Rivers Of London - Zeno Agency Ltd.

THE HANGING TREE News!

Posted on Tuesday, September 20th, 2016

We have an update regarding Ben Aaronovitch‘s highly-anticipated sixth novel, THE HANGING TREE! We are very happy to report that, as revealed recently, the book is now scheduled for a November 3rd release in the UK! Due to be published by Gollancz, it is the sixth instalment in the best-selling, critically-acclaimed Peter Grant urban fantasy series. Here’s the synopsis…

The sixth outing for PC Peter Grant in this bestselling series sees him back in London and facing up to the terrifying legacy of London’s hangings.

Suspicious deaths are not usually the concern of PC Peter Grant or the Folly, even when they happen at an exclusive party in one of the most expensive apartment blocks in London. But Lady Ty’s daughter was there, and Peter owes Lady Ty a favour.

Plunged into the alien world of the super-rich, where the basements are bigger than the house and dangerous, arcane items are bought and sold on the open market, a sensible young copper would keep his head down and his nose clean. But this is Peter Grant we’re talking about.

He’s been given an unparalleled opportunity to alienate old friends and create new enemies at the point where the world of magic and that of privilege intersect. Assuming he survives the week…

Gollancz’s publisher, Gillian Redfearn said of the news, ‘THE HANGING TREE is fantastic – a mystery set in the heart of London and drawing on the city’s rich history and culture to add depth and a little London magic to a gripping story. It’s a treat to read, and a welcome early Christmas present for fans of Ben Aaronovitch and PC Peter Grant.’

An audiobook edition is due to be published on November 24th, 2016. It will be narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, who has masterfully narrated the other novels.

The first five novels in the series have also been published in the UK by Gollancz: RIVERS OF LONDON, MOON OVER SOHO, WHISPERS UNDERGROUND, BROKEN HOMES, and FOXGLOVE SUMMER. The series is published in the US by Del Rey (1-3) and DAW Books (4-6), and has been published in Germany (DTV), France (J’ai Lu), and in a host of other languages. More details can be found on Ben’s author page, and also by getting in touch with us.

Zeno Clients at GollanczFest 2016

Posted on Tuesday, September 6th, 2016

Next week, Gollancz is holding its latest Gollancz Festival in London and online. Zeno clients Ben Aaronovitch and Justina Robson are taking part in a few events on Saturday, September 17th, so we wanted to share that information here.

Saturday, 17th September:

Panel 3. Awards, huh? What are they good for? — 10am-1pm, at Foyles bookstore (107 Charing Cross Road)

Justina Robson is taking part in this discussion of awards, their role and impact.

Writers’ Day — 10am-1pm, at The Phoenix Artist Club (1 Phoenix St)

Ben Aaronovitch takes part in a morning of workshops and talks focused on the mechanics and skills needed by the modern writer.

Panel 4. Does Anyone Need a Wee? — 3pm-6pm, at Foyles bookstore

Ben Aaronovitch takes part in a panel discussing the logistics in fantasy.

Writers’ Day — 3pm-6pm, at The Phoenix Artist Club

Justina Robson takes part in the afternoon session of the workshops.

Ben Aaronovitch is the author of the critically-acclaimed, bestselling Peter Grant urban fantasy series: RIVERS OF LONDON, MOON OVER SOHO, WHISPERS UNDERGROUND, BROKEN HOMES, FOXGLOVE SUMMER and the upcoming THE HANGING TREE. All of these novels are published in the UK by Gollancz.

Justina Robson is the author of, most recently, the critically-acclaimed GLORIOUS ANGELS, which is published by Gollancz. Her next novel is THE SWITCH, and is also due to be published by Gollancz (more details to come).

Ben Aaronovitch’s RIVERS OF LONDON Coming Soon to Taiwan!

Posted on Friday, August 26th, 2016

Above is the rather eye-catching cover for Ben Aaronovitch‘s first Peter Grant novel, RIVERS OF LONDON. Due to be published on Tuesday (August 30th) by Marco Polo in Taiwan as 倫敦河惡靈騷動, here’s the synopsis…

倫敦，這座孕育出福爾摩斯與哈利波特的古老城市，由衷歡迎新一任冒險者彼得．葛蘭特，前來挖掘她的更多祕密…

「你是否在告訴我，倫敦警察廳有個祕密分部，專門負責鬼魂、食屍鬼、仙女、惡魔、女巫和法師、小精靈和小妖精…？」我說，「你可以在我說光這些超自然生物之前阻止我。」

「你根本連表面都還沒搔到。」納丁格爾督察長說。

「所以真的有魔法。所以你是個……什麼來著？」

「巫師。」

「像哈利波特那樣？」

「不是，」納丁格爾嘆了口氣，「我不是小說人物。」

寒冷週二的凌晨時分，柯芬園聖保羅教堂的西門廊前躺著一具沒有頭的屍體。就要結束實習工作、接下來將分派到倫敦警察廳所屬轄區警局的菜鳥彼得．葛蘭特，基於職責在案發現場盤問了一名衣著老派過時的矮小男子，沒想到對方竟一五一十細細陳述了案發經過，其內容可信度非常高，只不過彼得恐怕沒辦法將這段證詞呈報給調查小組──

誰會相信一個平凡人光揮舞一根球棒就能將被害者的頭敲飛？誰又能接受提供證詞的這位老先生，是個死了足足一百二十年、站在光線下整個人變透明的鬼魂？

不過彼得相信，對現代警察來說，「看得見不存在的事物」是個不可或缺的重要技能，沒想到納丁格爾督察長不但願意接受這聽起來像胡謅的說法，還將彼得納入警察廳內最神祕的特殊犯罪部，聯手調查這樁超自然色彩濃厚的謀殺案。

在這個魔法捲土重來、惡靈騷動再起的時刻，暴力與叛亂已在古老的倫敦城內甦醒，想要解決一連串的詭譎怪案，還得有點福爾摩斯的腦袋與哈利波特的能力才行…

面對潛藏在混亂世界中的未知敵人與蠢動危機，

英國的首都、全歐洲最大的城市、由羅馬人建立的倫敦城，

只能仰賴彼得．葛蘭特這位非典型警察來拯救了！

RIVERS OF LONDON is published in the UK by Gollancz, and in the US by Del Rey (as MIDNIGHT RIOT). The novel has also been published widely in translation. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

My name is Peter Grant and until January I was just probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service (and as the Filth to everybody else). My only concerns in life were how to avoid a transfer to the Case Progression Unit — we do paperwork so real coppers don’t have to — and finding a way to climb into the panties of the outrageously perky WPC Leslie May. Then one night, in pursuance of a murder inquiry, I tried to take a witness statement from someone who was dead but disturbingly voluable, and that brought me to the attention of Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England.

Now I’m a Detective Constable and a trainee wizard, the first apprentice in fifty years, and my world has become somewhat more complicated: nests of vampires in Purley, negotiating a truce between the warring god and goddess of the Thames, and digging up graves in Covent Garden… and there’s something festering at the heart of the city I love, a malicious vengeful spirit that takes ordinary Londoners and twists them into grotesque mannequins to act out its drama of violence and despair.

The spirit of riot and rebellion has awakened in the city, and it’s falling to me to bring order out of chaos — or die trying.

Gollancz has published the first five novels in the series, and is due to publish the sixth novel in the new year.

Covers & Details: RIVERS OF LONDON: BLACK MOULD Issue 1

Posted on Monday, August 22nd, 2016

The third comic story-arc in Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel‘s Rivers of London series is due to be published this October! RIVERS OF LONDON: BLACK MOULD will be published by Titan Comics. Above and below are the five variant covers for the first issue, which is tentatively scheduled to hit shelves on October 12th. Here’s the synopsis…

It creeps! It crawls! It ooooozes! Something dark and slimy is dripping through the walls of suburban London. Not usually a police matter but there’s something very weird about this mould. Police Constable Peter Grant and his unwilling partner, Sahra Guleed, soon find themselves knee deep in killer muck! Meanwhile, their boss, Thomas Nightingale, is preparing to do battle against a haunted ice cream van. Good times.

Titan Comics have also published the first two Rivers of London comic series: BODY WORK and NIGHT WITCH.

Ben’s Peter Grant series, of which the Rivers of London comics are a part, are published in the UK by Gollancz; in the US by Del Rey (1-3) and DAW Books (4-6); in Germany by DTV; and widely in translation. For more editions available, check out Ben’s author page.

RIVERS OF LONDON: NIGHT WITCH #5 Out Today!

Posted on Wednesday, August 10th, 2016

The final issue in RIVERS OF LONDON: NIGHT WITCH is out today! Written by Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel, the second Peter Grant comic series is published by Titan Comics. Here’s the synopsis…

Press-ganged into helping a Russian oligarch hunt his missing daughter, PC Peter Grant and his boss, Thomas Nightingale, London’s only wizarding cops, find themselves caught up in a battle between Russian gunmen, a monstrous forest creature – and their nemesis: The Faceless Man. But as Grant and Nightingale close in on the missing girl, they discover that nothing about this case is what it seems!

Artwork for the series is by Lee Sullivan and Paul McCaffrey.

NIGHT WITCH issues #1-4 are out now in print and digital. The first Peter Grant comic series, BODY WORK, is also available now as a paperback collection. The NIGHT WITCH collected edition is due to be published on October 19th, 2016. The third Rivers of London comic series, BLACK MOULD, is also due to debut in October 2016.

The RIVERS OF LONDON: NIGHT WITCH series is set between FOXGLOVE SUMMER and the upcoming THE HANGING TREE — published in the UK by Gollancz, and in the US by DAW Books.

New Peter Grant Audiobook in Germany

Posted on Friday, July 22nd, 2016

Today, GoyaLiT/DTV release a dual-audiobook edition of Ben Aaronovitch‘s third and fourth Peter Grant novels. Published in Germany as EIN WISPERN UNTER BAKER STREET and DER BÖSE ORT, here’s the synopsis…

Ein Wispern unter Baker Street: Ein junger Mann wird im U-Bahn-Tunnel nahe der Station Baker Street erstochen aufgefunden. Peter Grant, Constable und Zauberer in Ausbildung, wird frühmorgens an den Tatort gerufen. Der unbekannte Tote stellt sich als Sohn eines US-Senators heraus und ehe man noch »internationale Verwicklungen« sagen kann, hat Peter bereits die FBI-Agentin Kimberley Reynolds am Hals.

Der böse Ort: Seltsame Dinge geschehen im Skygarden Tower, einem berüchtigten Sozialwohnblock in Südlondon. Zunächst geht es nur um ein gestohlenes altes Buch über Magie, das aus der Weißen Bibliothek zu Weimar stammt. Doch dann weitet sich der Fall rasant aus. Denn der Erbauer des Towers, Erik Stromberg, ein brillanter, wenngleich leicht gestörter Architekt, hatte sich einst nicht nur mit Design, sondern auch mit Magie beschäftigt.

The novels are published in the UK as WHISPERS UNDERGROUND and BROKEN HOMES by Gollancz; and in the US by Del Rey and DAW Books, respectively. They are also available as audio-books in the UK (narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith) and US.

DTV has published all of Ben’s Peter Grant novels to date, and are due to published the sixth, DER GALGEN VON TYBURN, in 2017. Here are the covers:

RIVERS OF LONDON: NIGHT WITCH #4 Out Next Week!

Posted on Tuesday, June 14th, 2016

The fourth issue in NIGHT WITCH, Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel‘s second RIVERS OF LONDON comic series, is out next week (July 22nd)! Released with a couple of covers (above), it is published by Titan Comics. Here’s the synopsis…

A police vehicle on a routine prison transfer in north London is stormed by Russian hoodlums seeking to free a very particular prisoner. Their target is a witch. A very powerful witch who doesn’t want to be free. Things rapidly turn very ugly for the hoods and it’s soon a job for full-time police constable and part-time wizard, Peter Grant.

Desperate to find his missing daughter, Russian oligarch Nestor Yakunin has resorted to extreme methods – he has kidnapped innocent civilians to force Peter Grant and Thomas Nightingale – London’s elite wizarding policemen – to help in the search. But you play with magic, you’re going to get burnt…

The first three issues of the series are, of course, still available in print and digital editions — so there’s some time to catch up! The first RIVERS OF LONDON comic series, BODY WORK, is also now available in a collected edition.

RIVERS OF LONDON Wins Two New Awards!

Posted on Thursday, May 19th, 2016

We’re very happy to report that Ben Aaronovitch‘s RIVERS OF LONDON has won two awards from the Czech Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror! Presented at Prague Book Fair, the novel — published in Czech by Argo as ŘEKY LONDÝNA — won in the Best Fantasy/Horror Novel of the Year, and the cover (above) won Best Artistic Achievement!

Here’s the synopsis…

Jedna z nejúspěšnějších městských fantasy uplynulého desetiletí vás zavede do Londýna, ve kterém u policie slouží čarodějové a po ulicích se prohánějí zlovolní duchové či božstva na válečné stezce.

Jmenuji se Peter Grant. Ještě nedávno jsem byl obyčejný četnický zelenáč v řadách londýnské Metropolitní policie. Jedné noci jsem se ale při vyšetřování jisté vraždy pokusil získat svědeckou výpověď od muže, který byl sice mrtvý, ale jinak znepokojivě výřečný, což mi zajistilo pozornost vrchního inspektora Nightingalea, posledního čaroděje Anglie. A právě tehdy začal můj příběh. Nyní jsem policejní detektiv a čarodějův učeň, první učedník za padesát let, a můj svět už není zdaleka tak jednoduchý, jak býval.

RIVERS OF LONDON and MOON OVER SOHO (MĚSÍC NAD SOHO) are both available now in Czech, published by Argo. WHISPERS UNDERGROUND is due to be published by Argo on September 30th, 2016, as ŠEPOT PODZEMÍ.

The Peter Grant series is published in the UK by Gollancz, and in the US by Del Rey (1-3) and DAW Books (4-6). The next novel in the series, THE HANGING TREE, is due out later this year. In case you’ve somehow missed it, here’s the English-language synopsis for RIVERS OF LONDON…

My name is Peter Grant and until January I was just probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service (and as the Filth to everybody else). My only concerns in life were how to avoid a transfer to the Case Progression Unit – we do paperwork so real coppers don’t have to — and finding a way to climb into the panties of the outrageously perky WPC Leslie May. Then one night, in pursuance of a murder inquiry, I tried to take a witness statement from someone who was dead but disturbingly voluable, and that brought me to the attention of Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England.

Now I’m a Detective Constable and a trainee wizard, the first apprentice in fifty years, and my world has become somewhat more complicated: nests of vampires in Purley, negotiating a truce between the warring god and goddess of the Thames, and digging up graves in Covent Garden … and there’s something festering at the heart of the city I love, a malicious vengeful spirit that takes ordinary Londoners and twists them into grotesque mannequins to act out its drama of violence and despair.

The spirit of riot and rebellion has awakened in the city, and it’s falling to me to bring order out of chaos — or die trying.

Ian Tregillis‘s BITTER SEEDS, the first in his Milkweed Triptych, was a runner up for Best Fantasy/Horror novel. Published by Argo as HOŘKÁ SETBA, here’s the synopsis…

Píše se rok 1939. Na straně nacistů se k boji chystají nadlidé, na straně Britů démoni. Co čeká obyčejného člověka, který se mezi ně připlete?
Britského tajného agenta Rayboulda Marshe pronásleduje vzpomínka na Němku, kterou těsně před koncem španělské občanské války letmo zahlédl v barcelonském přístavu. Mrkala na něho jako stará známá. A do otvorů v lebce jí vedly dráty.

Krátce po vypuknutí druhé světové války nasadí Třetí říše na zvláštní mise vojáky s nadpřirozenými schopnostmi.<brJe právě na Marshovi, aby svoji vlast uchránil před ženou, která se umí učinit neviditelnou, před mužem procházejícím zdmi a před onou neznámou z Barcelony, které její schopnost nahlížet do budoucnosti umožňuje přetvářet přítomnost. Aby odvrátil bezprostředně hrozící invazi, vystopuje Marsh britské čaroděje, hrstku podivínů tajících svoji existenci před světem. Každé kouzlo si ovšem žádá oběť, a Británie možná za svou obranu zaplatí stejně strašlivou daň jako za opravdovou bitvu…

Argo are due to publish the second and third books in the Milkweed series this year: THE COLDEST WAR (NEJSTUDENĚJŠÍ VÁLKA) and NECESSARY EVIL (NUTNÉ ZLO).

The Milkweed Triptych are published in the UK by Orbit Books. Here’s the English-language synopsis for the first novel…

The year is 1939. Raybould Marsh and other members of British Intelligence have gathered to watch a damaged reel of film in a darkened room. It appears to show German troops walking through walls, bursting into flames and hurling tanks into the air from afar.

If the British are to believe their eyes, a twisted Nazi scientist has been endowing German troops with unnatural, unstoppable powers. And Raybould will be forced to resort to dark methods to hold the impending invasion at bay.

But dealing with the occult exacts a price. And that price must be paid in blood.

Zeno represents Ian Tregillis in the UK and Translation, on behalf of Kay McCauley at Aurous, Inc.

RIVERS OF LONDON: NIGHT WITCH #3 Out Now!

Posted on Wednesday, May 18th, 2016

The third issue in RIVERS OF LONDON: NIGHT WITCH is out today! Published by Titan Comics, here’s the synopsis…

With a Russian Night Witch in custody, Peter and Nightingale should be having a lot more luck chasing down a rogue Leshy – a murderous spirit of the forest. But when the Russian Mafia are involved, nothing goes smoothly! Even worse, Lesley is back in London – and it’s anyone’s guess as to her agenda.

NIGHT WITCH is the second of Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel‘s comic-series, based on Ben’s Peter Grant urban fantasy series. This comic series is set between FOXGLOVE SUMMER, and the upcoming THE HANGING TREE (out later this year). The first comic-series, RIVERS OF LONDON: BODY WORK, is available now as a collected trade paperback, also published by Titan Comics.

The novels are published in the UK by Gollancz, and in the US by Del Rey (1-3) and DAW Books (4-6) — they have also been published widely in translation.

RIVERS OF LONDON: NIGHT WITCH #2 Out Tomorrow!

Posted on Tuesday, April 12th, 2016

The second issue in Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel‘s RIVERS OF LONDON: NIGHT WITCH comic series is out tomorrow! Published by Titan Comics, here’s the synopsis…

Following a disastrous attempt to ‘recruit’ the witch, Vavara, a Russian oligarch turns his sights on Peter Grant and Thomas Nightingale – two of London’s finest policemen and its only wizards – to help recover his daughter – apparently kidnapped by dark elemental forces. But for Peter and Nightingale, a dark betrayal from the past is about rear its ugly head…

Ben’s Peter Grant series is published in the UK by Gollancz, and in the US by Del Rey (1-3) and DAW Books (4-6). The next book in the series is THE HANGING TREE, due out this summer. The series has also been published widely in translation (see Ben’s author page, or contact us for details).

RIVERS OF LONDON: BODY WORK Out Now in US

Posted on Tuesday, March 29th, 2016

The collected paperback of Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel‘s RIVERS OF LONDON: BODY WORK is out now in the US! It had already been available digitally, but it hits shelves today in dead-tree format. Published by Titan Comics, here’s the synopsis…

Peter Grant looks look your average London police officer, but he is actually a part-time wizard in a very elite branch of the Metropolitan Police. It’s his job to investigate those crimes that regular cops don’t like to talk about because they often involve vampires or strange things in Underground tunnels.

Peter’s latest case features a self-driving killer automobile, a Serbian refugee, the Most Haunted Car in England, a handsome drug dealer with a nice paisley scarf and a seemingly harmless wooden bench with a dark past!

The comic series is set between books four and five in Ben’s Peter Grant urban fantasy series — BROKEN HOMES and FOXGLOVE SUMMER, both of which are published by Gollancz in the UK and DAW Books in the US. Here is the series to-date, including the upcoming THE HANGING TREE:

RIVERS OF LONDON: NIGHT WITCH #1 Out Now!

Posted on Wednesday, March 16th, 2016

The first issue of RIVERS OF LONDON: NIGHT WITCH is out now! Written by Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel, this is the second comic series set in Ben’s best-selling urban fantasy world. The series is published by Titan Comics. Here’s the synopsis…

Titan Comics also published RIVERS OF LONDON: BODY WORK, which is now available as a collection. This afternoon, between 6-7pm, Ben and Andrew will be at the Forbidden Planet Megastore in London, signing copies of the collection and also RIVERS OF LONDON: NIGHT WITCH #1. At the event, a special edition of the comic will be available. Here’s the exclusive variant cover…

Ben’s Peter Grant series is published in the UK by Gollancz. So far, the series includes: RIVERS OF LONDON, MOON OVER SOHO, WHISPERS UNDERGROUND, BROKEN HOMES, FOXGLOVE SUMMER, and the upcoming THE HANGING TREE. The series is also published in the US by Del Rey (books 1-3) and DAW Books (4-6). The series has also been published widely in translation.

RIVERS OF LONDON: BODY WORK Signing Next Week

Posted on Friday, March 11th, 2016

An important date for your calendars: Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel will be at London’s Forbidden Planet next week, signing copies of the RIVERS OF LONDON: BODY WORK collection and issues of RIVERS OF LONDON: NIGHT WITCH #1 — including an exclusive Ben Oliver variant (pictured below)! Ben and Andrew’s comic series are published by Titan Comics. Here’s the synopsis for BODY WORK…

Here, too, is the synopsis for the first issue of NIGHT WITCH…

Things rapidly turn very ugly for the hoods and it’s soon a job for full-time police constable and part-time wizard, Peter Grant.

RIVERS OF LONDON: NIGHT WITCH issue one is published on March 16th, 2016. Series artwork is by Lee Sullivan and Luis Guerrero.

RIVERS OF LONDON: BODY WORK is out now…

Posted on Friday, March 4th, 2016

The first collected edition of Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel‘s Rivers of London comic series is available now in the US and digitally in the UK. Published by Titan Comics, it collects the six issues of RIVERS OF LONDON: BODY WORK. Here’s the synopsis…

Ben and Andrew’s second Rivers of London comic series, NIGHT WITCH, starts later this month (check back soon for more details). Here are the covers for the RIVERS OF LONDON: BODY WORK single issues and variant covers…

Covers & Details: RIVERS OF LONDON – NIGHT WITCH

Posted on Tuesday, December 22nd, 2015

After the tremendous success of RIVERS OF LONDON: BODY WORK, next year Titan Comics will be publishing Ben Aaronovitch‘s and Andrew Cartmel‘s second RIVERS OF LONDON comic mini-series, NIGHT WITCH! The covers (above) were first unveiled on io9. Here’s a mini-synopsis for the new series…

A police vehicle on a routine prison transfer in north London is stormed by Russian hoodlums seeking to free a very particular prisoner. Their target is a witch. A dangerously powerful witch who doesn’t want to be free. Things rapidly turn ugly for the hoods and it’s soon a job for full-time police constable and part-time wizard, Peter Grant.

NIGHT WITCH is set between FOXGLOVE SUMMER and the upcoming THE HANGING TREE, which is due to be published in July 2016. The first issue of the new comic series will go on sale on March 16th, 2016. There are plans for a signing at London’s Forbidden Planet on release day — details to come.

The Peter Grant series is published in the UK by Gollancz, in the US by Del Rey and DAW Books, and has been published widely in translation. See Ben’s page for details.