Many congratulations to DMLA author, Martha Wells, as SYSTEM COLLAPSE has been named a winner in the 2025 Seiun Award! The Seiun Award is a Japanese speculative fiction award given each year for the best science fiction works and achievements. We are honored to see Wells’s book win “Best Translated Long Story” category!
BEST TRANSLATED LONG STORY
“System Collapse”
by Martha Wells
translated by Naoya Nakahara
(TOKYO SOGENSHA Co.,Ltd.)
Audio rights to Robin D. Mahle and Elle Madison’s FATED TO THE FROST KING, to Julie Constantine at Podium Audio, at auction, in a three-book deal, by Katie Shea Boutillier (NA).
Czech rights to Katherine Addison’s THE WITNESS FOR THE DEAD, to Dobrovsky, by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Cameron McClure.
French rights to Robert Jackson Bennett’s The Founders series, omnibus edition, to Albin Michel, by Sarah Dray at Anna Jarota Agency on behalf of Katie Shea for Cameron McClure.
French rights to Annika Marin’s BREAKING THE BILLIONAIRE’S RULES, to BMR, by Sarah Dray at Anna Jarota Agency, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Cameron McClure.
French rights to New York Times bestselling author Martha Wells’ QUEEN DEMON, the second book in The Rising World, to L’Atalante, by Sarah Dray at Anna Jarota Agency in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.
French rights to Nebula Award finalist Kerstin Hall’s ASUNDER, to Eilean Books, by Sarah Dray at Anna Jarota Agency in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.
Greek rights to New York Times bestselling author Martha Wells’ ALL SYSTEMS RED and ARTIFICIAL CONDITION, the first and second books in The Murderbot Diaries, to Fantastikos Kosmos, by Milena Kaplarević at Prava i prevodi in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.
Greek rights Robert McCammon’s SWAN SONG, to Klidarithmos, by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Cameron McClure.
Hungarian rights to Gretchen Powell Fox’s SMOKE AND SCAR and SPLINTERED KINGDOM, to Konyvmolykepzo, by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier.
Polish rights to LJ Andrews’ Ever Seas series, to KDW, in a five-book deal, at auction, by Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier.
Romanian rights to LJ Andrews’ THE EVER KING and THE EVER QUEEN, to Litera, by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier.
Spanish rights to LJ Andrews’ The Ever Seas series, to Atico de los Libros, in a three-book deal, by Elena Rodriguez at International Editors & Yanez, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier.
Spanish audio rights to LJ Andrews’ The Ever Seas series, to Roseann Lake at Recorded Books, in a three-book deal, by Elena Rodriguez at International Editors & Yanez, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier.
Publishers Weekly: Sullivan’s lovely debut puts an inventive spin on Greek myth. Master inventor Daedalus and his son, Icarus, attempt to escape imprisonment by the cruel King Minos using man-made wings. The plan ends disastrously when Icarus ignores his father’s warnings and flies too close to the sun, melting the wax attaching the feathers to the wings, and causing him to plummet to his death in the sea (“You fall in silence, as if the gods are waiting for the sound of impact”). From there, Sullivan’s tale veers into less familiar territory. Bereft at the loss of his only child, Daedalus starts a new life in Sicily, only to be tracked down by Minos; though he outsmarts the king and survives their confrontation, Daedalus dies shortly thereafter from an injury. He then endeavors to reunite with Icarus in the underworld, in the process encountering dead heroes and monsters. Daedalus narrates this quest in present tense and through direct address to his late son, creating a sense of intimacy and tenderness. (“Icarus, no good thing has happened to me that I haven’t wanted to share with you.”) Along the way, Sullivan gradually peels back the layers of Daedalus’s past, including several revelations that will shift readers’ views of the inventor significantly. In the crowded field of revisionist retellings, this stands out. (Sept.)
We are over the moon to see Cassandra Khaw’s latest title, THE LIBRARY AT HELLEBORE, included in the July lineup for LibraryReads Pick! Thank you librarians!
This deeply dark academia novel from USA Today bestselling author Cassandra Khaw is perfect for fans of A Deadly Education and An Education in Malice who are hungry for something more diabolical.
THE LIBRARY AT HELLEBORE is more metal than I’ll ever be and too cool for most of you. You’ve been warned.” ―Olivie Blake, New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six
Library Journal: Margaret Culpepper has a rare, incurable autoimmune disorder that has isolated her from her friends and family and is close to costing her her job. When she is offered a paid spot in an experimental medical trial at Graceview Memorial, Margaret jumps at the chance for a better life. She’ll stay in the hospital for several months while her immune system is almost completely destroyed and then rebuilt. Once the treatment begins, though, Margaret begins to suspect that she isn’t there for a cure. Instead, she seems to be a test subject for something far more sinister. Graceview’s patients either emerge as entirely new people or die trying. Struggling to determine what is real, Margaret fights to find a way out before it’s too late. The unreliable narrator, questionable medical practices, and eerie atmosphere combine for an intricate, well-written story.
VERDICT: Starling’s (The Starving Saints) newest novel is the kind of genre-bending tour de force that fans have come to expect from her. Equal parts medical drama, psychological thriller, and gothic horror, the book pulls readers in and refuses to let them go.
Cassandra Khaw’s THE LIBRARY AT HELLEBORE is a July Indie Next Pick! Congratulations, Cassandra!
“This is the punk rock, eldritch god, carnage-fueled battle royale dark academia that makes partial decapitation look like an amateur sandbox. The Library at Hellebore is more metal than I’ll ever be and too cool for most of you.” ―Olivie Blake, New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six
Coming tomorrow to an independent bookstore near you!
Exciting news: THE LIBRARY AT HELLEBORE by Cassandra Khaw has made Paste Magazine’s Most Anticipated Horror Books of Summer 2025 list stating “Cassandra Khaw is one of the finest prose stylists in all of horror, but they’re also brilliant when it comes to twisting concepts we think we understand into something. The Library of Hellebore starts with a great hook, the idea of a school where all the world’s monsters are educated and redeemed, then shifts into survival horror mode as the students face being eaten alive. Throw in one of the best minds in horror, and you’ve got something you don’t want to miss.”
Congratulations, Cassandra!!
Publishers Weekly: Two very different women intervene in their parents’ hasty wedding plans in this alluring, tarot-inspired sapphic romance from Faubion (The Lovers). Introverted and lonely park ranger Cadence Connelly returns home to California after receiving an invitation to the engagement party of her estranged mother, Moira, a psychic. Like Cadence, adventurous, commitment-phobic pilot Sydney Sinclair, the daughter of Moira’s fiancé, Rick, suspects some nefarious element to their fast-tracked engagement. Sydney visits Moira’s store to scope her out, but Cadence whisks her away, concerned about Moira’s years-old prediction that Cadence will meet her soulmate in the shop. The women then team up to get to the bottom of the engagement. Meanwhile, Moira, having learned of the women’s potentially fated first meeting, decides to give destiny a hand by ensuring there’s only one room—and one bed—for Cadence and Sydney at the Solvang resort where the party will take place. Faubion makes the women’s emotional development convincing as their walls slowly come down and also crafts an enticing mystery surrounding Moira and Rick’s real intentions. The result is a solid romance that winks at popular tropes and makes good use of its tarot motif. Faubian’s fans will be pleased. (Aug.)
Publishers Weekly: “Mehta (The Liar’s Weave) explores the bond of sisterhood in this ambitious, dreamlike epic….Mehta cleverly brings the plot full-circle in a satisfying finale. Readers are sure to be impressed.”