Titan Books - Zeno Agency Ltd.

William Gibson & Daryl Gregory Nominated for Campbell Award

Posted on Thursday, May 21st, 2015

Zeno clients William Gibson and Daryl Gregory have been nominated as finalists for the 2015 Campbell Award! The Award will be given during the Campbell Awards and Conference, which will be held over June 11-14, 2015. The books nominated are:

William Gibson’s THE PERIPHERAL, which is published in the UK by Penguin. 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 from the great reviews THE PERIPHERAL has received…

‘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.’ 9/10* — Starburst

‘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

‘[A] slow-burning thriller, ambitiously structured on either side of an economic and ecological collapse… All of Gibson’s characters are intensely real, and Flynne is a clever, compelling, stereotype-defying, unhesitating protagonist who makes this novel a standout.’ — Publishers Weekly

Daryl Gregory’s AFTERPARTY, which is published in the UK by Titan Books. Here’s the synopsis…

A near-future science fiction crime story about murder, drugs, neuroscience, more drugs, and God. It’s Elmore Leonard and Philip K. Dick road-tripping down neural pathways, with Hunter S. Thompson howling in the back seat.

‘Numinous’ opens up a portal to God – or, at least, a convincing illusion of one. In a world where God is a drug, one woman has to get sober. Lyda Rose was one of the four neuroscientists who helped create Numinous, a breakthrough drug intended to treat schizophrenia. Since unwittingly overdosing on the drug, Lyda has been haunted by visions of an angel she calls Dr. Gloria. Treated in an asylum, Lyda has to remind herself that the doctor is merely a drug- induced manifestation of her own temporal lobe, but the angel is awfully hard to argue with. Afterparty follows Lyda’s investigation into a series of Numinous-like overdoses. It is also about the ways that our brains can fool us, often for our own benefit.

Along the way the book asks twenty-first century questions: If personality, sexual orientation, religious belief, and morality can be chemically twisted, what is the self? Does free will exist? And is sin even possible?

Gregory’s novels have always received plenty of rave reviews, and AFTERPARTY is no exception. Here are some examples…

‘Brilliantly deft writing… A road-trip revelation for a new generation.’ — SciFi Now (5* review)

‘This taut, brisk, gripping narrative, dazzlingly intercut with flashbacks and sidebars, oozes warmth and wit. A hugely entertaining, surprising and perhaps prophetic package that, without seeming to, raises profound questions about the human mind and the nature of perception.’ — Kirkus (Starred Review)

‘Daryl Gregory’s AFTERPARTY is a fantastic thrill ride, presenting an all-too-real future that upends our own world and replaces it with something far more strange. This is science fiction of the cutting edge, on par with stories such as William Gibson’sNeuromancer, McIntosh’s Soft Apocalypse and Orphan Black.’ — io9.com

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

Cover: THE EDGE OF DAWN by Melinda Snodgrass

Posted on Thursday, May 14th, 2015

Above is the UK cover for Melinda Snodgrass‘s THE EDGE OF DAWN. The third novel in the author’s Edge series, it is due to be published in the UK in August 2015 by Titan Books. Here’s the synopsis…

The final battle approaches for a band of modern paladins, fighting for the light of science and reason, and against an ancient supernatural army poised to destroy the world.

What do you do when the Earth is under assault from monstrous creatures by alternate dimensions and you’re the only person who can wield the weapon that can destroy them? That’s the situation facing Richard Oort, hero of the Edge novels.

Lonely and overwhelmed after a series of terrifying, catastrophic global and personal events, Richard is still determined to save the world from the horrific Old Ones. He goes undercover in a Christian fundamentalist compound, playing house with an attractive FBI agent. At first, this only serves to increase his loneliness, missing his real family, but against all odds discovers another unique human who can use the paladin’s weapon, one who might be able to join him and lighten the burden of responsibility. There’s only one problem — Mosi is a nine-year-old Navajo girl.

Their enemies are trying to kill both Richard and Mosi — and have already killed Mosi’s family. To keep her safe Richard becomes her guardian, but an error in judgement leads to disaster and betrayal, and now the odd pair will need to summon all their strength to survive the coming battle. From the American southwest to a secret society in Turkey, the paladin and his ward try to stay in front of their enemies, but the world is at stake — and time is running short.

Titan Books have also published the first two novels in the series, THE EDGE OF REASON and THE EDGE OF RUIN (covers below). The series is published in the US by Tor Books. Here’s just a small selection of the great reviews the series has received thus far…

‘If H.P. Lovecraft and H. L. Mencken had ever collaborated, they might have come up with something like THE EDGE OF REASON. This one will delight thinkers — and outrage true believers — of all stripes.’ — George R. R. Martin

‘Melinda melds science, urban fantasy and light philosophy to create a very absorbing tale…‘ — The Book Bag on THE EDGE OF REASON

‘Snodgrass pulls no punches with this one. It’s certain to ruffle some feathers, but readers who like a challenge will rejoice. It’s filled with some deep ideas that will spark discussion.’ — Bookgasm on THE EDGE OF REASON

‘Snodgrass strongly and convincingly highlights the danger of unreason…’ — Publishers Weekly on THE EDGE OF RUIN

‘Snodgrass has a thick, meaty writing style that will satisfy the hungriest reader… she deftly weaves [her characters’] stories together to bind the interest and excitement of the story. Events in this novel will challenge the beliefs and thought systems of many and leave readers questioning themselves – but in a highly satisfying manner.’ — RT Book Reviews on THE EDGE OF RUIN

Zeno represents Melinda Snodgrass in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of Kay McCauley at Aurous, Inc.

Charlie Human on the Real World Influences for APOCALYPSE NOW NOW

Posted on Tuesday, May 12th, 2015

Charlie Human‘s critically-acclaimed debut novel, APOCALYPSE NOW NOW, was recently published in the US by Titan Books. To celebrate, Charlie was invited by Boing Boing to write a piece about the novel, and he chose to write about the real world influences behind the novel…

In South Africa the spam is hand-delivered. Pamphlet-flickers (guys handing out flyers for sidewalk magicians that offer everything from debt-clearing to penis enlargement) try to outmaneuver me on my commute every morning.

Bouncing on their heels they weave from side to side to intercept passers-by with their haphazardly printed offerings. Love spells, exorcisms, magic money purses. Diagon Alley with a bit more aggression, a bit more style, a little less polish.

Make no mistake, there’s an incredibly dark side to it… There’s also a darkly comic side to this urban reality fantasy. Our tabloids are in on the game, spinning an epic serial of monsters and magic in their headlines every morning…

You can read the rest of the article here.

APOCALYPSE NOW NOW and its sequel, KILL BAXTER are published in the UK by Arrow, and in South Africa by Random Struik/Umuzi. Titan are also due to publish KILL BAXTER in the US, in November 2015. Here’s the synopsis for the first novel…

I LOVE THE SMELL OF PARALLEL DIMENSIONS IN THE MORNING

Baxter Zevcenko’s life is pretty sweet. As the 16-year-old kingpin of the Spider, his smut-peddling schoolyard syndicate, he’s making a name for himself as an up-and-coming entrepreneur. Profits are on the rise, the other gangs are staying out of his business, and he’s going out with Esme, the girl of his dreams.

But when Esme gets kidnapped, and all the clues point towards strange forces at work, things start to get seriously weird. The only man drunk enough to help is a bearded, booze-soaked, supernatural bounty hunter that goes by the name of Jackson ‘Jackie’ Ronin.

Plunged into the increasingly bizarre landscape of Cape Town’s supernatural underworld, Baxter and Ronin team up to save Esme. On a journey that takes them through the realms of impossibility, they must face every conceivable nightmare to get her back, including the odd brush with the Apocalypse.

Jack Campbell’s LEVIATHAN is out Tomorrow in the UK

Posted on Monday, May 4th, 2015

Jack Campbell‘s latest novel, LEVIATHAN, is out tomorrow in the UK. Published by Titan Books, it is the latest in his best-selling Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier series. Here’s the synopsis…

Two Syndicate World star systems have fallen prey to a mysterious fleet of warships — a fleet controlled entirely by artificial intelligence — that is now targeting Alliance space. The warships are no mystery to Geary. They were developed by his government to ensure security, but malfunctioned. If the Syndics learn the truth, the war with the Alliance will resume with a vengeance.

As the government attempts to conceal the existence of the A.I. warships — and its role in their creation — Geary pursues them, treading a fine line between mutiny and obedience. But it soon becomes clear that his fleet is no match for the firepower of the machine-piloted armada.

With the help of the Dancer species of aliens, Geary has tracked the A.I. ships to their secret base in the supposedly mythical Unity Alternate star system where his fleet, the last hope of the Alliance’s future, will end the conflict at any cost.

LEVIATHAN follows DREADNOUGHT, INVINCIBLE, GUARDIAN and STEADFAST in the series — all of which are also published in the UK by Titan Books — who also publish all of his other Lost Fleet novels, as well as the Stark’s War series and JAG in Space series.

Zeno represents Jack Campbell in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.

Out Tomorrow: DEADEYE by William C. Dietz

Posted on Thursday, April 30th, 2015

Tomorrow, the first novel in best-selling author William C. Dietz‘s new series will be published in the UK. DEADEYE is the first novel in the Mutant Files urban fantasy series, and it will be published by Titan Books. Here’s the synopsis…

Detective Cassandra Lee of Los Angeles’s Special Investigative Section has built a fierce reputation taking down some of the city’s most notorious criminals. But the serial cop killer known as Bonebreaker — who murdered Lee’s father — is still at large. Officially, she’s too personally involved to work on the Bonebreaker case. Unofficially, she’s going to hunt him to the ends of the earth.

In the meantime, duty calls when the daughter of Bishop Screed, head of the Church of Human Purity, is kidnapped by mutants and taken into the red zone to be used for breeding. Assigned to rescue her, Lee must trust her new partner — mutant lawman Deputy Ras Omo — to guide her not only through the unfamiliar territory but through the prejudicial divisions between mutants and norms…

Titan Books are also due to publish the second book in the series, REDZONE, on July 28th, 2015 (cover below). A third novel in the series, GRAVEYARD, is also in the works. Titan Books also published Dietz’s best-selling Legion of the Damned science fiction series.

Zeno represents William C. Dietz in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.

New Deal: Chaos Queen Audio rights sold to W. F. Howes

Posted on Wednesday, April 29th, 2015

Jodie Coles, Acquisitions Editor at W.F. Howes Ltd., has secured the UK and Commonwealth Audio rights to all five books in Christopher Husberg‘s Chaos Queen series. The deal was negotiated by John Wordsworth on behalf of Sam Morgan of the JABberwocky Literary Agency.

As reported here a little while ago, Titan Books acquired US and UK/Commonwealth rights, in separate deals, to this stunning epic fantasy series. DUSKFALL, the first book in the series and Chris’ debut novel, is due to be published in July 2016. Here’s a preliminary synopsis for the series…

Stuck with arrows and close to death, a man is pulled from the icy waters of the Gulf of Nahl. As he is nursed back to health by a local fisherman, two things become very clear: he has no idea who he is, and he can kill a man with terrifying ease.

The fisherman is a tiellan, a race which has long been oppressed and grown wary of humans. His daughter, Winter, is a seemingly quiet young woman, but behind her placid mask she has her demons. She is addicted to frostfire – a substance that both threatens to destroy her and simultaneously gives her phenomenal power.

A young priestess, Cinzia, hears the troubling news of an uprising in her native city of Navone. Absconding from the cloistered life that she has kept for the last seven years, she knows she must make the long journey home. The flames of rebellion threatening her church and all that she believes in are bad enough, but far worse is the knowledge that the heretic who sparked the fire is her own sister.

These three characters may have set out on different paths, but fate will bring them together on one thrilling and perilous adventure.

Zeno represents Christopher Husberg in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of Sam Morgan of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.

Out Now in the US: APOCALYPSE NOW NOW by Charlie Human

Posted on Tuesday, April 14th, 2015

The wait is finally over: today, Titan Books publish Charlie Human‘s debut, APOCALYPSE NOW NOW in the US. An incredibly well-received novel in the UK, here’s the synopsis…

I LOVE THE SMELL OF PARALLEL DIMENSIONS IN THE MORNING

Baxter Zevcenko’s life is pretty sweet. As the 16-year-old kingpin of the Spider, his smut-peddling schoolyard syndicate, he’s making a name for himself as an up-and-coming entrepreneur. Profits are on the rise, the other gangs are staying out of his business, and he’s going out with Esme, the girl of his dreams.

But when Esme gets kidnapped, and all the clues point towards strange forces at work, things start to get seriously weird. The only man drunk enough to help is a bearded, booze-soaked, supernatural bounty hunter that goes by the name of Jackson ‘Jackie’ Ronin.

Plunged into the increasingly bizarre landscape of Cape Town’s supernatural underworld, Baxter and Ronin team up to save Esme. On a journey that takes them through the realms of impossibility, they must face every conceivable nightmare to get her back, including the odd brush with the Apocalypse.

Here’s just a small handful of the veritable tsunami of praise APOCALYPSE NOW NOW received from reviewers and peers alike…

‘It’s mad, dark, irreverent and wonderfully twisted in all the right ways.’ — Lauren Beukes

‘Billed as a mash-up between Neil Gaiman and Quinton Tarantino, this debut novel by Charlie Human draws on his South African background and pours on a crazy, twisted narrative that is brilliantly entertaining.’ — British Science Fiction Association

The sequel, KILL BAXTER, is due to be published in the US by Titan Books, in November 2015. We’ll bring you more details closer to then. In the meantime, here’s the US cover…

Both APOCALYPSE NOW NOW and KILL BAXTER are published in the UK by Century/Arrow, and in South Africa by Umuzi/Random Struik. The first novel has also been published in translation in a number of countries (more to come). Here are the covers for APOCALYPSE NOW NOW, to date…

Coming Soon: DEAD EYE and RED ZONE by William C. Dietz

Posted on Monday, April 13th, 2015

Above you can see the cover for William C. Dietz‘s upcoming DEADEYE. The first in a new urban fantasy/crime series, the Mutant Files, it is due to be published in the UK by Titan Books, on April 30th, 2015. Here’s the synopsis…

Detective Cassandra Lee of Los Angeles’s Special Investigative Section has built a fierce reputation taking down some of the city’s most notorious criminals. But the serial cop killer known as Bonebreaker — who murdered Lee’s father — is still at large. Officially, she’s too personally involved to work on the Bonebreaker case. Unofficially, she’s going to hunt him to the ends of the earth.

In the meantime, duty calls when the daughter of Bishop Screed, head of the Church of Human Purity, is kidnapped by mutants and taken into the red zone to be used for breeding. Assigned to rescue her, Lee must trust her new partner — mutant lawman Deputy Ras Omo — to guide her not only through the unfamiliar territory but through the prejudicial divisions between mutants and norms…

The second novel in the series, REDZONE, is also due to be publishing by Titan Books, in July 2015. (The cover, right, is the US artwork, which is currently a place-holder on Titan’s website.) Here’s the synopsis for the second novel…

The year is 2065, almost thirty years since a bioterrorist attack decimated the population. The world has been divided, and new nations have formed. Those mutated from exposure inhabit the red zones, while “norms” live in the green zones.

In the nation of Pacifica, Los Angeles detective Cassandra Lee is in charge of investigating a disturbing case, tracking a cop killer dubbed the Bonebreaker. But strange new murders have occurred, falling outside the normal pattern and leaving Lee and her team wondering if the serial killer has become unpredictable—or if he’s no longer acting alone…

To make matters worse, Lee’s attention is diverted after she receives a letter from her long-lost mother. Now she must venture into the red zone, a lawless land where might makes right—and where the biggest danger may be her own family.

Dietz is also the author of the New York Times-bestselling Legion of the Damned military science fiction series. This six novels in the series, as well as three prequels, are also published in the UK by Titan Books.

Zeno represents William C. Dietz in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.

WARLOCK HOLMES sells to Titan Books

Posted on Monday, March 30th, 2015

UK & Commonwealth rights to WARLOCK HOLMES, the debut novel by American author Gabriel Denning, have sold to Titan Books, along with two further books in the same series.

The deal was negotiated by John Wordsworth at the Zeno Agency, on behalf of Sam Morgan at the JABberwocky Literary Agency. Titan has also acquired US rights to all three titles.

Titan are planning on publishing WARLOCK HOLMES in May 2016. Here’s the pitch:

Sherlock Holmes is an unparalleled genius who uses the gift of deduction and reason to solve the most vexing of crimes.

Warlock Holmes, however, is an idiot. A good man, perhaps; a font of arcane power, certainly. But he’s brilliantly dim. Frankly, he couldn’t deduce his way out of a paper bag.

The only things he really has going for him are the might of a thousand demons and his stalwart flatmate. Thankfully, Dr. Watson is always there to aid him through the treacherous shoals of Victorian propriety … and save him from a gruesome death every now and again.

Gabriel Denning was born and raised in Seattle. He has published articles for the popular games company Wizards of the Coast, worked as a editor, written a video-game script for Nintendo, and scripted and performed shows at the Epcot Center, Walt Disney World. He now lives in Las Vegas with his family. To connect with the author, be sure to follow him on Twitter.

Marie Brennan’s VOYAGE OF THE BASILISK Published Tomorrow in the UK

Posted on Thursday, March 26th, 2015

Tomorrow, Titan Books publish Marie Brennan‘s VOYAGE OF THE BASILISK. It is the third novel in the author’s Memoirs of Lady Trent series. Here’s the synopsis…

Devoted readers of Lady Trent’s earlier memoirs may believe themselves already acquainted with the particulars of her historic voyage aboard the Royal Survey Ship Basilisk, but the true story of that illuminating, harrowing, and scandalous journey has never been revealed—until now.

Six years after her perilous exploits in Eriga, Isabella embarks on her most ambitious expedition yet: a two-year trip around the world to study all manner of dragons in every place they might be found. From feathered serpents sunning themselves in the ruins of a fallen civilization to the mighty sea serpents of the tropics, these creatures are a source of both endless fascination and frequent peril. Accompanying her is not only her young son, Jake, but a chivalrous foreign archaeologist whose interests converge with Isabella’s in ways both professional and personal.

Science is, of course, the primary objective of the voyage, but Isabella’s life is rarely so simple. She must cope with storms, shipwrecks, intrigue, and warfare, even as she makes a discovery that offers a revolutionary new insight into the ancient history of dragons.

The Memoirs of Lady Trent include A NATURAL HISTORY OF DRAGONS and THE TROPIC OF SERPENTS, both published in the UK by Titan Books.

Zeno represents Marie Brennan in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.

Jack Campbell’s DREADNAUGHT is Tomorrow’s UK Kindle Deal

Posted on Wednesday, March 25th, 2015

Tomorrow, the first book in Jack Campbell‘s Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier series, DREADNAUGHT, will be the UK Kindle Daily Deal. A great jumping on point for the series, it is published in the UK by Titan Books. Here’s the synopsis…

Captain John “Black Jack” Geary woke from a century of survival hibernation to take command of the Alliance fleet in the final throes of its long and bitter conflict against the Syndicate Worlds. Now Fleet Admiral Geary’s victory has earned him the adoration of the people and enmity of politicians convinced that a living hero can be a very dangerous thing.

Geary is charged with command of the newly christened First Fleet. Its first mission: to probe deep into the territory of the mysterious alien race. Geary knows that members of the military high command and the government fear his staging a coup, so he can’t help but wonder if the fleet is being deliberately sent to the far side of space on a suicide mission.

The Beyond the Frontier series also includes INVINCIBLE, GUARDIAN, STEADFAST and LEVIATHAN – all published in the UK by Titan and available now. Campbell is also the author of the Lost Fleet series (currently six books), the Lost Fleet: Lost Stars series (currently three novels), the JAG in Space series (four novels) and Stark’s War series (three novels). All of Jack’s novels are published in the UK by Titan Books.

Zeno represents Jack Campbell in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.

Free on iTunes: A TASTE OF BLOOD WINE by Freda Warrington

Posted on Monday, March 23rd, 2015

The first book in Freda Warrington‘s critically-acclaimed Blood Wine series is currently free on iTunes in the UK! Published by Titan Books in the UK (and US), A TASTE OF BLOOD WINE is a classic of the modern vampire genre. Here’s the synopsis…

1918. A First World War battlefield becomes the cosmic battleground for two vampires, as Karl von Wultendorf struggles to free himself from his domineering maker, Kristian.

1923. Charlotte Neville watches as her father, a Cambridge professor, fills Parkland Hall with guests for her sister Madeleine’s 18th birthday party. Among them is his handsome new research assistant Karl – the man Madeleine has instantly decided will be her husband. Charlotte, shy and retiring, is happy to devote her life to her father and her dull fiance Henry – until she sees Karl …

For Charlotte, it is the beginning of a deadly obsession that sunders her from her sisters, her father and even her dearest friend. As their feverish passion grows, Karl faces the dilemma he fears the most. Only by deserting Charlotte can his passion for her blood be conquered. Only by betraying her can he protect her from the terrifying attentions of Kristian – for Kristian has decided to teach Karl a lesson in power, by devouring Charlotte.

The promotion will last until April 1st, 2015. Here’s just a sample of the great reviews A TASTE OF BLOOD WINE has received…

‘A really, really splendid read… not to be missed.’ — Starburst

‘Not merely one of the finest fantasy novels of recent years, but one of the finest ever. Should not be missed.’ — Interzone

‘… this delicious tale of love, lust and a passionate affair that stretches beyond the grave, is truly delightful… There’s so much here to love… the writing is gorgeous, by turns haunting, lucid, and all-round beautiful… This first instalment is eminently readable, absorbing, and all-round brilliant, a lovely piece of work, and definitely a must-have whether or not you’re a fan of vampires. It’s a book for fiction-lovers and anyone that claims to appreciate the written word, I think. And I for one am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.’ — British Fantasy Society

‘A tale which throbs with lush romanticism.’ — The Times

The fourth novel in the series, THE DARK ARTS OF BLOOD, is due to be published by Titan Books on May 29th, 2015 in the UK and US.

Charlie Human’s APOCALYPSE NOW NOW Arrives Tomorrow in Japan

Posted on Friday, March 20th, 2015

Tomorrow, Charlie Human‘s mind-bending, gonzo debut urban fantasy novel, APOCALYPSE NOW NOW, is released in Japan. Published by Tokyo Sogensha as 鋼鉄の黙示録, here’s the Japanese synopsis, followed by the English-language synopsis…

ケープタウンに住む高校生のバクスターは失踪した恋人を探すうちに、超常現象専門の賞金稼ぎローニンと出会う。どうやら恋人は、この街に実在する異形の怪物たちにさらわれたらしい。しかも事件にはバクスターの血筋に連なる異能者や、政府の秘密諜報機関までもが関わっているという。調査を進めるバクスターたちの行く先々で、銃弾と呪術が乱れ飛び、ゾンビやロボットが大暴れ……　イギリスＳＦ界を騒然とさせたデビュー作！

I love the smell of parallel dimensions in the morning…

Baxter Zevcenko’s life is pretty sweet. As the 16-year-old kingpin of the Spider, his smut-peddling schoolyard syndicate, he’s making a name for himself as an up-and-coming entrepreneur. Profits are on the rise, the other gangs are staying out of his business, and he’s going out with Esme, the girl of his dreams.

But when Esme gets kidnapped, and all the clues point towards strange forces at work, things start to get seriously weird. The only man drunk enough to help is a bearded, booze-soaked, supernatural bounty hunter that goes by the name of Jackson ‘Jackie’ Ronin.

Plunged into the increasingly bizarre landscape of Cape Town’s supernatural underworld, Baxter and Ronin team up to save Esme. On a journey that takes them through the realms of impossibility, they must face every conceivable nightmare to get her back, including the odd brush with the Apocalypse.

APOCALYPSE NOW NOW is published in the UK by Century Books; South Africa by Umuzi/Random Struik; and is due to be published in the US by Titan Books soon (cover reveal next week). The sequel, KILL BAXTER, is also published or due to be published by the same publishers.

Here’s just a small selection of the incredible reviews APOCALYPSE NOW NOW has received…

‘It’s mad, dark, irreverent and wonderfully twisted in all the right ways.’ — Lauren Beukes, author of The Shining Girls

‘Brilliantly entertaining.’ — British Fantasy Society

‘… a riot – a firebomb of a novel, exploding with sick humour, violence and depravity… it’s never less than very funny, and the ongoing question of Baxter’s sanity adds a degree of mystery. There’s warmth here, too – you’ll likely feel sympathy for Bax by the end.’ — SFX Magazine

‘Think Lauren Beukes meets Neil Gaiman, with bounty hunters.’ — Wired (UK)

Christopher Husberg’s DUSKFALL Sells to Titan Books in UK

Posted on Tuesday, March 17th, 2015

Miranda Jewess, editor at Titan Books, has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to Christopher Husberg‘s five-book Chaos Queen series.

The deal was negotiated by John Wordsworth at the Zeno Agency, on behalf of Sam Morgan at the JABberwocky Literary Agency. Titan has also acquired US rights.

The books in series are provisionally titled DUSKFALL, DARK IMMOLATION, HEART’S NIGHT, FEAR THE STARS and DAWNRISE. Titan are planning on publishing DUSKFALL in both territories in June 2016. Here’s a preliminary synopsis…

Stuck with arrows and close to death, a man is pulled from the icy waters of the Gulf of Nahl. As he is nursed back to health by a local fisherman, two things become very clear: he has no idea who he is, and he can kill a man with terrifying ease.

The fisherman is a tiellan, a race which has long been oppressed and grown wary of humans. His daughter, Winter, is a seemingly quiet young woman, but behind her placid mask she has her demons. She is addicted to frostfire – a substance that both threatens to destroy her and simultaneously gives her phenomenal power.

A young priestess, Cinzia, hears the troubling news of an uprising in her native city of Navone. Absconding from the cloistered life that she has kept for the last seven years, she knows she must make the long journey home. The flames of rebellion threatening her church and all that she believes in are bad enough, but far worse is the knowledge that the heretic who sparked the fire is her own sister.

These three characters may have set out on different paths, but fate will bring them together on one thrilling and perilous adventure.

Chris is a graduate of Brigham Young University’s Creative Writing programme. His short story collection Look Me in the Stars received an honourable mention in the 2013 Utah Original Writing Competition. DUSKFALL is his first novel. A punchy and confident epic fantasy, DUSKFALL combines the plot-weaving of Peter V. Brett‘s THE PAINTED MAN, and the energy of Robin Hobb’s Farseer novels to create a truly memorable debut novel.

For more on Chris’s novels and writing, take a look at Chris’ blog (where we found the banner, below) and follow him on Twitter.

Zeno represents Chris Husberg in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.

Zeno Clients Well-Represented on Locus Magazine’s 2014 Recommended Reading List

Posted on Tuesday, February 3rd, 2015

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In the February 2015 issue of Locus Magazine, and also online, the editors have published their extensive 2014 Recommended Reading list and a good number of our clients are recommended in the various categories. Congratulations to all those listed…

Novels (SF): THE PERIPHERAL by William Gibson (Viking) and AFTERPARTY by Daryl Gregory (Titan)

Novels (Fantasy): A MAN LIES DREAMING by Lavie Tidhar (Hodder)

Novels (YA): EMPRESS OF THE SUN by Ian McDonald (Jo Fletcher Books)

Novellas: THE ADVENTURE OF THE RING OF STONES by James P. Blaylock (Subterranean), KUR-A-LEN by Lavie Tidhar (Black Gods Kiss)

Novelettes: MEMORIALS by Aliette de Bodard (Asimov’s 1/14), THE FIFTH DRAGON by Ian McDonald (Reach for Infinity), ON SKYBOLT MOUNTAIN by Justina Robson (Fearsome Magics)

Short Stories: THE DAYS OF THE WAR, AS RED AS BLOOD, AS DARK AS BILE (Subterranean Spring ’14) and THE DUST QUEEN by Aliette de Bodard (Reach for Infinity), VLADIMIR CHONG CHOOSES TO DIE by Lavie Tidhar (Analog 9/14)

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