Tag: Solaris

After the War comes SALVATION’S FIRE…

Posted on Tuesday, September 4th, 2018

Today, Solaris publishes Justina Robson‘s latest novel! SALVATION’S FIRE is the second book in the After the War shared-world fantasy series, and follows on from Adrian Tchaikovsky’s REDEMPTION’S BLADE. Here’s the synopsis…

The Tzarkomen necromancers sacrificed a thousand women to create a Bride for the Kinslayer so he would spare them in the war. But the Kinslayer is dead and now the creation intended to ensure his eternal rule lies abandoned by its makers in the last place in the world that anyone would look for it.

Which doesn’t prevent someone finding her by accident.

Will the Bride return the gods to the world or will she bring the end of days? It all depends on the one who found her, Kula, a broken-hearted little girl with nothing left to lose.

Justina is the critically-acclaimed author of many novels, most recently GLORIOUS ANGELS and THE SWITCH, both published in the UK by Gollancz.

Justina Robson to unleash SALVATION’S FIRE…

Posted on Friday, June 8th, 2018

This September, Solaris Books are due to publish Justina Robson‘s next novel: SALVATION’S FIRE. The second novel in the publisher’s new After the War shared universe setting, established by Adrian Tchaikovsky in REDEMPTION’S BLADE. Here’s the synopsis…

The Tzarkomen necromancers sacrificed a thousand women to create a Bride for the Kinslayer so he would spare them in the war. But the Kinslayer is dead and now the creation intended to ensure his eternal rule lies abandoned by its makers in the last place in the world that anyone would look for it.

Which doesn’t prevent someone finding her by accident.

Will the Bride return the gods to the world or will she bring the end of days? It all depends on the one who found her, Kula, a broken-hearted little girl with nothing left to lose.

Robson is also the author of the critically-acclaimed GLORIOUS ANGELS and THE SWITCH, both published in the UK by Gollancz.

PARIS ADRIFT by E.J. Swift is out this week!

Posted on Monday, February 5th, 2018

The wait is nearly over: tomorrow, E.J. Swift‘s fantastic new novel PARIS ADRIFT is out this week! Published by Solaris in the UK and North America, here’s the synopsis…

Paris Was Supposed to Save Hallie. Now… Well, Let’s Just Say Paris Has Other Ideas. 

There’s a strange woman called The Chronometrist who will not leave her alone. Garbled warnings from bizarre creatures keep her up at night. And there’s a time portal in the keg room of the bar where she works. 

Soon, Hallie is tumbling through the turbulent past and future Paris, making friends, changing the world — and falling in love. 

But with every trip, Hallie loses a little of herself, and every infinitesimal change she makes ripples through time, until the future she’s trying to save suddenly looks nothing like what she hoped for…

Already, the novel has been racking up pre-publication praise, and was selected by Kirkus, Amazon and Barnes & Noble as a best of February SF/fantasy! Here are just a few of the reviews…

‘E.J. Swift’s PARIS ADRIFT is her best novel yet: a time-travelling adventure that, despite the cosmic stakes, is bravely and beautifully intimate. Despite the apocalyptic backdrop, PARIS is also wistfully hopeful – a novel of ordinary, extraordinary heroism… PARIS ADRIFT uses science fiction’s largest and most unwieldy mechanic for its smallest and most intimate stakes: this isn’t about the world, it is about Hallie. PARIS is a story about significance at every level, individually and collectively; ultimately, whether that’s in time, life, or simply one’s outlook – this is a poetic demonstration of how little changes make big differences. Despite being a novel that’s – literally! – timeless, you couldn’t find a work more wonderfully fitting for 2018.’ — Pornokitsch

‘A great time travel story, inventive and at times overwhelming. Hallie is a compelling character to read, as she is not all-knowing and manages to keep her sense of disbelief for as long as possible. Hallie through the book comes to find an inner strength that she didn’t know existed as she faces challenges without a lot of resources. I can’t really express how much I enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more from E.J. Swift soon.’ — Fantasy Book Review (9/10)

‘A great protagonist in a fascinating plot, with some refreshingly original takes on the mechanics and mechanisms of time travel, this was a very enjoyable read… This is a great book. Fantastic characters in an interesting story, excellently paced.’ — Strange Currencies

‘Swift (the Osiris Project series) delivers both an unusual take on time travel and solid characters, including a fantastic protagonist… Swift keeps things moving briskly, throwing out innocuous tidbits while scene setting that lead to surprising later payoffs.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘[A] really gripping book that was also really thought provoking and moving… [The novel] deals with many themes which are very relevant right now and Hallie’s time travel to a bleak 2042 felt too plausible… [I] loved reading about Hallie’s expeditions to 1875. Paris really came alive for me and I just loved all the sub stories going on, particularly Millie’s. PARIS ADRIFT also touches on what it’s like to feel adrift and alone in this big world, whether we’re living the best versions of ourselves. This story is about getting lost in order to find yourself. There’s a good message in this book, that doing small deeds to help strangers can have huge effects later on and the future is something we should all be thinking about.’ — British Fantasy Society

Starting today, there is also a week-long blog tour to celebrate the release of the novel. Here are the details…

E.J. Swift is also the author of the critically-acclaimed Osiris Project trilogy, published in the UK by Del Rey, and available in eBook via the JABberwocky eBook Program.

Short Fiction Watch: INFINITY WARS, feat. Aliette de Bodard and E.J. Swift

Posted on Tuesday, October 24th, 2017

In our latest instalment of Short Fiction Watch, we wanted to draw your attention to INFINITY WARS, a new anthology published recently by Solaris Books. Here’s the synopsis…

Conflict is eternal

We have always fought. War is the furnace that forges new technologies and pushes humanity ever onward. We are the children of a battle that began with fists and sticks, and ended on the brink of atomic Armageddon. Beyond here lies another war, infinite in scope and scale.

Zeno’s own Aliette de Bodard and E.J. Swift have stories included in the collection — “In Everlasting Wisdom” and “Weather Girl”, respectively.

Aliette de Bodard is the author, most recently, of the award-winning Dominion of the Fallen series: THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS and THE HOUSE OF BINDING THORNS, published by Gollancz (UK) and Roc Books (US).

E.J. Swift is the author of the critically-acclaimed Osiris Project sci-fi trilogy: OSIRIS, CATAVEIRO and TAMARUQ, published by Del Rey (UK) and available as eBooks via the JABberwocky eBook Program.

Swift’s next novel is PARIS ADRIFT, which will be published next year by Solaris. Here’s the gorgeous cover by Joey Hi-Fi…

E.J. Swift’s PARIS ADRIFT coming soon!

Posted on Thursday, May 18th, 2017

We’re happy to report that Solaris has acquired World English rights for E.J. Swift‘s new novel, PARIS ADRIFT!

Swift, whose short fiction has appeared in Solaris anthologies, including The Djinn Falls in Love & Other Stories and the forthcoming Infinity Wars, fell in love with Paris while spending time travelling and working there. PARIS ADRIFT paints a vivid picture of the city, and places a captivating science fiction story at its heart.

Above you can see the stunning artwork by internationally-acclaimed artist Joey Hi-Fi, which will grace the novel.

‘E.J. Swift’s extraordinarily rich time travel novel is a real treat of a read,’ said Solaris Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Oliver. ‘Paris is evoked in all it grubby yet shiny glory, and the characters will make you fall in love with this city, its past and its misfits. An extraordinary accomplishment, bringing to mind the work of authors such as Claire North and Audrey Niffenegger.’

E.J. Swift said this about the deal: ‘I’m delighted that Solaris will be publishing PARIS ADRIFT next year. They are a fantastic team and I’m very much looking forward to working with them over the coming months. The city of the title is close to my heart, and I can’t wait for readers to join Hallie – and her bartending friends – as she is unwittingly thrust into a journey that will take her through the city’s turbulent past and possible futures, forcing her to come to terms with love, loss and her own precarious sense of self.’

Swift is the author of the critically-acclaimed Osiris Project trilogy: OSIRIS, CATAVEIRO and TAMARUQ. The trilogy is published in the UK by Del Rey, and is available in the US via the JABberwocky eBook Program.

Short Fiction Watch: BEST SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY OF THE YEAR…

Posted on Thursday, April 6th, 2017

In this instalment of Short Fiction Watch, we wanted to draw your attention to THE BEST SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY OF THE YEAR, VOL.11. Published today by Solaris Books, this mighty tome includes the following stories by our clients…

Here’s the book’s official synopsis…

The internationally-acclaimed Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year series moves into its second decade with the very best science fiction and fantasy from around the world. Hard science fiction, space opera, epic fantasy, dystopia, alternate history, swords and sorcery – you can find it all in the more than two dozen stories carefully chosen for this book by award-winning anthologist Jonathan Strahan to give readers a captivating and always-entertaining look at the very best the genre has to offer.

Aliette’s latest novel, THE HOUSE OF BINDING THORNS is out this week in the UK (Gollancz) and the US (Roc Books).

Ian R. MacLeod’s latest novel, RED SNOW is out this month, published by PS Publishing (check back tomorrow for details).

Lavie’s critically-acclaimed latest novel, CENTRAL STATION, is published by Tachyon Publications.

Happy Release Day, Jan Siegel – THE DEVIL’S APPRENTICE

Posted on Thursday, October 10th, 2013

Siegel-DevilsApprentice-Blog

Today, Jan Siegel‘s new dark YA novel, THE DEVIL’S APPRENTICE is published by Ravenstone/Solaris. (Jan Siegel is a pseudonym for Amanda Hemingway.) Publishers Weekly has already described the book as a ‘tongue-in-cheek… fascinating [and] ambitious beginning’.

Here’s the synopsis…

The Devil is retiring… but who’s taking over? In the house with no front door, a group of teenagers are trapped in assorted dimensions of myth and history, undergoing the trials that will shape them to step into his cloven footwear – or destroy them…The Devil is retiring… but who’s taking over?

When teenage Pen inherits the job of caretaker for a London building with no doors and only a secret entrance from the caretaker’s lodge – which she must never use – little does she know it will lead her into unbelievable danger.

For Azmordis, also known as Satan, a spirit as old as Time and as powerful as the Dark, Immortality is running out. In the house with no front door, a group of teenagers are trapped in assorted dimensions of myth and history, undergoing the trials that will shape them to step into his cloven footwear – or destroy them.

Assisted by only by an aspiring teenage chef called Gavin and Jinx, a young witch with more face-piercing than fae-power, Pen must try to stop the Devil’s deadly game plan – before it’s too late.

Amanda is the author of the well-received Sangreal and Fern Capel series (the latter was also written as Jan Siegel). The My Bookish Ways blog interviewed Jan a couple of weeks ago – you can read that, here.

Cover Reveal: Jan Siegel’s THE DEVIL’S APPRENTICE…

Posted on Tuesday, July 16th, 2013

We’re delighted to announce the next novel by Amanda Hemingway, writing as Jan Siegel: THE DEVIL’S APPRENTICE. The new YA novel is due to be published by Ravenstone (Solaris) in October 2013. Here’s the brooding cover art…

Siegel-DevilsApprentice-Blog

Here’s the synopsis, to whet your appetite…

The Devil is retiring – but who’s taking over?

Wearied by endless aeons of immortality, the Dark Lord in his Dark Tower plans to lapse into limbo till the end of Time. But he still has to choose a successor to take over his evil empire, someone to wear the Horned Crown,
wield the Sceptre of Fire, and sit behind the gleaming Desk in the Circular Office overseeing the downfall of humanity. The ancient spirits who might have followed him are all weakened or jaded; he must find a mortal heir (or heiress), who will sit on his throne and assume his immortal powers. A group of would-be apprentices, young, enthusiastic, and malleable, are trapped in a space/time prism, in various dimensions of magic and the past, undergoing hideous trials to turn them to the dark side. Those who survive—if any—will emerge to compete for the ultimate prize…

Meanwhile, the few who learn of his plan are trying to defeat him — including an incompetent teen witch, an underage lawyer and an aspiring chef.With the help of a fat cat and a set of talking dentures, they must find an absentee
wizard and rescue the wannabe Satans—before it is too late.

Amanda is the author of the well-received Sangreal and Fern Capel series (the latter was also written as Jan Siegal).

eBook – James Maxey’s DRAGON APOCALYPSE…

Posted on Thursday, June 20th, 2013

Maxey-CompleteDragonApocalypse-BlogSolaris Books has collected James Maxey‘s critically-acclaimed Dragon Apocalypse trilogy in an eBook omnibus. The omnibus is now available in both the UK and US, and collects GREATSHADOW, HUSH, and WITCHBREAKER.

Here is the synopsis for book one…

The warrior known as Infidel (Princess Innocent Brightmoon, to a very, very few) is legendary – as much among the drunkards of Commonground as among heroes and bards – for her superhuman strength and skin tough as mail. Stagger, her long-time friend and closest companion, is a wastrel and a sot, but a gifted scholar. Sorrow, a powerful and possibly deranged witch, will stop at nothing – including mutilating her own body – in her pursuit of a fairer, more just world.

Once, dragons covered this world, warring with each other for dominance over great territories. In aeons past, however, their numbers dwindled, and the few that remained withdrew from mundane affairs, claiming the very primal forces of the world – fire, cold, storms, plants, the sun, wild beasts, even the principle of decay itself – as their own. Now the powerful Church of the Book has set its sights on destroying the primal dragons and freeing humanity of their supposed ‘tyrrany’ forever. Wearying of the mercenary life after Stagger’s death, Infidel – with an eye on the dragons’ celebrated wealth – agrees to take part in their first expedition.

But the primal dragons are not to be tackled lightly. In the most hectic, touching romp since The Princess Bride, Infidel, Stagger (or his ghost) and Sorrow will find their lives, and the world around them, changing beyond their grasp as the Church’s hubris reaps its rewards…

Here is but a fraction of what critics have been saying in praise of the Dragon Apocalypse series…

‘A magnificently entertaining romp bursting with charm.’  —  SFX

‘It’s very rare to find a novel packed to the brim with heart-pumping action, laugh out loud humour, and a protagonist who wants cake. GREATSHADOW is a brilliant book… It has a great premise, great characters, great secondary world, great world-building, great pacing, great everything. This is pretty much a perfect book for me, because I loved everything about it, and hated nothing.’  —  Founding Fields

‘GREATSHADOW was a fabulous read, which kept me turning pages and just finishing one more chapter before doing whatever I was supposed to do. Besides, any story that can legitimately clothe its main character in a chain mail bikini and make it functional can only be genius! If you like straight up adventure novels, kick ass heroines and dragons – lots of dragons – then you can’t miss GREATSHADOW. I know I’m already impatient for the second book in the series called HUSH.’  —  Fantastical Librarian

‘GREATSHADOW is a clever, funny, goofy read… This isn’t your bog-standard intro quest: GREATSHADOW is a skip-to-the-back-of-the-book epic-level adventure … level 30+ adventure is charming, not po-faced, with a group of flawed, sarcastic, quick-witted and oddball adventurers that are equally comfortable with set-piece battle and rapid fire sarcasm.’  —  Pornokitsch

‘… the most original and colorful fantasy world I have encountered in recent memory… Maxey has talent and just as importantly (and even more rare) is that he can generate truly novel ideas. As a sequel, HUSH expands upon the world introduced in the first book.’  —  Elitist Book Reviews

‘There is a growing trend for fantasy novels to be grim, gritty and filled with knights who swear and monsters so evil that they take all the joy out of being scary and are simply nasty. Luckily, HUSH isn’t one of those books; it’s a fun, well-thought out fantasy romp which is packed with clever one-liners and plenty of action… Maxey proves that fantasy doesn’t have to be po-faced and serious in order to be fun, whilst at the same time tells a story with depth and emotion… intelligent fantasy that doesn’t waste it’s time trying to prove how smart it is… feeds the reader with plenty of fuel for the imagination whilst delivering on its promise of action and fun…  it’s an exceptionally well done example of its genre, and a breath of fresh air for anyone sick of swords and sorcery stories covered in mud, blood and misery.’  —  Starburst

Tidhar’s OSAMA Marches Even Further on…

Posted on Friday, May 11th, 2012

And no sooner had my post about the various sales of OSAMA gone live yesterday,  than the news came through that Lavie’s book has made this year’s shortlist for the John W. Campbell Award, the third major prize that this extraordinary novel has been up for.

Zeno has a special association with the Campbell Award and if Lavie should win, he’ll actually be the third Zeno author in four years to do so – following in the footsteps of Ian R. MacLeod (2009) and Ian McDonald (2011).

Congratulations and good luck, Lavie!

Tidhar’s OSAMA Marches On…

Posted on Thursday, May 10th, 2012

Mass market paperback rights for Lavie Tidhar‘s provocative and much acclaimed novel OSAMA have been bought by Jonathan Oliver at Solaris Books in a deal negotiated by John Berlyne of the Zeno Agency. Solaris will publish in October in both the US and the UK and their edition will feature the original PS Publishing cover art by Pedro Marques.

In translation markets, Hungarian rights for OSAMA we bought by Ad Astra via Gynn Kalman of the Torus Books Agency on behalf of Zeno, and Polish rights went to MAG in a deal negotiated by Patrycja Swiat at ANAW Literary Agency on behalf of Zeno.

James Maxey Sells to Solaris…

Posted on Friday, March 18th, 2011

GREATSHADOW, the first in James Maxey‘s brand new fantasy series has sold to Jon Oliver at Solaris as part of a three book deal for world English rights that will also see sequels HUSH and SORROW published subsequently.

The deal was negotiated by John Berlyne of the Zeno Literary Agency for a nice five figure sum and Solaris will publish the first title in Feb 2012, with the sequels following in July 2012 and spring 2013 respectively. Translation rights are represented by Zeno.

‘James Maxey has barely taken his coat off here at Zeno towers,‘ says agent John Berlyne, ‘and so it’s with great delight that we’re able to announce this deal. GREATSHADOW is a complete riot…  fantasy super heroes, terrifying dragons and a deliciously unorthodox protagonist. I loved this high energy fusion of traditional fantasy colliding with  X-Men. It’s huge, seat-of-the pants fun.‘

Solaris previously published Maxey’s BITTERWOOD trilogy and editor-in-chief Jonathan Oliver says ‘It’s a delight to welcome back James to the Solaris fold. I was a big fan of his Bitterwood series of fantasy novels and it’s great to see more from this talented writer. James has to be one of the most innovative and entertaining writers of dragon fantasy around.’