Archive for Fiction

Cover launch: OUTER EARTH by Rob Boffard

Welcome to Outer Earth: a vivid, dangerous world where every day is a desperate struggle for survival . . . 

. . . and one wrong move could spell the end for humanity.


OUTER EARTH - a science fiction adventure from Rob Boffard

We’re very proud to present  the cover for OUTER EARTH (UK | US | ANZ), a thrilling science fiction adventure from Rob Boffard.

Outer Earth is a huge space station orbiting the ruins of our planet. Dirty, overcrowded and inescapable, it’s humanity’s last refuge . . . and possibly its final resting place. There are dark forces at work on the station who are seeking to unleash chaos. And if they succeed, there will be nowhere left to run.

This new edition of the OUTER EARTH series contains three adrenaline-fuelled novels: Tracer, Zero-G and Impact. It’s the kind of gripping story which will get a whole range of SF and space opera readers hooked, and it’s already received some very impressive praise:

‘Fast, exhilarating and unforgettable, and once you start it you can’t stop’ Sarah Lotz, author of The Three

‘Sets a new standard for all-action SF’ Ken MacLeod

‘Relentlessly fast pace . . . Vivid action scenes’ SFX

‘Exhilarating and guaranteed to keep you hooked until the very last page’ Glamour

‘If you’re after a fast-paced, action-packed, cinematic space adventure, then [this] is absolutely for you’ Civilian Reader

OUTER EARTH (UK | US | ANZ) will be entering our orbit in February 2018.

And in the meantime, we also have some very exciting news about Rob Boffard: I’m delighted to say we’ve acquired three new books from him!  The first book will be called ADRIFT and will be releasing in June 2018.

Set in the far reaches of space, ADRIFT is about a group of tourists who board a small vessel for a trip around Sigma Station – a remote space mining facility and luxury hotel. But when a mysterious ship attacks the station with devastating consequences, the tourists end up stranded in the depths of space, out of contact with civilisation and with no way home . . .

This is such a dramatic, original SF adventure and we can’t wait to tell you more . . . Stay tuned for details!

Cover launch: A PLAGUE OF GIANTS by Kevin Hearne

This October, an invasion is coming.

From the east will come the Bone Giants. And from the south, the fire-wielding Hathrim . . .

A Plague of Giants, a new epic fantasy from Kevin Hearne, author of the Iron Druid Chronicles

Check out our UK cover for A PLAGUE OF GIANTS (UK| ANZ), a colossal new epic fantasy from the New York Times bestselling Kevin Hearne.

You can expect truly great things from this fantasy adventure. Think shape-shifting bards, astonishing beasts and monstrous giants . . .

Kevin is an exceptional storyteller. If you’ve read his bestselling Iron Druid Chronicles, you’ll already know what an original, absorbing and exciting writer he is.

But this entirely new world called the Seven Kennings feels so fresh and is on such an epic scale, fans old and new are about to be wowed.

Readers of Anthony Ryan, Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology, Peter V. Brett’s Demon Cycle and Markus Heitz’s Dwarves series: you might just have found your new favourite author here.

But don’t just take my word for it – listen to these guys:

‘This isn’t just a breath of fresh air for the genre, it’s a damned hurricane’
Jason M. Hough, New York Times bestselling author

‘Absorbing epic fantasy, with clever storytelling that allows its many threads to each feel important, personal, and memorable’ James Islington, author of The Shadow of What Was Lost

‘Human-facing, optimistic, a much-needed reimagining of what epic fantasy can be’ Chuck Wendig

‘A rare masterpiece that’s both current and timeless . . . merging the fantasy bones of Tolkien and Rothfuss with a wide cast of characters who’ll break your heart’
Delilah S. Dawson

A PLAGUE OF GIANTS (UK| ANZ) is available for pre-order now.

THE END OF THE DAY – ‘poignant and cathartic and deeply meaningful’

Rarely have we seen such moving, heartfelt and extraordinary reader reviews as we have done for THE END OF THE DAY (UK|US|ANZ) by Claire North. We wanted to share a few of them with you here:

“It jerked me about and sat on me and beat me up . . . Clear, wide-ranging, brilliant, and glorious to behold.”

“I found it poignant and cathartic and deeply meaningful

“Ten Stars. Incredible and extraordinary, a masterpiece.”

“It confused me, scared me, made me teary, made me laugh, and made me think. I loved it.”

“I found myself with tears in my eyes

A book to sink into and leave the world behind”

 “Overall just total total magic. Magic on the page”

 “I feel honoured to have had the chance to read this book. I will surely return to it again, and again in the future.”

“This book is plainly beautiful. Mind-blowingly amazing. Wonderful. Emotional. Moving. It’s a deep dive into one’s conscious and it makes you think. About everything. About death, and about life. About people, and humanity. It opens up your eyes and makes you see

“This is sublime, beautifully affecting fiction . . . Read this book as soon as soon as is humanly possible. You can thank me later”

My favorite book of 2017 so far. Read it your first opportunity. You won’t be disappointed”

THE END OF THE DAY (UK|US|ANZ)  is out now in paperback.

If you’re in London today, you can hear Claire speaking about the book at this event at Blackwells.

Cover Launch: BLACKFISH CITY by Sam J. Miller

We’re thrilled to reveal the cover for BLACKFISH CITY by Sam J. Miller, courtesy of Little, Brown’s very own designer, Ellen Rockell. Feast your eyes on this beauty:

Blackfish City

 

Publishing in April 2018, BLACKFISH CITY is a mesmerising, fearlessly imagined novel from an exciting new voice in science fiction.

After the climate wars, a floating city was constructed in the Arctic Circle. Once a remarkable feat of mechanical and social engineering, it has started to crumble under the weight of its own decay – crime and corruption have set in, a terrible new disease is coursing untreated through the population, and the contradictions of incredible wealth alongside deepest poverty are spawning unrest.

Into this turmoil comes a strange new visitor – a woman accompanied by an orca and a chained polar bear. She disappears into the crowds looking for someone she lost thirty years ago, followed by whispers of a vanished people who could bond with animals. Her arrival draws together four people and sparks a chain of events that will lead to unprecedented acts of resistance.

Blackfish City is an exhilarating tour of a post-catastrophe future that’s both fantastical and eerily convincing . . . A saltwater-splashed refuge for misfits and cutthroats, teeming with mystery and intrigue, Blackfish City is a place you might never want to live in – but as a reader, you won’t want to leave’
Adam Sternbergh, author of The Blinds

‘Miller gives us an incisive and beautifully written story of love, revenge, and the power (and failure) of family in a scarily plausible future. Blackfish City simmers with menace and heartache, suspense and wonder.’
Ann Leckie, New York Times bestselling author and winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Clarke Awards

 

Sam J. Miller is a writer and a community organizer. His debut novel The Art of Starving, was called ‘Funny, haunting, beautiful, relentless and powerful . . . a classic in the making’ by Book Riot, and received starred reviews from Kirkus, Booklist and Publisher’s Weekly. His stories have been nominated for the Nebula, World Fantasy and Theodore Sturgeon Awards and have appeared in over a dozen ‘year’s best’ anthologies. He’s a graduate of the Clarion Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Workshop, and a winner of the Shirley Jackson Award. He lives in New York City.

Meet Greta Helsing, doctor to the undead . . .

There’s a new fantasy character in town and it’s time for you to meet her!

Dr Greta Helsing is a talented and well-respected physician with a highly specialised – and highly peculiar – medical practice in London’s Harley Street.

If the name sounds familiar, that’s because Greta is a descendent of the vampire hunter Professor Abraham Van Helsing. Luckily for her, family relations with the undead have improved since the nineteenth century and Greta now spends her days carrying on her father’s legacy by treating London’s supernatural community for a host of ills, such as vocal strain in banshees, arthritis in barrow-wights and entropy in mummies.

We managed to grab a few minutes with the busy doctor for a quick interview. You can read it here.

Greta Helsing

 

If you want to find out more about Greta’s adventures in medicine and  mystery, STRANGE PRACTICE (US/UK/ANZ) is hitting shops next week! You can read the first chapter here.

Strange Practice

‘A darkly delicious adventure featuring a quirky new heroine. Strange Practice breathes new life into the undead’ James Bennett, author of Chasing Embers

Greta is a refreshing urban fantasy heroine, strong and smart and utterly normal, despite her chosen profession.’ Booklist

Strange Practice surprises and delights . . . But the greatest elements of the book are the characters. They shine’ Bookbag

An excellent adventure’ Fran Wilde

‘What a splendid adventure this is – Dr Greta Helsing is a brilliant character’ Espresso Coco

‘An exceptional and delightful debut’ Elizabeth Bear

‘Readers will look forward to more of Greta’s adventures. An imaginative, delightfully droll debut’ Kirkus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The end of Shannara has begun…THE BLACK ELFSTONE is out now

The release of THE BLACK ELFSTONE (UKANZ) marks an important moment in the fantasy calendar, and for millions of fans around the world, it’s a bittersweet occasion.

It was in 1977 that Terry Brooks released what was to become one of modern fantasy’s most popular novels ever, The Sword of Shannara. It kick-started a fantasy phenomenon which has lasted for 40 years and over 28 novels, and today Terry’s Shannara books are still as popular as ever. He is lauded as one of the true masters of modern fantasy, with bestselling authors such as Brent Weeks, Patrick Rothfuss, Philip Pullman, Christopher Paolini and Peter V. Brett all citing him as a powerful influence on their writing and the genre as a whole.

And now with THE BLACK ELFSTONE – the first book in the Fall of Shannara series – it is with both excitement and sadness that fans will see Terry start to bring the world to a conclusion.

In an interview with UNBOUND WORLDS, Terry had this to say:

“This four book set is intended to give readers new and old, but especially those who have stayed with me all these years, one last look at the Four Lands and a cast of characters who will write the final story to how things turn out in my lifetime, anyway, for this world. It does not tie up all the loose ends nor does it answer all questions. But it does look forward, it does hearken back, and it does spin one last tale of characters that will hopefully resonate with readers. Much of what you will read will remind you of things that happened in early books and of what I think were my strengths in writing epic fantasy for 50 years”

You can read the rest of the interview here, and THE BLACK ELFSTONE (UKANZ) is available in all good bookshops now.

New series alert! THE ETERNITY WAR by Jamie Sawyer

Conspiracy, terrorism and traitors.

Humanity is facing its greatest threat.

This is THE ETERNITY WAR.

Pariah, book one of THE ETERNITY WAR by science fiction author Jamie Sawyer

Presenting a new series from the rising SF talent, Jamie Sawyer: this is THE ETERNITY WAR.

Jamie is coming to be known for his visceral action scenes and the relentless pace of his storytelling – and this series has more excitement that you can shake a very dangerous plasma weapon at.

Think brutal deep-space battles. Deadly alien biomechs. A conspiracy threatening humanity. And a team of elite super-soldiers who are no strangers to death. But Lieutenant Jenkins and her team still have a lot to learn . . .

Jamie’s previous series THE LAZARUS WAR has earned high praise from the likes of Michael Cobley, Neal Asher, Jack Campbell and many others – and fans of the series will be pleased to hear that this new trilogy is set in the same world.

THE ETERNITY WAR is also a great jumping-off point for brand new readers, so if you enjoy the space opera of James S. A. Corey and Peter F. Hamilton – or military science fiction of any kind – this is a series you should check out.

Check out the blurb below for book one, PARIAH (UK | US | ANZ), coming in September and available for pre-order now.

 

The soldiers of the Simulant Operations Programme are mankind’s elite warriors. Veterans of a thousand battles across a hundred worlds, they undertake suicidal missions to protect humanity from the insidious Krell Empire and the mysterious machine race known as the Shard.

Lieutenant Keira Jenkins is an experienced simulant operative and leader of the Jackals, a team of raw recruits keen to taste battle. They soon get their chance when the Black Spiral terrorist network seizes control of a space station.

Yet no amount of training could have prepared the Jackals for the deadly conspiracy they soon find themselves drawn into – a conspiracy that is set to spark a furious new war across the galaxy.

Visit Jamie Sawyer’s website: jamiesawyer.com . Follow Jamie Sawyer on Twitter: @JSawyerAuthor

Cover launch: SUCCESSOR’S PROMISE by Trudi Canavan

If you’re already a fan of Trudi Canavan, then you’ll know what kind of a thrill ride you can expect from her latest series, Millennium’s Rule. Judging from the awesome reader reviews, fantasy fans around the world have been enthralled by the first two books in the series THIEF’S MAGIC and ANGEL OF STORMS.

And now the time is here to unveil the cover for the third book, SUCCESSOR’S PROMISE.

Successor's promise by Trudi Canavan, book 3 of Millennium's Rule

This dramatic third novel is set in a time of chaos. Worlds are at war, torn apart by deadly machines and power-hungry sorcerers. And the loyalties of Rielle and Tyen will be tested to their limits. Trust us fantasy fans – you do not want to miss this one. Look out for this thrilling new novel in September 2017.

Pre-order SUCCESSOR’S PROMISE now

Cover Launch: BOUND by Benedict Jacka

Everyone’s favourite probability mage, Alex Verus, returns in April with the publication of BOUND – the eighth book in this thrilling urban fantasy series.

We’re excited to present the cover for your viewing pleasure, beautifully designed by Ceara Elliot.

bound2-2

Read on for a taste of what’s in store:

Alex Verus can see the future. But he never thought he’d see this day.

Manoeuvred by forces beyond his control, the probability mage has made a terrible choice: he’s agreed to work for his old master once more. Richard Drakh, the sadistic dark mage Alex escaped as an apprentice, has him in his clutches again. And this time, he won’t let go so easily.

Urban Fantasy at its best - the Alex Verus series by Benedict Jacka

 

Cover launch: ROMEO AND/OR JULIET, by RYAN NORTH

We’re very excited to present the UK cover for ROMEO AND/OR JULIET, a ludicrously funny and irreverent take on Romeo and Juliet from the creator of Dinosaur Comics.

What if Romeo never met Juliet? What if Juliet got really buff instead of moping around the castle all day? What if they teamed up to take over Verona with robot suits?

Ryan North

In this New York Times bestselling version of Romeo and Juliet, you get to choose where the story goes. Packed with exciting choices, fun puzzles, secret surprises, terrible puns and more than a billion possible storylines, ROMEO AND/OR JULIET offers a new experience every time you read it. And, as an added bonus, all the different endings feature beautiful and quirky illustrations by some of the best artists working today, including New York Times bestsellers Kate Beaton, Noelle Stevenson, Randall Munroe and Jon Klassen.

‘Ryan North is the only writer I know who’s smart enough and funny enough to pull this off’  Lev Grossman, New York Times bestselling author of the Magicians trilogy

‘[A] ridiculously fun book . . . It is as hilarious and funny and strange as you would imagine . . . fantastic’  BookRiot

‘Written with the finest distilled charm and genuine enthusiasm. Entertaining and extremely satisfying’  Kate Beaton, New York Times bestselling author of HARK! A VAGRANT

 

Illustrations by Noelle Stevenson
Design by Ryan North