Archive for New Titles

Conjures up Venice so vividly you can almost smell it…

Jon Courtenay Grimwood‘s latest novel hits the shelves today, and marks a major change of genre for the critically acclaimed science fiction author.  The Fallen Blade is a meticulously researched and extremely compelling fantasy thriller, set in an alternate 15th century Venice – a city in the grip of corrupt politics, a decadent age, and under threat from a mysterious assassin… 

So far the consensus is that Jon definitely hasn’t lost his touch, and that this is not your average vampire novel!

‘A fantastic evocation of Renaissance Venice, both the atmosphere and architecture of the city, the beauty of the culture it gave birth to and the merciless, brutally violent and Machiavellian politics that ran alongside it … Grimwood has made [a] fusion of genre energy and literary depth his calling card.’ – Damien G. Walter, Guardian Online

‘Conjures up Venice so vividly you can almost smell it… Impressive, but not nearly so impressive as the way Grimwood draws Tycho, essentially a vampire teenager subject to fierce emotion because he doesn’t even realise yet that he craves blood.  He’s a figure both frightening and yet also, at different moments, pitiable and even downright noble…  Reinventing the Vampire myth. Never, ever let it be said that Jon Courtenay Grimwood lacks for ambition.’ – Jonathan Wright, SFX 

‘Sick to death of vampires?  Take heed, because Grimwood’s take on the subject is leagues away from your average fangbanger… The writing is elegant, the dialogue is sharp, the characters economically but well drawn, the action unrelenting, and the story moves – to pardon a phrase – like shit off a shovel…  Hits all the right notes.’  – Alastair Reynolds, SciFi Now

‘It’s too early to start dealing in hyperbole about fantasy books of the year, so let’s just say this one is a very good start.  It’s a novel you can gorge yourself on; a fast-paced, swashbuckling adventure of the old school, full of fire and brimstone thrills and rich flavours.  Yet, unlike many such page-turners, it doesn’t leave a bad aftertaste.  Rather, it leaves plenty to ponder… I’d recommend this book to anyone.’ – Sam Jordison, Salon Futura

Events

Signing at Forbidden Planet, London this evening (Thurs 3rd Feb) with Kate Griffin, 6pm

SFX Weekender – various panels and signing, Sat 5th Feb

Discussion event at the London School of Economics with Ken MacLeod, Thurs Sat 17th Feb

 

Shadowheart

With just 2 days to go until the official release date of Shadowheart (UK / ANZ), the final book in Tad Williams’ captivating Shadowmarch series, we thought we’d give you a little preview to whet your tastebuds. Read the prologue here!

Barrick Eddon, prince of Southmarch, is no longer entirely human. He has vowed to safeguard the legacy of the dark Qar race, and must now decide where his loyalties lie.

His twin sister Briony has a difficult choice of her own. Her father, King Olin, is held captive by the Autarch, a mad god-king who plans to use Olin’s blood to gain unlimited power. And the castle of Southmarch still remains in the possession of Hendon Tolly, Briony’s murderous relative. As time runs out, will Briony decide to save her father’s kingdom . . . or her father?

As the foretold Great Defeat draws near, history is stripped of its costume of lies. Poets and players, mortals and fairies, warriors and gods, all will have their roles to play as the fate of the known world hangs in the balance.

And don’t forget that Shadowrise (UK / ANZ) is also out now in paperback . . .

Kate Griffin and Jon Courtenay Grimwood at Forbidden Planet in London and SFX Weekender

 

Kate Griffin and Jon Courtenay Grimwood will both be signing at Forbidden Planet London on Thursday 3rd Feb to launch their new books: The Neon Court and The Fallen Blade.  Shaftesbury Avenue, 6-7pm.

They will also both be at the SFX Weekender in Camber Sands for panels on Saturday 5th Feb. Here’s their schedule:

11am: Main Void – Essential SF, fantasy and horror classics – with Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Joe Abercrombie, David Wingrove, Peter F Hamilton, Adrian Tchaicovsky and Kevin J Anderson.

11.45: Screening Zone – Dual Brittania: creating alternate Englands – with Kate Griffin, China Mieville, Al Ewing and Stephen Baxter.

12.30: Main Void – What’s next for TV vampires?  Pitching a new vampire show – with Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Toby Whithouse and Sarah Pinborough.

(Exact schedule and line-ups all subject to possible change)

THE DRAGON’S PATH: the Prologue

Now up at A Dribble of Ink — the prologue from what we are sure will be one of the major fantasy titles of the year, Daniel Abraham’s THE DRAGON’S PATH. The book itself will be on-sale April 7 but in the meantime, whet your appetite for the rest of this epic, unforgettable narrative. And don’t just take our word for it:

“Daniel Abraham gets better with every book” — George R.R.Martin

“Intricate, elegant, and almost hypnotically told — to call Daniel Abraham an exciting new author is to wildly understate the case” — Connie Willis

“Welcome to Daniel Abraham. If you are meeting him for the first time, I envy you: you are in for a remarkable journey” — Junot Diaz

Triple Honors for HULL ZERO THREE

Greg Bear’s HULL ZERO THREE is the talk of the web this morning.

First off, Paul DiFilippo at The Speculator at the Barnes & Noble Review, discussing the types of science fiction represented in 2010, selects HULL as exemplary of Hardcore SF, noting that “Greg Bear is one contemporary master of the old ways, and in Hull Zero Three he gives the generation starship theme—crystallized beautifully by Robert Heinlein in 1941’s ‘Universe’—a vigorous makeover.”

At NPR.org, Glen Weldon picks HULL as one of 2010’s Most Transporting Books, noting that “Bear is a pro who knows his way around a starship’s bulkhead and keeps the narrative taut and suspenseful. Importantly, he leavens his hero’s grim steel-and-space ordeal with flashes of lyrical language and imagery.”

And last but far from least, iTunes/iBooks has chosen HULL as one of its Best Science Fiction & Fantasy titles of the year.

Congratulations Greg! And if you haven’t yet read HULL ZERO THREE (or given it as a Holiday gift), well…

Vampires, Demons, and Forensic Necromancy

Amanda Downum’s debut novel, The Drowning City, came out last fall to stellar reviews. The blend of investigation, intrigue, and magic– all in a distinctly exotic fantasy setting really set it apart from the field and got people’s attention.

“THE DROWNING CITY is a compelling fantasy in a richly imagined setting dripping with visceral detail, building to a conclusion at once unexpected, appropriate and moving.” — Jacqueline Carey

“Like the worlds she imagines, the words of Amanda Downum are lyrical, persuasive, and evocative. If you read only one first novel this year, read this one. I promise it’s good.” — Elizabeth Bear

“Lush, evocative. Amanda Downum creates a richly realized, refreshingly Eastern world full of charms and spirits, espionage and intrigue and the wars of great powers fought by proxy.” — Brent Weeks

“Downum effectively combines action, magic, police procedure and political intrigue in this complex and striking debut.” — Publishers Weekly

Now, Amanda has outdone herself with the stunning sequel The Bone Palace. Isyllt Iskaldur returns home and must investigate a royal conspiracy. (more…)

THE WINDUP GIRL – unleashed today in print

We are very excited to announce that the print edition of The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi hits retailers in the UK today, fabulously garbed in it’s wonderful cover as seen in this spiral of windup-ness here …

We released the book in ebook form prior to the print edition, so those of you teched up with e-devices might already have had the pleasure, but it was very exciting to see the print edition enter the office still cold from the warehouse. Not sure what kind of preservation method they use on them there. You can get a FREE EXTRACT here, and in case this multiple award-winning book needs further introduction, here are just some of the highlights below:

Time Magazine named The Windup Girl as one of its ten best novels of the year

The book has also won five of 2010’s major international SF awards: the Hugo (as covered in the Guardian here), Nebula, Locus, Compton Crook Award and John W. Campbell Memorial Award

‘Bacigalupi is a worthy successor to William Gibson: this is cyberpunk without computers’ Time Magazine

‘Not since William Gibson’s pioneering cyberpunk classic, Neuromancer (1984), has a first novel excited science fiction readers as much’ The Washington Post

‘Heart-thudding action sequences, sordid sex, and enough technical speculation for two lesser novels’ Cory Doctorow

‘One of the finest SF novels of the year’ Publishers Weekly

‘It’s ridiculous how good this book is’ Techland

Praise for N.K. Jemisin’s THE BROKEN KINGDOMS

In the wake of her earlier novel, THE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS, being selected as one of the top five sf/f novels of 2010 by Publishers Weekly and by Amazon as one of the top ten best sf/f novels for this year as well, praise for N.K. Jemisin’s newest novel, THE BROKEN KINGDOMS is now spreading across the web.

Today Charlie Jane Anders at io9.com calls it “a thought-provoking, haunting story” and observes that when it comes to narrative “the key is just to tell a great, exciting, engaging story that keeps you turning pages long past your bedtime. And Jemisin has definitely done that here.”

And, meanwhile, at Explorations, the Barnes & Noble Book Club sf/f blog, Paul Goat Allen wraps his review by noting that “those readers who are drawn to storylines featuring strong, heroic female characters – looking for a beautifully written and highly intelligent series should make it a point to seek out and read [THE BROKEN KINGDOMS and THE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS]. These will be some of the very best fantasy novels you’ll read this year.”

We couldn’t agree more!

BATTLECRY – The Sten Omnibus

We couldn’t let November go by without mentioning Battlecry, the first Sten omnibus, and its awesome cover art by the very talented Paul Young. If you haven’t heard of the Sten series – why not? It’s a fast-paced military SF series from the late, great Chris Bunch and the author, screenwriter and award-winning journalist Allan Cole – and it’s sold over a million copies worldwide. If you like Heinlein and Halo, then hell! – this is for you.

Released this month and featuring the first three books from the series: Sten, Sten 2: The Wolf Worlds and Sten 3: The Court of a Thousand Suns, this is a chunky volume that gives you a whole lotta bang for your buck . . .

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