New Taiwanese Covers for Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series!


The first four books in Ben Aaronovitch‘s acclaimed, internationally best-selling Rivers of London series (倫敦探案系列) have been given new covers in Taiwan! Originally published between 2016-17, by Marco Polo (馬可孛羅文化事業), read on for some more details for each novel as well as the stunning new covers.

RIVERS OF LONDON, the first in the series, is published in Taiwan as 倫敦河惡靈騷動, and is translated by Zheng Yuxin (鄭郁欣). The new cover is above, and here’s the synopsis…

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…

The second novel in the series, MOON OVER SOHO, is published in Taiwan as 蘇活月爵士魅影, and is also translated by Zheng Yuxin.

蘇活區,倫敦夜晚最熱鬧的地方,同時也是爵士樂發展的中心。在那裡,你可以找到歷史悠久且風格各異的酒吧和俱樂部,樂手們全都嚮往登上此處的表演舞臺,演奏最道地動聽的音樂。

一具被判定為自然死亡的屍體上,彼得.葛蘭特聽見了經典爵士樂曲的魔法殘跡,經調查後發現,過去一段時間大倫敦地區每年至少有三名爵士音樂家在演出後二十四小時內死亡,很可能是有某個術士或鬼魂、精靈之類的存在,正有計畫地殺害倫敦的爵士樂人──幾天後,再次傳來某個長號手暴斃的噩耗。

棘手的死亡事件不只一樁,就在魔法爵士殺手再度犯案的當晚,一名中年男子陰莖遭割裂、失血過多死在俱樂部裡,英國最後一位巫師警官納丁格爾告訴彼得,這是「陰牙」造成的傷口,很可能是某種超自然生物所為。

這下子彼得可頭大了,一個以爵士樂手為目標的魔法殺手,與一個擁有傷人利齒的超自然生物,該從哪個方向展開調查才好?首先,彼得必須找尋爵士樂專家的幫助,而他心底已經有了最佳人選……

悠揚輕柔的爵士樂聲響起,為流連倫敦街頭的人們帶來多少歡愉,

曲終人散的某個闇暗角落,躺著一具被魔法奪走性命的沉默軀體。

誰能同時扮演福爾摩斯與哈利波特的角色?只有菜鳥警察彼得.葛蘭特!

Translated by Han Yichen (韓宜辰) and Lin Zhaoling (林詔伶), WHISPERS UNDERGROUND is published as 地底城魔法暗湧 in Taiwan.

二次世界大戰後,英國的巫師所剩無幾,魔法逐漸式微、光明隨之遠離,除了納丁格爾與他唯一認可的學徒彼得.葛蘭特之外,再沒有人使用和練習魔法。然而,黑魔法師無臉男的出現,徹底打破了納丁格爾的認知,原來自一九五○年代起,就有巫師在牛津大學祕密教授魔法,更有學員加入黑暗勢力,製造出邪惡的超自然生物,讓倫敦陷入危機。

找出黑魔法師的真實身分,成為菜鳥警察彼得的當務之急,一樁發生在倫敦地鐵站的命案,卻令彼得不得不分心轉向追查,因為殺害死者的凶器,竟是一塊殘留魔法的陶器碎片。同時,命案死者的敏感身分,也招來了美國FBI派探員跨海介入調查。

死者是否又是一名非法學習法術的巫師?沾有魔法殘跡的陶器從何而來?被要求加入凶案調查小組的彼得,不但得全力追查凶器來源與凶手,還不能讓FBI發現任何「不尋常」的異狀。一方面諜對諜作戰,一方面向河神、半妖等超自然生物打聽情報,彼得這才驚異地發現,在倫敦紛亂複雜的地下鐵深處,很可能潛藏了一座不為人知的神祕之城……

And last, but by no means least, the fourth novel in the series, BROKEN HOMES, is published in Taiwan as 天空塔黑巫再現. Lin Zhaoling also translated this novel.

地底城事件結束後,納丁格爾與他的學徒彼得.葛蘭特體認到,黑魔法師無臉男的勢力已經擴張到他們難以察覺的深處,無論這位黑魔法師真正的目的為何,徹查所有的小鱷魚名單、找出無臉男的真實身分,絕對是當務之急。因此,即便是一樁看似簡單的交通意外,也不能錯過任何線索。

彼得的直覺沒錯,小鱷魚成員的交通意外演變為一件毀屍滅跡的凶殺案;不久之後,竟有第二名可疑的小鱷魚成員在地鐵站內跳軌自殺。一具屍體或許只是意外,但兩具屍體就不可能只是巧合,而且一定與無臉男有關。

為了化被動為主動,彼得決定設下誘餌引無臉男出現,沒想到出現的卻是令他們意想不到的另一個熟面孔,死去的伍德維爾.詹托的看護——凡倫卡,來自俄羅斯的魔法學徒,危險度極高的暗夜女巫。

現在,倫敦有兩名出手凶狠的非法巫師逍遙法外了。最令人擔心的是,暗夜女巫是否與黑魔法師相互聯手?小鱷魚的命案又是何人所為?此時,彼得追查到一本遭竊的德國魔法書,屬於瘋狂建築師艾瑞克.史騰堡所有,更進一步發現這些喪命的死者,都與史騰堡所蓋的空中花園大樓有關……

高掛空中的冠冕,點亮城市的火炬,

魔法與工業的結合,是不切實際的空想,還是真實存在的世紀之作?

The Rivers of London series is published in the UK by Gollancz; in North America by Del Rey (1-3), DAW Books (4-) and Subterranean Press (novellas); in Germany by DTV; and widely elsewhere in translation.

The ninth novel in the series, the Sunday Times #1 AMONGST OUR WEAPONS, was published this month by Orion Books (UK), DAW Books (North America), and DTV (Germany).

Complex Chinese Editions of Ian McDonald’s LUNA Series out now!


The Complex Chinese editions of Ian McDonald‘s highly-acclaimed, award-nominated Luna series are out now! Published by 麥田出版 (Rye Field Publications in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, the whole trilogy is now available: 血染 新月 (NEW MOON), 狼嚎 時分 (WOLF MOON), and 王者 之戰 (MOON RISING).

The series is published in the UK by Gollancz, in North America by Tor Books, and in a growing number of translated editions around the world.

In case you haven’t yet had the chance to read the series, here’s the synopsis for NEW MOON

The scions of a falling house must navigate a world of corporate warfare to maintain their family’s status in the Moon’s vicious political atmosphere.

The Moon wants to kill you.

Maybe it will kill you when the per diem for your allotted food, water, and air runs out, just before you hit pay-dirt. Maybe it will kill you when you are trapped between the reigning corporations-the Five Dragons-in a foolish gamble against a futuristic feudal society. On the Moon, you must fight for every inch you want to gain. And that is just what Adriana Corta did.

As the leader of the Moon’s newest “dragon,” Adriana has wrested control of the Moon’s Helium-3 industry from the Mackenzie Metal corporation and fought to earn her family’s new status. Now, in the twilight of her life, Adriana finds her corporation — Corta Helio — confronted by the many enemies she made during her meteoric rise. If the Corta family is to survive, Adriana’s five children must defend their mother’s empire from her many enemies… and each other.

There is also a prequel novella, THE MENACE FROM FARSIDE, published by Tor.com.

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

‘McDonald… begins his superb near-future series… scintillating, violent, and decadent world. McDonald creates a complex and fascinating civilization featuring believable technology, and the characters are fully developed, with individually gripping stories. Watch for this brilliantly constructed family saga on next year’s award ballots.’ — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) on NEW MOON

No one writes like Ian McDonald, and no one’s Moon is nearly so beautiful and terrible… Ian McDonald’s never written a bad novel, but this is a great Ian McDonald novel… McDonald has ten details for every detail proffered by other sf writers. Not gratuitous details, either: gracious ones. The fashion sense of William Gibson, the design sense of Bruce Sterling, the eye for family drama of Connie Willis, the poesie of Bradbury, and the dirty sex of Kathe Koja and Samuel Delany… McDonald’s moon is omnisexual, kinky, violent, passionate, beautiful, awful, vibrant and crushing. As the family saga of the Cortas unravels, we meet a self-sexual ninja lawyer, a werewolf who loses his mind in the Full Earth, a family tyrant whose ruthlessness is matched only by his crepulance, and a panoply of great passions and low desires. LUNA: NEW MOON is the first book of a two-book cycle. Now I’m all a-quiver for the next one.‘ — BoingBoing

‘Smart, funny, passionate and at times quite dark, McDonald brings the touch we’ve seen in RIVER OF GODS and DERVISH HOUSE to an entirely new culture as it evolves in a distant hostile place where business or family rules all… it’s terrific. My only complaint: it leaves you wanting the second book right now!’ — Jonathan Strahan on NEW MOON

‘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

‘Luna: NEW MOON was a “magnificent bastard of a book,” as I put it in my review. Part two, it’s my pleasure to tell you, is just as awesome, and just as masterfully nasty.’ — Tor.com on WOLF MOON

‘… powerful sequel… compelling throughout. Each of McDonald’s viewpoint characters is made human in fascinating and occasionally disturbing detail, and the solar system of the 22nd century is wonderfully delineated. Fans of the first volume will love this one and eagerly look forward to the next.‘ — Publishers Weekly on WOLF 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

NEW MOON was one of the most interesting sci-fi novels of 2015, with smart ideas on humanity and economies matched by street smarts, political brawls and murder in the streets. LUNA: WOLF MOON turns that up to eleven – it’s a fascinating story, which is also a tense, enthralling read.’ — Sci-Fi & Fantasy Review

‘… cinematic set-pieces… so much fun to read… these entertaining, and intelligent novels, capped off by the very satisfying Luna: MOON RISING, have been about establishing a society, a community, a family that looks to the future, that lives and prospers in an environment that must always be treated with respect.’ — Locus (Ian Mond)

‘McDonald concludes his Luna space opera trilogy in triumphant style… The political intrigue never feels too abstract or removed from 21st-century Earth. Readers will appreciate the care McDonald takes with both worldbuilding and characterization, and will enjoy little touches such as giving an assassin the job title of Corporate Conflict Resolution Officer… fans of the prior books will find this wrap-up rewarding.’ — Publishers Weekly on MOON RISING

‘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

Complex Chinese Editions of Ian McDonald’s Luna Series Out Later this Month!


Today, we’re very happy to share with you the covers for the upcoming Complex Chinese editions of Ian McDonald‘s highly-acclaimed, award-nominated Luna series! Available in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, all three novels will be published by 麥田出版 (Rye Field Publications) on September 28th.

The trilogy of novels includes 血染 新月 (NEW MOON), 狼嚎 時分 (WOLF MOON), and 王者 之戰 (MOON RISING).

The series is published in the UK by Gollancz, in North America by Tor Books, and in a growing number of translated editions around the world. There is also a prequel novella, THE MENACE FROM FARSIDE, published by Tor.com.

In case you haven’t yet had the chance to read the series, here’s the synopsis for NEW MOON

The scions of a falling house must navigate a world of corporate warfare to maintain their family’s status in the Moon’s vicious political atmosphere.

The Moon wants to kill you.

Maybe it will kill you when the per diem for your allotted food, water, and air runs out, just before you hit pay-dirt. Maybe it will kill you when you are trapped between the reigning corporations-the Five Dragons-in a foolish gamble against a futuristic feudal society. On the Moon, you must fight for every inch you want to gain. And that is just what Adriana Corta did.

As the leader of the Moon’s newest “dragon,” Adriana has wrested control of the Moon’s Helium-3 industry from the Mackenzie Metal corporation and fought to earn her family’s new status. Now, in the twilight of her life, Adriana finds her corporation — Corta Helio — confronted by the many enemies she made during her meteoric rise. If the Corta family is to survive, Adriana’s five children must defend their mother’s empire from her many enemies… and each other.

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

‘Smart, funny, passionate and at times quite dark, McDonald brings the touch we’ve seen in RIVER OF GODS and DERVISH HOUSE to an entirely new culture as it evolves in a distant hostile place where business or family rules all… it’s terrific. My only complaint: it leaves you wanting the second book right now!’ — Jonathan Strahan on NEW MOON

‘McDonald… begins his superb near-future series… scintillating, violent, and decadent world. McDonald creates a complex and fascinating civilization featuring believable technology, and the characters are fully developed, with individually gripping stories. Watch for this brilliantly constructed family saga on next year’s award ballots.’ — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) on NEW MOON

‘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

No one writes like Ian McDonald, and no one’s Moon is nearly so beautiful and terrible… Ian McDonald’s never written a bad novel, but this is a great Ian McDonald novel… McDonald has ten details for every detail proffered by other sf writers. Not gratuitous details, either: gracious ones. The fashion sense of William Gibson, the design sense of Bruce Sterling, the eye for family drama of Connie Willis, the poesie of Bradbury, and the dirty sex of Kathe Koja and Samuel Delany… McDonald’s moon is omnisexual, kinky, violent, passionate, beautiful, awful, vibrant and crushing. As the family saga of the Cortas unravels, we meet a self-sexual ninja lawyer, a werewolf who loses his mind in the Full Earth, a family tyrant whose ruthlessness is matched only by his crepulance, and a panoply of great passions and low desires. LUNA: NEW MOON is the first book of a two-book cycle. Now I’m all a-quiver for the next one.‘ — BoingBoing

‘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

‘Luna: New Moon was a “magnificent bastard of a book,” as I put it in my review. Part two, it’s my pleasure to tell you, is just as awesome, and just as masterfully nasty.’ — Tor.com on WOLF MOON

‘… powerful sequel… compelling throughout. Each of McDonald’s viewpoint characters is made human in fascinating and occasionally disturbing detail, and the solar system of the 22nd century is wonderfully delineated. Fans of the first volume will love this one and eagerly look forward to the next.‘ — Publishers Weekly on WOLF MOON

NEW MOON was one of the most interesting sci-fi novels of 2015, with smart ideas on humanity and economies matched by street smarts, political brawls and murder in the streets. LUNA: WOLF MOON turns that up to eleven – it’s a fascinating story, which is also a tense, enthralling read.’ — Sci-Fi & Fantasy Review

‘McDonald concludes his Luna space opera trilogy in triumphant style… The political intrigue never feels too abstract or removed from 21st-century Earth. Readers will appreciate the care McDonald takes with both worldbuilding and characterization, and will enjoy little touches such as giving an assassin the job title of Corporate Conflict Resolution Officer… fans of the prior books will find this wrap-up rewarding.’ — Publishers Weekly on MOON RISING

‘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

‘… cinematic set-pieces… so much fun to read… these entertaining, and intelligent novels, capped off by the very satisfying Luna: MOON RISING, have been about establishing a society, a community, a family that looks to the future, that lives and prospers in an environment that must always be treated with respect.’ — Locus (Ian Mond)

Anne Griffin’s 五杯酒 out now in Taiwan!


Above you can see the fantastic cover for the Taiwanese edition of Anne Griffin‘s best-selling, critically-acclaimed debut, WHEN ALL IS SAID. Published in Taiwan by 寂寞 as 五杯酒, here’s the synopsis…

這五個人究竟是誰?
當第五杯酒飲盡,他又將走向何處?

07:05 pm 第一杯,敬東尼,司陶特啤酒
07:47 pm 第二杯,敬茉莉,波希米爾21年麥芽威士忌
08:35 pm 第三杯,敬諾琳,司陶特啤酒
09:20 pm 第四杯,敬凱文,傑佛森總統精選波本威士忌
10:10 pm 最後一杯,敬莎蒂,米爾頓威士忌

那杯酒……富含秋日色彩的調性令我著迷,泥土、樹木、落葉和秋晚天色全在裡面了,它的香氣也生機飽滿,還沒碰到唇就先潤了喉,打從脊椎深處滲出一陣顫抖。

傷痛的千百種滋味,莫里斯差不多都嚐過了。

但是這一夜,他拋下了自己擁有的一切,甚至把長期陪伴的狗也送走,獨自斜靠著吧檯,要藉著五杯酒,把醞釀了一生的話語,傾倒而出。

他準備向生命中五個重要的人致敬。這些人給他力量、溫暖與愛,讓他從底層一路咬牙奮鬥,終於晉升到今日的位置;但是,這些曾經深刻的愛,卻也在不知不覺中,被他逐漸推遠了。

這夜才開始,第一杯已上桌,且聽他開場:「我來此回憶過往曾擁有,如今卻不能再得的一切。」

這五個人究竟是誰?陷落心靈黑洞的莫里斯,為何特別選擇在今夜獨酌?當第五杯酒飲盡,他又將走向何處?

WHEN ALL IS SAID is published by Sceptre in the UK and Ireland, by St. Martin’s Press in North America, and in a growing number of translated editions around the world. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Five toasts. Five people. One lifetime.

‘I’m here to remember – all that I have been and all that I will never be again.’

At the bar of a grand hotel in a small Irish town sits 84-year-old Maurice Hannigan. He’s alone, as usual -though tonight is anything but. Pull up a stool and charge your glass, because Maurice is finally ready to tell his story.

Over the course of this evening, he will raise five toasts to the five people who have meant the most to him. Through these stories – of unspoken joy and regret, a secret tragedy kept hidden, a fierce love that never found its voice – the life of one man will be powerfully and poignantly laid bare.

Heart-breaking and heart-warming all at once, the voice of Maurice Hannigan will stay with you long after all is said.

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

‘Anne Griffin’s debut novel is a must read. Beautifully observed, masterful story telling – stunning!’ — Graham Norton

‘An extraordinary novel, a poetic writer, and a story that moved me to tears… There is something special here.’ — John Boyne

‘[An] impressively confident debut … Maurice Hannigan emerges as an engaging, compassionate creation’ — Guardian

‘Griffin’s portrait of an Irish octogenarian provides a stage for the exploration of guilt, regret, and loss, all in the course of one memorable night.’ — Kirkus

‘Maurice’s humor, his keen observations on class and family, and his colloquial language, as well as Griffin’s strong sense of place, create the feeling of a life connected to many others by strands of affection and hatred.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘Pitch-perfect prose… Moving and beautifully written, this is a wonderfully assured debut.’ — Mail on Sunday

‘It’s all beautifully done; a tale told in the plain but poetic prose of a man who recognises the tragic truths gleaned from a life of love and loss. A gem of a book.’ 5* — Sunday Express

‘A proper tear-jerker, but one that will ultimately leave you feeling hopeful.’ — Grazia

‘Cinq toasts autour desquels est organisé TOUTE UNE VIE ET UN SOIR, cinq toasts pour raviver les instants-clés qui ont fait l’histoire d’Hannegan et, à travers lui, celle des métamorphoses de l’Irlande après son indépendance…’ — Le Monde

BROKEN HOMES out now in Taiwan!


The fourth novel in Ben Aaronovitch‘s best-selling Peter Grant series, BROKEN HOMES is out now in Taiwan! Published by 馬可孛羅文化事業 as 天空塔 黑巫再現. Here’s the synopsis…

地底城事件結束後,納丁格爾與他的學徒彼得.葛蘭特體認到,黑魔法師無臉男的勢力已經擴張到他們難以察覺的深處,無論這位黑魔法師真正的目的為何,徹查所有的小鱷魚名單、找出無臉男的真實身分,絕對是當務之急。因此,即便是一樁看似簡單的交通意外,也不能錯過任何線索。

彼得的直覺沒錯,小鱷魚成員的交通意外演變為一件毀屍滅跡的凶殺案;不久之後,竟有第二名可疑的小鱷魚成員在地鐵站內跳軌自殺。一具屍體或許只是意外,但兩具屍體就不可能只是巧合,而且一定與無臉男有關。

為了化被動為主動,彼得決定設下誘餌引無臉男出現,沒想到出現的卻是令他們意想不到的另一個熟面孔,死去的伍德維爾.詹托的看護──凡倫卡,來自俄羅斯的魔法學徒,危險度極高的暗夜女巫。

現在,倫敦有兩名出手凶狠的非法巫師逍遙法外了。最令人擔心的是,暗夜女巫是否與黑魔法師相互聯手?小鱷魚的命案又是何人所為?此時,彼得追查到一本遭竊的德國魔法書,屬於瘋狂建築師艾瑞克.史騰堡所有,更進一步發現這些喪命的死者,都與史騰堡所蓋的空中花園大樓有關…

高掛空中的冠冕,點亮城市的火炬,魔法與工業的結合,是不切實際的空想,還是真實存在的世紀之作?

The first three novels in the series have also been published in Taiwan: RIVERS OF LONDON (倫敦河 惡靈騷動), MOON OVER SOHO (蘇活月 爵士魅影) and WHISPERS UNDERGROUND (地底城 魔法暗湧).

The series is published by Gollancz in the UK, and in the US by Del Rey (1-3) and DAW Books (4-6). Here’s the English-language synopsis for BROKEN HOMES

A mutilated body in Crawley. Another killer on the loose. The prime suspect is one Robert Weil – an associate of the twisted magician known as the Faceless Man? Or just a common garden serial killer?

Before PC Peter Grant can get his head round the case, a town planner going under a tube train and a stolen grimoire are adding to his case-load.

So far so London.

But then Peter gets word of something very odd happening in Elephant and Castle, on an housing estate designed by a nutter, built by charlatans and inhabited by the truly desperate.

Is there a connection?

And if there is, why oh why did it have to be South of the River?

WHISPERS UNDERGROUND next month in Taiwan!


The third novel in Ben Aaronovitch‘s best-selling, critically-acclaimed Peter Grant series is due out in Taiwan next month! WHISPERS UNDERGROUND is due to be published as 地底城 魔法暗湧 by 馬可孛羅文化事業.

The publisher has also released RIVERS OF LONDON (倫敦河 惡靈騷動) and MOON OVER SOHO (蘇活月 爵士魅影) in Taiwan.

The series is published in the UK by Gollancz, in the US by Del Rey (1-3) and DAW Books (4-6), as well as widely in translation. Here is the English-language synopsis for WHISPERS UNDERGROUND

Ben Aaronovitch’s MOON OVER SOHO out now in Taiwan!


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Ben Aaronovitch‘s MOON OVER SOHO, the second Peter Grant novel, is out now in Taiwan! Published by 馬可孛羅文化事業 as 蘇活月爵士魅影, here’s the synopsis…

蘇活區,倫敦夜晚最熱鬧的地方,同時也是爵士樂發展的中心。在那裡,你可以找到歷史悠久且風格各異的酒吧和俱樂部,樂手們全都嚮往登上此處的表演舞臺,演奏最道地動聽的音樂。

一具被判定為自然死亡的屍體上,彼得·葛蘭特聽見了經典爵士樂曲的魔法殘跡,經調查後發現,過去一段時間大倫敦地區每年至少有三名爵士音樂家在演出後二十四小時內死亡,很可能是有某個術士或鬼魂、精靈之類的存在,正有計畫地殺害倫敦的爵士樂人──幾天後,再次傳來某個長號手暴斃的噩耗。

棘手的死亡事件不只一樁,就在魔法爵士殺手再度犯案的當晚,一名中年男子陰莖遭割裂、失血過多死在俱樂部裡,英國最後一位巫師警官納丁格爾告訴彼得,這是「陰牙」造成的傷口,很可能是某種超自然生物所為。

這下子彼得可頭大了,一個以爵士樂手為目標的魔法殺手,與一個擁有傷人利齒的超自然生物,該從哪個方向展開調查才好?首先,彼得必須找尋爵士樂專家的幫助,而他心底已經有了最佳人選…

馬可孛羅文化事業 also published RIVERS OF LONDON, as 倫敦河惡靈騷動.

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MOON OVER SOHO is published in the UK by Gollancz, and in the US by Del Rey Books, and has been published widely in translation. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

I was my dad’s vinyl-wallah: I changed his records while he lounged around drinking tea, and that’s how I know my Argo from my Tempo. And it’s why, when Dr Walid called me to the morgue to listen to a corpse, I recognised the tune it was playing. Something violently supernatural had happened to the victim, strong enough to leave its imprint like a wax cylinder recording. Cyrus Wilkinson, part-time jazz saxophonist and full-time accountant, had apparently dropped dead of a heart attack just after finishing a gig in a Soho jazz club. He wasn’t the first.

No one was going to let me exhume corpses to see if they were playing my tune, so it was back to old-fashioned legwork, starting in Soho, the heart of the scene. I didn’t trust the lovely Simone, Cyrus’ ex-lover, professional jazz kitten and as inviting as a Rubens’ portrait, but I needed her help: there were monsters stalking Soho, creatures feeding off that special gift that separates the great musician from someone who can raise a decent tune. What they take is beauty. What they leave behind is sickness, failure and broken lives.

And as I hunted them, my investigation got tangled up in another story: a brilliant trumpet player, Richard ‘Lord’ Grant — my father — who managed to destroy his own career, twice. That’s the thing about policing: most of the time you’re doing it to maintain public order. Occasionally you’re doing it for justice. And maybe once in a career, you’re doing it for revenge.

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‘Enormous storytelling gusto… exhilarating and emotionally affecting…’ SF Reviews

‘The excitement and entertainment hasn’t stopped in the slightest…  this book once again blew my mind, and kept me reading well into the late night/early morning. You needn’t pick up RIVERS OF LONDON, Aaronovitch’s first in this series, but you’d regret it by the time you got to the end of MOON OVER SOHO and found out how good it was.’ Fantasy Book Review

‘As funny as it is fantastic… [The plot] hops along happily to a toe-tapping time signature, with a sweet solo here and an awesome cacophony of noise there… vast amounts of fun…’ Speculative Scotsman

MOON OVER SOHO is a gripping continuation of RIVER OF LONDON’s well executed blend of police-procedural and fantasy with a good splash of horror thrown in. This is urban fantasy done with a loving attention to detail and enlivened by an ever present wit making this series a must-read for anyone who likes their fantasy with a strong edge of realism.’ SF Book Reviews

‘A fantastic follow-up to MIDNIGHT RIOT. Aaronovitch does a great job of bringing even minor characters to life. One of Grant’s fellow cops, Leslie, plays a minor role throughout the story – but her involvement is an emotional cornerstone that brings a surprisingly bittersweet element into play… MOON OVER SOHO is an excellent addition to the paranormal police genre.’ Examiner

MOON OVER SOHO is very good. Ben Aaronovitch continues the successful formula of RIVERS OF LONDON in bringing to the surface the endearing minutae of a city that he clearly adores. He also demonstrates the “real world” problems of a ritual magician trying to have some sort of ‘normal’ life… Grant continues to observe his world(s) in a detached way – a narrative voice that lends itself well to dry humor (and fits less neatly with the book’s few over-the-top action scenes). Mr. Aaronovitch is, in short, writing the best contemporary occult detective series on the shelf today, and that’s by a substantial margin.’ Pornokitsch

Promotional Comic Art for THE VIOLENT CENTURY in Taiwan!


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To help promote the Taiwanese edition of Lavie Tidhar‘s critically-acclaimed THE VIOLENT CENTURY, a promotional comic has been produced! The artwork can be found here, but here are two examples (possibly the front and back covers for the comic)…

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The novel is due to be published in Taiwan by Apex as 狂暴年代. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

For seventy years they guarded the British Empire. Oblivion and Fogg, inseparable friends, bound together by a shared fate. Until one night in Berlin, in the aftermath of the Second World War, and a secret that tore them apart.

But there must always be an account… and the past has a habit of catching up to the present.

Now, recalled to the Retirement Bureau from which no one can retire, Fogg and Oblivion must face up to a past of terrible war and unacknowledged heroism — a life of dusty corridors and secret rooms, of furtive meetings and blood-stained fields — to answer one last, impossible question: What makes a hero?

THE VIOLENT CENTURY is published in the UK by Hodder, in the US by Thomas Dunne and in Japan by 東京創元社 (in two volumes). It is also available in limited edition, published by PS Publishing.

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Lavie Tidhar’s THE VIOLENT CENTURY coming soon in Taiwan!


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Above is the cover for the Taiwanese edition of Lavie Tidhar‘s critically-acclaimed THE VIOLENT CENTURY. Published next month by Apex as 狂暴年代, here’s the English-language synopsis…

For seventy years they guarded the British Empire. Oblivion and Fogg, inseparable friends, bound together by a shared fate. Until one night in Berlin, in the aftermath of the Second World War, and a secret that tore them apart.

But there must always be an account… and the past has a habit of catching up to the present.

Now, recalled to the Retirement Bureau from which no one can retire, Fogg and Oblivion must face up to a past of terrible war and unacknowledged heroism — a life of dusty corridors and secret rooms, of furtive meetings and blood-stained fields — to answer one last, impossible question: What makes a hero?

Here’s the full-wrap image:

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THE VIOLENT CENTURY is published in the UK by Hodder, in the US by Thomas Dunne and in Japan by 東京創元社. It is also available in limited edition, published by PS Publishing.

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Here’s a small selection from the great reviews the novel has received so far…

‘A brilliantly etched phantasmagoric reconfiguring of that most sizzling of eras – the twilight 20th…  This book has it all:  time travel, political intrigue, hellacious history…  You’ve got superheroes in the guise of regular humans, you’ve got World War II… THE VIOLENT CENTURY is a torrid tour de force!’ James Ellroy

THE VIOLENT CENTURY is an excellent novel that demonstrates, once again, the impressive versatility of its author.’ Interzone

‘It’s hard, but not impossible as Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Mike Carey and others have shown, to create a morally complex, artistically ambitious story based on characters whose origins are not that far removed from the simplicity of Superman, Spiderman, and their ilk. Tidhar has succeeded brilliantly in this task. THE VIOLENT CENTURY is a masterful example of alternate universe science fiction and can only add to its author’s rapidly growing reputation.’ Los Angeles Review of Books

‘An original, engrossing fusion of noir-ish super-heroes and gritty espionage thriller… Tidhar has written a fantastic novel… Definitely recommended.’ Civilian Reader

‘The level of detail with which Tidhar fills his novel ensures that the events he is using as his setting feel convincing. Like Le Carre’s best novels, the world of espionage isn’t glamorous or exciting; it’s a grim, cold and lonely place. The author does a lot with a relatively minimalist style… it’s impressive how much ground Tidhar covers… As well as being a wonderfully drawn and detailed historical espionage tale, THE VIOLENT CENTURY is ultimately a very human story. It’s gripping, imaginative and, finally, moving.’ SciFi Now

THE VIOLENT CENTURY has everything to look for in a novel – a wonderfully crafted plot, strong realistic characters, an atmosphere that is unnervingly real – all written in a style that insists on the reader’s full attention… one of the best books I’ve ever read.’Fantasy Faction

‘Tidhar brings us a tale of individuals wrestling with questions of their nature, told on a grand scale, on the stage of the historical shifts that exist in living memory, and he does an outstanding job of it, weaving together historical fact with stunningly deceptive world building… Tidhar shows a deft hand with research… This is a dark, brooding book, one that you want to gnaw on, savour, slowly, and enjoy, but it has its light moments, too… He’s dealing with the grandest schemes on the largest of backdrops in time and place, and this level of awe-inspiring craft places him firmly within the highest tier of writers working today, no longer an emerging writer, but a master.’ British Fantasy Society

Lavie’s most recent novels are the critically-acclaimed CENTRAL STATION, published by Tachyon Publications; and the award-winning A MAN LIES DREAMING, published by Hodder (UK) and Melville House (US).

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


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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.

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