Locus 2024 Recommended Reading List

Feb 142025
 

We are ecstatic to see so many of our DMLA authors and titles on the Locus Recommended Reading List for 2024! Congratulations to all our authors for being named in the following categories:

Novels – Science Fiction

Rakesfall, Vajra Chandrasekera (Tordotcom)
Exordia, Seth Dickinson (Tordotcom)
Remember You Will Die, Eden Robins (Sourcebooks Landmark)

Novels – Fantasy

The Tainted Cup, Robert Jackson Bennett (Del Rey; Hodderscape UK)
Metal from Heaven, August Clarke (Erewhon)
The Nightward, R.S.A. Garcia (Harper Voyager US)
Asunder, Kerstin Hall (Tordotcom)
The Tapestry of Time, Kate Heartfield (Harper Voyager UK)
Blackheart Man, Nalo Hopkinson (Saga)
The Siege of Burning Grass, Premee Mohamed (Solaris UK)

Novels – Horror

Small Town Horror, Ronald Malfi (Titan UK)

Young Adult Novels

The Feast Makers, H.A. Clarke (Erewhon)
Sheine Lende, Darcie Little Badger (Levine Querido)

Collections

Jamaica Ginger and Other Concoctions, Nalo Hopkinson (Tachyon)

Novellas

The Butcher of the Forest, Premee Mohamed (Tordotcom)
Countess, Suzan Palumbo (ECW)

Novelettes

‘‘A Stranger Knocks’’, Tananarive Due (Uncanny 9-10/24)
‘‘By Salt, By Sea, By Light of Stars’’, Premee Mohamed (Strange Horizons 6/9/24)

Short Stories

‘‘The Night Birds’’, Premee Mohamed (Northern Nights)

British Science Fiction Association Awards – Longlist!

Feb 132025
 

We love celebrating our authors! Check out the list of DMLA titles that have made the BSFA Awards Longlist for 2025!

Best Novel:

  • The Tapestry of Time, Kate Heartfield, Harpercollins
  • Rakesfall, Vajra Chandrasekera, Tordotcom
  • The Siege of Burning Grass, Premee Mohammed, Solaris
  • Asunder, Kerstin Hall, Tordotcom
  • The Nightward, R. S. A. Garcia, Harpercollins UK

Best Shorter Fiction:

  • The Limner Wrings his Hands,  Vajra Chandrasekera,  Deep Dream: Science Fiction Exploring the Future of Art (MIT Press)
  • Countess, Suzan Palumbo, ECW Press
  • The Rider, The Ride, The Rich Man’s Wife, Premee Mohammed, PS Publishing
  • The Butcher of the Forest, Premee Mohammed, Tordotcom

Best Fiction for Younger Readers:

  • Benny Ramirez and the Nearly Departed, Jose Pablo Iriarte, Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

Review: ALL THE NOISE AT ONCE by Deandra Davis

Feb 122025
 

Kirkus: An autistic Black teen in Florida battles on and off the field to define his own destiny and come to his brother’s aid. Sixteen-year-old Aiden Wright wants to play football with his older brother during their last school year together before Brandon goes to college. But sensory stress during Aiden’s team tryout leads to a meltdown, and he’s only invited to play when two other athletes leave. Meanwhile, Aiden is placed in a life skills class that’s typically reserved for kids who have challenges. There he’s partnered for a project involving getting a part-time job with friendly new girl Isabella, who got in trouble at her old school. When a teammate who’s long been cruel to Aiden because of his autism instigates a fight that escalates, Aiden becomes a victim of police violence. Brandon intervenes, trying to protect him, and is arrested and charged with assaulting an officer. Now Aiden battles complicated team dynamics while he tries to get Brandon exonerated. Aiden is a nuanced character with a well-developed inner life. The brothers’ realistically drawn relationship is both flawed and vulnerable, showing the different facets of their personalities. The coaches and about half the football players are white, and the Wrights live in a wealthy, predominantly white area of town; Davis’ debut explores the intersections of race and socioeconomic differences. An atmospheric gridiron tale that highlights the complexities of team sports, friendship, and bias.

Review: OUT OF AIR by Rachel Reiss

Feb 102025
 

Kirkus: A group of scuba-diving friends from the Florida Keys go on an adventure after high school graduation—but it may be their last. Phoebe “Phibs” Ray is a natural underwater. Her instincts have led her not only to befriend the Salt Squad, her crew of dive shop pals, but also to discover historic gold coins. The Salt Squad—Phibs, Lani, Isabel, Gabe, and Gabe’s twin, Will—have gone viral on social media thanks to Phibs’ find and her photos and videos of their dives. Over this last summer before they embark on different paths, the teens decide to go to Australia. Phibs, who knows nothing about her father and whose mother abandoned her, lives with her grandmother, and unlike her rich, college-bound friends, she isn’t excited about her future: staying home and caring for Gram. But she’s looking forward to this trip to a remote atoll off the coast of Western Australia, not least because she’ll get to spend time with dark-skinned Gabe, her crush (most other characters present white). Their destination is also the subject of gruesome, creepy stories about a mysterious, treasure-filled cave. Alternating timelines slowly and effectively reveal the Salt Squad’s shared secret and the truth about Phibs’ past. Phibs is a compellingly strong, nuanced lead, and her romantic scenes with Gabe are steamy. The book, which delves into environmental themes, ultimately reaches a conclusion that’s unusual and effective.  A deep-sea adventure that snappily blends mystery and romance with social themes.

Review: COLD IRON TASK by James J. Butcher

Feb 072025
 

Library Journal: Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby may have finally achieved his goal as an auditor for the Department of Unorthodox Affairs in Boston, but his first case was full of mistakes and nearly cost him his closest friends. Grimsby is willing to do nearly anything to make things right and patch up these relationships, even stealing from an otherworldly vault, no questions asked. Things get more troubling when Grimsby finds out that his partner, Mayflower, has past secrets that might affect what comes next, and Grimsby’s willingness to keep quiet may be his biggest mistake ever. The novel’s setting in a magical Boston and its interesting characters are highlights of Butcher’s invested writing. Readers might be tempted to compare him to his prolific, bestselling father (Jim Butcher), but he is making his own mark on the urban fantasy subgenre. VERDICT: The third outing for Butcher’s troubled magical protagonist (after Long Past Dues) continues to provide answers and also ask more questions. Solid action and quippy dialogue will keep readers engaged for the long haul.

Starred Review: A DROP OF CORRUPTION by Robert Jackson Bennett

Feb 052025
 

Publishers Weekly: Bennett’s wonderfully clever and compulsively readable sequel to 2024’s The Tainted Cup offers another winning blend of fantasy and classic detection, featuring off-beat sleuths who call to mind Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin but operate in a realm under constant threat of destruction from eldritch marine creatures known as the leviathans. Ana Dolabra, “a woman so brilliant she lives most of her days blindfolded and rarely leaves her rooms, for fear that common life shall overwhelm her mind,” and her legman, Dinios Kol, who has been genetically augmented with the ability to perfectly recall what he sees and hears, are the Khanum Empire’s go-to case-cracking duo. Bennett again gives them a baffling murder to solve: Immunis Mineti Sujedo, part of a Treasury delegation on a high-stakes mission, vanished from his locked room, only for his partial remains to surface five days later. The investigators must ascertain how he disappeared, who killed him, and why. Other deaths follow, muddying the waters. Bennett skillfully integrates humor and magic into the complex puzzle plot and plays fair with planting clues for the reader. Randall Garrett fans will be hooked. (Apr.)

January Translation Deals

Jan 312025
 

Chinese (complex) rights to Nebula Award winner Vajra Chandrasekera’s THE SAINT OF BRIGHT DOORS, to Faces, by Gray Tan at Grayhawk Agency in association with Michael Curry.

Czech rights to Melissa K. Roehrich’s RAIN OF SHADOWS AND ENDINGS and STORM OF SECRETS AND SORROWS, to Albatros, in a two-book deal, by Sanja Stefanjesko at Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier.

German rights to New York Times bestselling author Anne Bishop’s DAUGHTER OF THE BLOOD, HEIR TO THE SHADOWS, and QUEEN OF THE DARKNESS, the first three books in The Black Jewels series, to Heyne, by Sarah Knofius at the Thomas Schlueck Agency in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.

Hungarian rights to Robert Jackson Bennett’s SHOREFALL, to Fumax, by Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Cameron McClure.

Hungarian rights to Melissa K. Roehrich’s RAIN OF SHADOWS AND ENDINGS and STORM OF SECRETS AND SORROWS, books one and two of The Legacy series, to Maxim, in a two-book deal, by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier.

Italian rights to Robert Sheckley’s MINDSWAP, to Mondadori, by Stefania Fietta at Donzelli Fietta, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Cameron McClure.

Italian rights to Melissa K. Roehrich’s RAIN OF SHADOWS AND ENDINGS and STORM OF SECRETS AND SORROW, Books 1 and 2 of The Legacy series, to Sperling & Kupfer, in a two-book deal, by Stefania Fietta at Donzelli Fietta, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier.

Italian rights to Peter Watts’s BLINDSIGHT, to Mondadori, by Stefania Fietta at Donzelli Fietta, by Katie Shea Boutillier.

Polish audio download rights to New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher’s first eleven novels in the Dresden Files series plus PEACE TALKS and BATTLE GROUND (the sixteenth and seventeenth novels in the series), to Storytel, by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava i Prevodi in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.

Spanish rights to Ronald Malfi’s MR. CABLES, to Dimensiones Ocultas, by Amaiur Fernandez at International Editors & Yanez, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Cameron McClure.

Ukranian rights to Brent Weeks’ The Lightbringer series, to Bohdan, in a five-book deal, by Nada Popovic and Milena Kaplarevic at Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Donald Maass.

LJ Andrews’s THE EVER QUEEN, to Zeleny Kocur (Slovak Republic),and to Albatros Media (Czech Republic), by Milena Kaplarević at Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier.

Starred Review: THE TOMB OF DRAGONS by Katherine Addison

Jan 292025
 

Library Journal: This cozy fantasy mystery, set in the world of The Goblin Emperor, picks up where the previous book, featuring Witness for the Dead Thara Celehar, left off, with Celehar uncertain of his future after the loss of his abilities from his run-in with a deadly ghoul. But Celehar still has his intelligence, his dogged determination, and his contacts in the city. Serving as his Arch-Prelate’s troubleshooter, Celehar investigates the 50-year complete dysfunction of a city cemetery, gets kidnapped, and finds his abilities have miraculously returned when he faces a dead dragon who needs a witness to bring justice against a corporation capable of bringing down the whole empire. In theory, this series shouldn’t be cozy because Celehar has a knack for ending up in epically awful trouble, but he is such a cozy character, just getting the job done and taking each task as it comes to its conclusion. His self-effacing modesty makes him a delight to follow even as it drives his friends to distraction. VERDICT: Readers who are enthralled with the new cozy fantasy trend or love a cozy mystery will be delighted with Celehar and his latest investigation.

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