witchcraft, and a growing threat to his family and friends. He finds himself fighting to save his wife Alice’s life, and prevent the ruination of his friends, his once idyllic life devolving into a dark puzzle for which there is no clear solution.

… and here’s the synopsis for THE GOBBLIN’ SOCIETY…

When coffins bearing what might be living corpses are discovered in a sea cave long used by smugglers, Langdon St. Ives and his wife Alice are precipitated into a hellish mystery involving an ages-old house standing on the chalk cliffs of the Kentish coast. The strange house, shunned by the people Broadstairs and Margate, caters to a century-old eating society that offers a secret catalogue of corpses for sale and a menu for wealthy members with… eccentric tastes. When the society sets out to entrap St. Ives, an onrushing adventure ensues as Alice and the formidable Frobishers fight for their lives — an adventure that seems to ensure a deadly ending.

JABberwocky has also published the first three novellas in the series: THE EBB TIDE, THE AFFAIR OF THE CHALK CLIFFS, and THE ADVENTURE OF THE RING OF STONES.

THE GOBBLIN’ SOCIETY and Blaylock’s other Langdon St. Ives novellas are also published in North America by Subterranean Press.

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

Aliette de Bodard Returns to the Xuya Universe in SEVEN OF INFINITIES!

Posted on Thursday, March 26th, 2020

Aliette de Bodard has a new Xuya novella on the way! SEVEN OF INFINITIES is due to be published by Subterranean Press in October 2020. Check out that gorgeous cover, above! Here’s the synopsis…

Vân is a scholar from a poor background, eking out a living in the orbitals of the Scattered Peals Belt as a tutor to a rich family, while hiding the illegal artificial mem-implant she manufactured as a student. 

Sunless Woods is a mindship — and not just any mindship, but a notorious thief and a master of disguise. She’s come to the Belt to retire, but is drawn to Vân’s resolute integrity.

When a mysterious corpse is found in the quarters of Vân’s student, Vân and Sunless Woods find themselves following a trail of greed and murder that will lead them from teahouses and ascetic havens to the wreck of a mindship — and to the devastating secrets they’ve kept from each other.

Subterranean Press also publishes Aliette’s THE TEA MASTER AND THE DETECTIVE and OF WARS, AND MEMORIES, AND STARLIGHT, which are also part of the award-nominated Xuya Universe. The eBook edition of THE TEA MASTER AND THE DETECTIVE is published outside of North America by JABberwocky.

Aliette’s latest series, Dominion of the Fallen, is also out now — published by Gollancz in the UK, and Roc Books (1-2) and JABberwocky in North America.

James P. Blaylock’s THE GOBBLIN’ SOCIETY is out next week!

Posted on Monday, March 23rd, 2020

Next week, Subterranean Press is due to publish THE GOBBLIN’ SOCIETY by James P. Blaylock! The latest ‘twisted by delightful’ (Publishers Weekly) novella in the author’s fan-favourite Langdon St. Ives series, here’s the synopsis…

The story begins with an inheritance. Following a protracted legal battle, Alice St. Ives, Langdon’s wife, has come into full possession of Seaward, the house left to her by her late Uncle Godfrey, a man with a number of bizarre proclivities. Heartened by this good fortune, Alice, Langdon and their surrogate son Finn prepare to take possession of the house. From this point forward, events spin out of control, taking on a madcap logic of their own that is exhilarating and — in typical Blaylock fashion — often quite funny. 

What follows is, in a sense, a tale of two houses. The first, of course, is Seaward, a “rambling, eccentric old house” with it its history, its secrets, its priceless accumulation of volumes of arcane lore. The other is a neighboring house known, for good reasons, as “Gobblin’ Manor,” home base of The Gobblin’ Society, a “culinary establishment” with its own peculiar — and very dark — traditions. In the course of an event filled few days, St. Ives and his cohorts will encounter smuggling, mesmerism, kidnapping, cannibalism and murder. It is, in other words, a typical — and typically eccentric — Langdon St. Ives adventure.

Like its predecessors, this latest extravaganza is fast-paced, unpredictable, and a thorough delight to read. Few novelists evoke the essence of Victorian England as successfully as Blaylock. Fewer still bring such wit, style, and propulsive narrative talents to the task. In The Gobblin’ Society, Blaylock has given vibrant new life to one of his signature creations. The result is a gift both for Blaylock’s longtime fans, and for newcomers lucky enough to come along for this astonishing — and thoroughly enjoyable — ride.

Publishers Weekly also said the following about the novella: ‘Mystery, mesmerism, murder, and mayhem combine into a jolly good time. Blaylock’s fans will be gratified.’

THE GOBBLIN’ SOCIETY is also going to be available as an eBook outside of North America, published via JABberwocky’s eBook Program (April 6th). Here’s the cover…

This is the sixth book in the Langdon St. Ives Adventures that Subterranean Press has published, the others being THE EBB TIDE, THE AFFAIRS OF THE CHALK CLIFFS, THE RING OF STONES, THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF LANDGON ST. IVES, and RIVER’S EDGE. The first three are also available as eBooks, published by JABberwocky (among other titles).

JABberwocky is also due to publish RIVER’S EDGE outside of North America, and as an eBook, on April 6th. Here’s the new cover…

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

Next year, Langdon St. Ives investigates THE GOBBLIN’ SOCIETY!

Posted on Monday, December 23rd, 2019

In March 2020, Subterranean Press is due to publish THE GOBBLIN’ SOCIETY, a new Langdon St. Ives novella by James P. Blaylock! Check out the synopsis…

The story begins with an inheritance. Following a protracted legal battle, Alice St. Ives, Langdon’s wife, has come into full possession of Seaward, the house left to her by her late Uncle Godfrey, a man with a number of bizarre proclivities. Heartened by this good fortune, Alice, Langdon and their surrogate son Finn prepare to take possession of the house. From this point forward, events spin out of control, taking on a madcap logic of their own that is exhilarating and — in typical Blaylock fashion — often quite funny. 

What follows is, in a sense, a tale of two houses. The first, of course, is Seaward, a “rambling, eccentric old house” with it its history, its secrets, its priceless accumulation of volumes of arcane lore. The other is a neighboring house known, for good reasons, as “Gobblin’ Manor,” home base of The Gobblin’ Society, a “culinary establishment” with its own peculiar — and very dark — traditions. In the course of an event filled few days, St. Ives and his cohorts will encounter smuggling, mesmerism, kidnapping, cannibalism and murder. It is, in other words, a typical — and typically eccentric — Langdon St. Ives adventure.

Like its predecessors, this latest extravaganza is fast-paced, unpredictable, and a thorough delight to read. Few novelists evoke the essence of Victorian England as successfully as Blaylock. Fewer still bring such wit, style, and propulsive narrative talents to the task. In The Gobblin’ Society, Blaylock has given vibrant new life to one of his signature creations. The result is a gift both for Blaylock’s longtime fans, and for newcomers lucky enough to come along for this astonishing — and thoroughly enjoyable — ride.

The novella has already received a great review from Publishers Weekly, which described it as a ‘twisted but delightful fantasy tale’, and ‘Mystery, mesmerism, murder, and mayhem combine into a jolly good time. Blaylock’s fans will be gratified.’

This is the sixth book in the Langdon St. Ives Adventures that Subterranean Press has published, the others being THE EBB TIDE, THE AFFAIRS OF THE CHALK CLIFFS, THE RING OF STONES, THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF LANDGON ST. IVES, and RIVER’S EDGE. The first three are also available as eBooks, published by JABberwocky (among other titles).

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

Short Fiction Watch: IN XANADU and NEW ATLANTIS

Posted on Tuesday, November 19th, 2019

In this edition of Short Fiction Watch, we wanted to draw your attention to two new piece by Lavie Tidhar!

First up, IN XANADU, a new story that was published on Tor.com (it’s also available as an eBook from the usual retailers). Here’s the synopsis…

Security through physicality. Security through redundancy. Security through obscurity. How do immortal artificial intelligences defend themselves? With an air gap. With a security force that has no connection to anything that can harm them. With a young woman, trained to fight and to die who, along with her cohort must keep them safe. But In Xanadu things don’t always go as planned…

And second, we also wanted to draw your attention to a new novella that was published in Fantasy & Science Fiction magazine, NEW ATLANTIS. Here’s how Lavie described the novella, in an interview for SF Site…

“New Atlantis” is a novella set in what I call the Land, a sort of post-apocalyptic utopia where the few survivors of the climate change collapse now live in harmony with their environment – but can still be kind of obsessed with the old world and its excesses! I’ve been writing stories about Mai and the Land for a while now – one of them is “The Buried Giant” in Robots vs Fairies, which is also in a bunch of the Year’s Bests anthologies, and there’s a new one, “Svalbard,” coming out as a sort of interactive/puzzle thing online soon!

Ian McDonald’s THE MENACE FROM FARSIDE out today!

Posted on Tuesday, November 12th, 2019

Ian McDonald‘s latest novella is out today! Set in the same series as the author’s acclaimed Luna series, THE MENACE FROM FARSIDE is published by Tor.com in the UK and North America. Here’s the synopsis…

In The Menace from Farside, Ian McDonald returns to his elegantly wound solar system of the twenty-second century, full of political intrigue and complicated families.

Remember: Lady Luna knows a thousand ways to kill you, but family is what you know. Family is what works.

Cariad Corcoran has a new sister who is everything she is not: tall, beautiful, confident. They’re unlikely allies and even unlikelier sisters, but they’re determined to find the moon’s first footprint, even if the lunar frontier is doing its best to kill them before they get there.

The Luna series of novels is published in the UK by Gollancz, in North America by Tor Books, and is also available in an ever-growing number of translated editions.

‘Mafia-style mining families clash in a compelling fantasy that offers up all the pleasures of a cut-throat soap opera in space…That McDonald is able to spin a compelling story from this unforgiving set-up is testament to his skill as a writer… One thing Luna does exceptionally well is to puncture Old Heinlein’s assumption that a frontier society based on the primacy of the family and a disregard of conventional laws would end up like idealised smalltown America. Luna argues that any realistic future colonisation of the moon will be much more The Sopranos than The Waltons. LUNA is as gripping as it is colourful, and as colourful as it is nasty.’ — Guardian on NEW MOON

‘A Howling Good Read… No one builds a world like Ian McDonald does. Piece by piece and brick by brick. Spare, simple, elegant when he needs to be…, deep and meaty when he wants to be…, he does his work like an artisan pulling a sculpture from stone. There are no wasted moves, nothing that isn’t vital because, in the end, everything is vital. Everything matters… it is fascinating, all of it. Because McDonald has made a world that is ruthless in its consistency and living, breathing reality, and then made characters who are not just living in it, but wholly and fully of it… McDonald’s corporate war is a gorgeous thing, fought with every tool available… McDonald is able to wrap the biggest events in constellations of the smallest so that a cocktail party here, a discussion of ’80s retro fashion (all mall-hair and WHAM! T-shirts), a love story and a day at work for a guy who cleans solar panels all build and coalesce to form the background radiation of life in this unstable future. Every moment with his characters makes them precious, real and alive.’ — NPR on WOLF MOON

‘McDonald’s richly imagined Lunar culture and interplanetary poleconomy make for a superb backdrop for literally dozens of richly realized human dramas, and it’s hard to say which is more fascinating. McDonald’s wildly imaginative worldbuilding (present since his debut novel, the utterly wonderful standout OUT ON BLUE SIX) and his ability to spin out intrigues are both in full flight in this final volume.’ — Boing Boing on MOON RISING

Looking for more, shorter fiction by Ian? Tor.com also publishes Ian’s Philip K. Dick Award-nominated novella TIME WAS.

‘[E]ntrances readers with this multigenerational novella of two time-crossed lovers who can only meet for brief moments separated by several years… beautiful writing… Fans of science fiction who enjoy a dash of history and legend will savor this tender story.’ — Publishers Weekly on TIME WAS

Also, because we can’t share this news enough: Ian was recently named a European Grand Master of Science Fiction!

The TEA MASTER, THE DETECTIVE, and the British Fantasy Award!

Posted on Thursday, October 24th, 2019

We’re delighted to share the news (in case you missed it) that Aliette de Bodard has won a British Fantasy Award for her novella THE TEA MASTER AND THE DETECTIVE! A wholly deserved win for a novella that continues to receive glowing reviews quite some time since it was first published. Indeed, it also won a Nebula Award for Best Novella and was nominated in the same category for the Hugo and Locus Awards.

Originally published by Subterranean Press as a limited edition hardcover, it is still available as an eBook via Subterranean Press (North America) and JABberwocky’s eBook Program (English language elsewhere). Here’s the synopsis…

Welcome to the Scattered Pearls Belt, a collection of ring habitats and orbitals ruled by exiled human scholars and powerful families, and held together by living mindships who carry people and freight between the stars. In this fluid society, human and mindship avatars mingle in corridors and in function rooms, and physical and virtual realities overlap, the appearance of environments easily modified and adapted to interlocutors or current mood.

A transport ship discharged from military service after a traumatic injury, The Shadow’s Child now ekes out a precarious living as a brewer of mind-altering drugs for the comfort of space-travellers. Meanwhile, abrasive and eccentric scholar Long Chau wants to find a corpse for a scientific study. When Long Chau walks into her office, The Shadow’s Child expects an unpleasant but easy assignment. When the corpse turns out to have been murdered, Long Chau feels compelled to investigate, dragging The  Shadow’s Child with her.

As they dig deep into the victim’s past, The Shadow’s Child realises that the investigation points to Long Chau’s own murky past–and, ultimately, to the dark and unbearable void that lies between the stars…

THE TEA MASTER AND THE DETECTIVE is set in the author’s award-nominated Xuya Universe. Her latest publication with Subterranean Press is OF WAR, AND MEMORIES, AND STARLIGHT.

Aliette is also the author of the acclaimed, award-winning Dominion of the Fallen series, published by Gollancz in the UK, and Roc Books (#1-2) and JABberwocky (#3) in North America.