Archive for September, 2010
Month two of AR’s US Invasion rolls out
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At ease, meat creatures.
You know how we said “All your bookstores are belong to us”? Month two of the roll-out is now in progress, bringing more dark delights and robot-curated reading matter for your tired human brainstems. Look at those other feeble books, now back to ours. Now back at those others now back to ours. You see, all of these brilliant books could be yours.
All you have to do is embrace the twisted ambitions of your new Robot overlords next time you’re in a bookstore-slash-ordering files for that neato electronic book replacement-o-pad you just bought. Or click that link on the right for ePub editions right now.
In all unwary US and Canadian stores throughout October, you are so damn privileged to get…
KING MAKER by Maurice Broaddus – a wildly fantastical retelling of the King Arthur legends on the shattered streets of inner city America. This one already has them talking across the Twitterverse; better see what all the fuss is about, no?
Tim Waggoner‘s first Matt Richter novel, NEKROPOLIS – join the zombie detective and his half-vampire gal as they strive to stop the city of the dead from being taken apart bone by bone. Noir-tinged mystery that’s already had a starred review in the esteemed Publishers Weekly and rave notices pretty much everrrrrywhere.
EDGE is by that man Thomas Blackthorne, who as many will know is really arch-fiend John Meaney. A savage near-future thriller wherein the beleaguered British government have come up with a radical solution to soaring knife attacks, namely to legalize duelling with blades and put it on the telly. Yowch.
Steampunk brilliance in Lavie Tidhar‘s THE BOOKMAN – a thoroughly entertaining scientific romance from a subtly twisted Victorian world, where notions of fiction and fact are not confined to the pages of adventure novels. And a really cool lizard-alien space cannon.
And there’s more – ANGEL OF DEATH by J Robert King is the most twisted, most heart-stopping, most talked-about take on angels and their custodianship of mankind ever. Let’s just say that this one is taking his job title verrry seriously. And note that if you’re starting this one tonight, you’ll need to book tomorrow off work.
And more again, with the epic sweep of THE CROWN OF THE BLOOD by Gav Thorpe. Historically-tinged fantasy of mighty empires and mightier ambition, this is like the last days of the Roman Empire, with demons. A massive read, for massive times, with two more volumes to come.
So that’s October. Go buy them, devour them, become one with the Robot overmind. Because there are yet more coming in November. Resistance is useless.
Pretty Little Dead Things – first review
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Awesome title, awesome book. But what does the first reviewer think?
You will be seeing a lot more of Gary McMahon over the next few years… It takes a standard crime plot and applies a fine horror mentality to raise it above the norm.
The scenes in the otherworld are horrifically bleak and will stay with you for a long time… genre fans should rejoice that Gary McMahon has not sold out or dumbed down. His writing remains powerful, bleak, shocking… oh and brilliant.
Rating 4/5
Taken from The Black Abyss. Click here for the full review.
Pretty Little Dead Things is published in the UK on November 4th, and in the US and Canada on December 28th. The eBook will be available from November 4th.
Freebie Monday – Sixty-One Nails for your Kindle, and an audio sampler of Moxyland
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Now, this is a special deal!
We’ve teamed up with Amazon US to offer Kindle users the chance to get Mike Shevdon’s critically-acclaimed (and hugely entertaining) Sixty-One Nails for free! This offer only lasts today (Monday 27th September), so hurry! (Note: this offer is restricted to readers in the US).
Just look what people have said about this superb urban fantasy:
“Sixty-One Nails is Neverwhere for the next generation. The pacing is spot-on, the characters engaging, and the world fits together beautifully to create a London that ought to be. I stayed up too late finishing it.”
- C.E. Murphy“Mike Shevdon strikes sparks from the flinty core of English folklore, as a hero every reader can relate to finds he’s part of an incredible and scarily believable parallel realm. If you’ve been thinking urban fantasy has nothing fresh to offer, think again.”
— Juliet E. McKenna“Mike Shevdon in this first novel gave me just what I need: main characters that I feel for, care about and could get invested in. Thanks for something new, sir, that has renewed my faith in modern fantasy. Oh, and he adds in some real London history here and there, and that is a great thing too. I can’t wait for the next book.”
— Deadwood Reviews“Sixty One Nails is a novel I will remember for a very long time. 5*****”
— SF Book.com“Here is the very best of urban fantasy… A highly-believable page-turner of a quest.”
— Aurealis Magazine
Honestly – we could go on, but we’re pretty sure you’d rather go read the book.
And while you’re there, why not pick up a copy of the sequel, The Road to Bedlam – at the time of writing, Amazon have it on sale for the great price of just $3.99!
Here’re the links: Sixty-One Nails - The Road to Bedlam
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Here’s another treat for you – the fabulous Lauren Beukes has recorded a chapter from her debut novel, Moxyland for your listening pleasure.
Enjoy…
With thanks to Pete O’Donoghue for recording Lauren in crystal clarity (peteodonoghue@gmail.com).
Competition – Where on Earth is Aliette going?
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From Aliette de Bodard’s website:
So, as some of you might know, I’m leaving for my honeymoon in a bit more than two weeks. The catch is that the BF/H took the matter very much to heart, and that the destination itself is going to remain a complete surprise until the day we board the plane.
As some of you might also know, my first novel, the Aztec noir fantasy Servant of the Underworld, will be released in the US and Canada on October 26th, in a little more than a month. I’ve always said I was going to do a competition to celebrate the release, but I had no idea what it could be about.
Well, now I’ve got the perfect idea. Take a stab at where you think I might be headed, and get a chance to win a copy of Servant of the Underworld and awesome Aztec swag.
For full details of the prizes, and how to enter, head on over to AliettedeBodard.com.
Two absolutely stunning new Steampunk covers
Posted by: | Comments[CLICK IMAGE TO SEE LARGER.] Yesterday, the incomparable Jeff Vandermeer exclusively showcased our latest covers, at his Omnivoracious blog.
Today, we’re going to do the same. Here are the covers for two of our Spring 2011 titles, Morlock Night and Infernal Devices – classic steampunk from KW Jeter.
Both titles are published in the UK on April 7, 2011 and in the US and Canada on April 26, 2011.
Artwork by
John Coulthart.
Edge, Soul Stealers and Gary McMahon (that’s SF, Fantasy *and* Horror – we spoil you…)
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A nice mini-review of Edge by Thomas Blackthorne (aka John Meaney) at Aleksandra’s Corner:
I liked the characters & the storyline. I’m definitely looking forward to the sequel Point.
4.5 of 5
Edge is out in the US and Canada next Tuesday (28th). Wow! Are we already into another month? Time goes so quickly when you’re publishing books as great as this!
And what a review of Soul Stealers by Andy Remic (UK 7th Oct, US/Canada 26th Oct) over at Fantasy Book Critic:
Andy Remic has to be given credit for his unflinching style which is certainly not for everyone. The action and gore levels are increased , while the characters are all tested and reveal more about themselves… The action and snappy dialogue are all here. This book delivers exactly what its predecessor promised: the ability to bewitch the reader and to turn your expectations upside down.
Oh, yeah…
And for all you horror fans out there, here’s a great interview with Gary McMahon – author of the superb Pretty Little Dead Things (UK 4th Nov, US/Canada 28th Dec).
I’m very obsessive, especially when it comes to writing. I take only two things seriously in this life: the people I love and my writing. Everything else is bullshit. People are always telling me that I’m prolific, but to me it’s just a case of fitting in the writing whenever I can – and if that means hammering away at the keyboard during my lunch break at work and then again every fucking night into the small hours, then so be it. I mean, what’s the alternative? Not writing? Watching Reality TV or soap operas? No thanks; I love doing this, and it keeps me sane.
Source: Fatally-Yours.com
Steampunk Art, the SFX Sci-Fi Awards, and more!
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There’s a great interview with Aliette de Bodard at Examiner.com today.
I have a trunk, and it is full of stories that will probably never see the light of day. A lot of them are pretty much broken, to the point where they’d require a complete rewrite if they were to work. The poster child for those is my big fat epic fantasy novel, Phoenix Rising, which is full of embarrassing mistakes I don’t make any more, has a plot shot more full of holes than a colander, and characters who were always on the bad side of annoying.
And there’s a rather nice review of The Bookman by Lavie Tidhar over at FantasyLiterature.com:
In The Bookman, Tidhar has created a wonderfully clever world, relying either on a house full of Victorian-era books or a heavily stamped library card and late fees. Either way, many of Tidhar’s creations are fantastic, a standout being the simulacra of Lord Byron, a robot designed to recall the great Romantic poet. With a sigh he will admit that he doesn’t have the original Byron’s love of poetry.
SFX has opened the voting for the SFX SciFi Awards 2011, and one of the books listed in the Best Novel category is Zoo City by Lauren Beukes. SFX called her “irritatingly talented“, and Publishers Weekly said that Zoo City is “almost single-handedly pulling the ‘urban fantasy’ subgenre back to its groundbreaking roots”.
If you’re in the UK, you can pick up a copy at your local bookstore, or order it online. The eBook is also available from AngryRobotStore.com (and you can buy it wherever you are).
If you love it as much as SFX, Publishers Weekly and William Gibson, you can vote for it here. If you didn’t, well, you can’t have read it, yet. 
And finally (for now) BIG NEWS for those of you who love steampunk artwork. But you can’t read it here until tomorrow – so head on over to Jeff Vandermeer’s blog if you want to read it today.
Last Drink Bird Head Awards
Posted by: | CommentsThe finalists for the Last Drink Bird Head Awards have just been announced.
The purpose of the awards is to celebrate those in the genre community who enrich us with their time, energy, and words, for causes greater than themselves.
We’re absolutely delighted to announce that our very own Lavie Tidhar* is shortlisted for the International Activism Award. Along with many other fine folk, of course.
The winners will be announced at Capclave in Washington D.C. on the evening of Saturday, October 16.
The awards are named after the anthology Last Drink Bird Head from Ministry of Whimsy Press (an imprint of Wyrm Publishing). The proceeds from the anthology benefit the ProLiteracy charity. Contributors include Peter Straub, Ellen Kushner, Gene Wolfe, Tanith Lee, and over 60 others.
Click here to learn more about the awards, and for details of how to buy the anthology and support ProLiteracy.
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*OK, he’s not just ours – he belongs to admirers of great writing, everywhere.
Zoo City – Publishers Weekly Starred Review
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Zoo City UK Cover
Another great review for Lauren’s Zoo City. This time, from the mighty Publishers Weekly – and a Starred Review, no less! (That means it’s frickin’ awesome!)
Beukes delivers a thrill ride that gleefully merges narrative styles and tropes, almost single-handedly pulling the “urban fantasy” subgenre back towards its groundbreaking roots.
“single-handedly pulling the ‘urban fantasy’ subgenre back to its groundbreaking roots”
- You hear that, teen vampires? You hear THAT?
Zoo City is available in the UK now, and will be out in the US and Canada in January. The eBook is available now wherever you are.
Check out The Damned Busters cover
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[CLICK IMAGE TO SEE LARGER.] With all the new author news around here recently and prepping/raising alcohol tolerances for Fantasycon, we’ve had to keep this under wraps for a few weeks. Which has been a struggle, because this is so damn cute.
Yes, it’s the cover for Matthew Hughes‘ first Angry Robot novel, The Damned Busters. The artist is the wonderful Tom Gauld, who you may know for his great editorial cartoons in, for example, The Guardian newspaper’s book review section. He’s only done a few book covers, most recently for the US edition of the Neil Gaiman- and Al Sarrantonio-curated Stories anthology, but maybe we can change that.
And as you can see, the cover pretty much tells you the set-up of the novel. Mild-manned insurance actuary Chesney Arnstruther accidentally summons a demon, and by hook or by crook ends up with his heart’s desire – to be a superhero. But as we all know, it’s not always wise to get what one wishes for…
Complete with lovely Angry Robot logo, the book, volume one of the To Hell and Back series, will be in stores and for download May/June next year. The sequels will also have covers by Tom, because, well, he’s bloody great.
