Tag: Penguin

William Gibson’s THE PERIPHERAL UK PB Out Tomorrow

Posted on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015

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Tomorrow, Penguin Books publish the paperback edition of William Gibson‘s superb, critically-acclaimed latest novel, THE PERIPHERAL. Above you can see the striking new cover. Here’s the synopsis…

Flynne Fisher lives in rural near-future America where jobs are scarce and veterans from the wars are finding it hard to recover. She scrapes a living doing some freelance online game-playing, participating in some pretty weird stuff. Wilf Netherton lives in London, seventy-some years later, on the far side of decades of slow-motion apocalypse. Things though are good for the haves, and there aren’t many have-nots left.

Flynne and Wilf are about to meet one another. Her world will be altered utterly, and Wilf’s, for all its decadence and power, will learn that some of these third-world types from the distant past can be real badass.

Here’s just a small selection of the aforementioned critical acclaim…

‘Dramatic, scary, creepy,violent, and finally satisfying… like any really well-designed thrill ride or mystery tour (or sonnet or string quartet), as soon as you get off, you want to get right on for another go-round.’ — Locus

‘While placed firmly in the sci-fi genre of his earlier works, Gibson’s latest retains the social commentary from his more recent novels… This is quintessential Gibson: gonzo yet cool, sharp-edged, sophisticated…’ — Kirkus

‘A perfect fusion of Gibson’s pulp heritage with his fine-tuned design and social sensibilities… From the microscale word choices to the macroscale plot, structure and themes, the book is strange and contemporary in a perfectly futuristic way.’ — Boing Boing

‘Gibson remains as unnervingly prophetic as ever, making his futures feel like they’re just around the corner, products of humankind’s inability to act when necessary, transforming a sci-fi whodunit into a work of fiction that feels both ahead of its time and frighteningly relevant to today’s world.’ — Starburst (9/10*)

Zeno represents William Gibson in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the Martha Millard Literary Agency.

Aliette de Bodard’s HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS Acquired by Roc!

Posted on Thursday, January 15th, 2015

AlietteDeBodard-AuthorPicWe are very happy to report that Roc Books, a division of Penguin, has acquired US rights to Aliette de Bodard‘s upcoming THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS! The two-book deal was negotiated by John Berlyne at the Zeno Agency and editor Jessica Wade, and the novel is due to be published in hardcover in August 2015.

‘I am very happy that THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS is getting a US release,’ Aliette said about the deal. ‘Jessica is an awesome editor, and this is going to be fantastic all around.’

John had the following to say: ‘I’m thrilled that Roc are going to be publishing Aliette’s wonderful novel. They’re the perfect publisher to introduce her fantastic talent to the wider US market.’

‘I’m utterly delighted to have acquired Aliette de Bodard for the Roc list,’ Jessica Wade said. ‘She’s a tremendously talented writer who I’ve been watching for some time. THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS is a gorgeous novel. It’s moving, engaging, and unexpected, and I absolutely fell in love with the alternate Paris Aliette creates.’

THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS is the first in an urban fantasy duology set in a Paris ravaged by a war in heaven. As described on Aliette’s website, it is a novel of ‘Fallen angels, Vietnamese dragons, and entirely too many dead bodies…’

Here’s the synopsis…

A superb murder mystery, on an epic scale, set against the fall out – literally – of a war in Heaven.

Paris has survived the Great Magicians War – just. Its streets are lined with haunted ruins, Notre-Dame is a burnt-out shell, and the Seine runs black with ashes and rubble. Yet life continues among the wreckage. The citizens continue to live, love, fight and survive in their war-torn city, and The Great Houses still vie for dominion over the once grand capital.

House Silverspires, previously the leader of those power games, 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. They may be the architects of its last, irreversible fall…

As we reported a little while ago, Gollancz has acquired UK rights for the two novels, and is also due to publish THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS in August 2015.

Aliette de Bodard is a prolific writer of award-winning short fiction and novellas, as well as the Obsidian & Blood trilogy published by Angry Robot Books.

William Gibson Inducted into Canadian SFF Hall of Fame

Posted on Friday, September 26th, 2014

GibsonW-PeripheralUK-BlogWe’re very happy to share the news that William Gibson has been inducted into the Canadian SFF Hall of Fame! Gibson is the author of the pioneering cyberpunk NEUROMANCER, and many other critically-acclaimed novels. His next novel, THE PERIPHERAL, is due to be published by Viking/Penguin this November. In case you’ve missed information about the novel, here’s the synopsis…

Some time around the year 2020, in a trailer park in the Deep South, a young woman witnesses a murder. She is in a video game, and watches with horror as a drone strike kills a child. At precisely the same moment, one hundred years in the future, a boy is remotely killed on the streets of London’s great skyscrapers. The perpetrator remains anonymous. Interweaving two strange futures, from a ramshackle community of US army veterans, to the teeming masses of a mega city, The Peripheral tells the story of a brave new world of drones, outsourcing and kleptocracy, and of a crime that can only be solved across time.

The Canadian SFF Hall of Fame is a new institution, established by the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association, who also give the Aurora Awards. This year’s award will be given at VCON 39 in Vancouver. Gibson will be attending the convention for a Q&A session on October 4th between 1-2pm.

A reading from THE PERIPHERAL featured in a recent Penguin Podcast, ‘Extra-Terrestrial Reads Books’. You can hear the ‘cast, below…

Zeno represents William Gibson in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of Martha Millard.

Cover Reveal & Details: THE PERIPHERAL by William Gibson

Posted on Monday, July 21st, 2014

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We are delighted to be able to share with you today the cover and details for William Gibson‘s highly-anticipated new novel, THE PERIPHERAL. The novel, which blends near- and far-future storylines is nevertheless a powerful commentary on contemporary issues of war and society.

THE PERIPHERAL is due to be published in the UK by Viking/Penguin in November 2014. Here’s the synopsis…

Some time around the year 2020, in a trailer park in the Deep South, a young woman witnesses a murder. She is in a video game, and watches with horror as a drone strike kills a child. At precisely the same moment, one hundred years in the future, a boy is remotely killed on the streets of London’s great skyscrapers. The perpetrator remains anonymous. Interweaving two strange futures, from a ramshackle community of US army veterans, to the teeming masses of a mega city, The Peripheral tells the story of a brave new world of drones, outsourcing and kleptocracy, and of a crime that can only be solved across time.

William Gibson is one of the modern master of science fiction, and is the author of NEUROMANCER, SPOOK COUNTRY, ZERO HISTORY and co-author of THE DIFFERENCE ENGINE.

Zeno represents William Gibson in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of Martha Millard.

Happy Publication Day, Iain Sinclair!

Posted on Thursday, November 7th, 2013

Sinclair-AmericanSmokeUK-BlogToday, Iain Sinclair‘s much-anticipated new book, AMERICAN SMOKE hits shelves in the UK! Published by Hamish Hamilton, the book is a little different to his previous works. Before, he took us around the London Orbital, reported on Hackney, and also delved into the impact of the London Olympics – among many others. This time, the author looks to the open road and the American beat generation…

Iain Sinclair breaks for the border with AMERICAN SMOKE, his first full engagement with the memory-filled landscapes of the American Beats and their fellow travellers.

In a book filled with bad journeys and fated decisions, this is a a delirious expedition in the footsteps of Malcolm Lowry, Charles Olson, Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, Gary Snyder and more, heated by obsession (the Old West, volcanoes, Mexico) and enlivened by false memories, broken reports and strange adventures.

With American Smoke Sinclair confirms his place as the most innovative of our chroniclers of the contemporary.

AMERICAN SMOKE is due to be published in the US by Faber, in April 2014 (we’ll post a reminder closer to the date, too).

Iain Sinclair’s Upcoming Book Tour…

Posted on Monday, September 30th, 2013

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To celebrate the imminent release of Iain Sinclair‘s AMERICAN SMOKE, the author is going on a book tour. Starting on October 12th, Iain has a number of events in his diary all the way through to January 2014. Here is the book’s synopsis…

Completing the trilogy begun with HACKNEY, THAT ROSE-RED EMPIRE and continued with GHOST MILK, Iain Sinclair breaks for the border with AMERICAN SMOKE, his first full engagement with the memory-filled landscapes of the American Beats and their fellow travellers, echoed as always in the mythologies of London, through which so many of them also passed.

In a book filled with bad journeys and fated decisions, this is an epic walk in the footsteps of Malcolm Lowry, Charles Olson, Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, Gary Snyder and more, heated by obsession (the Old West, volcanoes, Mexico) and enlivened by false memories, broken reports and strange adventures.

With AMERICAN SMOKE, Sinclair confirms his place as the most innovative of our chroniclers of the contemporary.

AMERICAN SMOKE is due to be published in the UK on November 2013 (Hamish Hamilton) and in the US in April 2014 (Farrar Strauss) . Below you will find information (including links, where available) for the events. Some of the finer details are yet to be confirmed, so be sure to confirm with the venues:

Saturday October 12th

  • Event:  Durham Book Festival
  • Time:  7.00pm
  • Venue:  St. Chad’s College Chapel, 18 North Bailey, Durham City, County Durham DH1 3RH

Friday October 18th

  • Event:  Manchester Literature Festival
  • Time:  5.30pm
  • Venue:  International Anthony Burgess Foundation, The Engine House, Chorlton Mill, 3 Cambridge Street, Manchester M1 5BY

Saturday October 19th

  • Event:  Bloomsbury Festival
  • Time:  5.00pm
  • Venue:  Senate House, London, Greater London WC1E

Sunday October 27th

  • Event:  The Beat Generation/The Rest is Noise Festival
  • Time:  10.30am
  • Venue:  South Bank Centre

Wednesday November 6th

  • Event:  Royal Society of Literature, chaired by Deborah Moggach
  • Time:  7.00pm
  • Venue:  Courtauld Institute of Art, Somerset House, Strand, London, WC2R 0RN

Thursday November 7th

  • Event:  Iain Sinclair and Gary Walkow present Beat – part of the London film season Iain Sinclair 70 x 70
  • Time:  6.45pm
  • Venue:  Zilkha Auditorium, Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High St, London E1 7QX

Friday November 8th

  • Event:  LAUNCH of American Smoke, in association with the 70×70 film series.  Screenings of Nostalgia for the Light (2010), dir. Patricio Guzman, and Tornado (2000-2010), dir. Francis Alys.
  • Time:  7.00pm
  • Venue:  Sea Cadets building, 110 Stoke Newington Church Street, London N16 0JX

Wednesday November 20th

  • Event:  Film event
  • Time: TBC
  • Venue:  ICA, The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH

Thursday November 21st

  • Venue:  LRB Bookshop, 14 Bury Place, London WC1A 2JL

Thursday November 28th

  • Event:  Topping and Company Bath
  • Time:  8.00pm
  • Venue:  Topping and Company Booksellers Bath, The Paragon, Bath BA1 5LS

Wednesday December 4th

  • Event:  Broadway Bookshop event
  • Time: TBC
  • Venue:  The Broadway Bookshop, 6 Broadway Market, Hackney, London E8 4QJ

Wednesday January 8th

  • Venue:  Central St Martins

William Gibson Signs New Deal with Penguin…

Posted on Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

Penguin have bought UK and British Commonwealth rights to William Gibson‘s non-fiction collection DISTRUST THAT PARTICULAR FLAVOR and an untitled new novel.

The deal was negotiated by John Parker on behalf of the author’s primary agent Martha Millard and Zeno is absolutely delighted to add this marquee name to our list of clients.

News on the novel is strictly under wraps for now, but this superb collection should certainly whet your appetite whilst we wait. Here’s the cover copy…

‘William Gibson was writing fiction when he predicted the internet. And as his stories bled into reality, so he became one of the first to report on the real-world consequences of cyberspace’s growth and development.

Now, with the dust settling on the first internet revolution, comes Gibson’s first collection of non-fiction essays from the technological and cultural frontiers of this new world. Covering a variety of subjects, they include:

  • Metrophagy: The Art and Science of Digesting Great Cities
  • An account of obsession in ‘the world’s attic’:eBay
  • Reasons why ‘The Net is a Waste of Time’
  • Singapore as ‘Disneyland with the Death Penalty’
  • A primer on Japan, our default setting for the future

These and many other pieces, collected for the first time in DISTRUST THAT PARTICULAR FLAVOR, are studded with revealing autobiographical fragments and map the development of Gibson’s acute perceptions about modern life.

Here, then, is a guide to the new territory we find ourselves in written by one of its discoverers.‘