Starred Review: THE STARVING SAINTS by Caitlin Starling

Mar 202025
 

Publishers Weekly: Fans of sapphic romance and gory cannibalistic horror will find unexpected common ground in this masterful medievalesque fantasy from Starling (Last to Leave the Room). Aymar Castle is under siege, leaving the people trapped inside mad with hunger and desperate for any source of salvation. Loyal knight Ser Voyne attempts to maintain order while the king’s alchemist Phosyne urgently searches for a way to create food and serving girl Treila tries to keep her head down while secretly simmering with rage at Ser Voyne. When the castle is unexpectedly visited by the Constant Lady and her attending saints, the feast they bring appears to be exactly the miracle the starving people prayed for. But the truth is much darker, and Ser Voyne and Phosyne soon find themselves fighting to prevent a bloodthirsty bacchanalia that would consume them all, while Treila contemplates fleeing. Starling expertly balances the plot’s contrasting aims, offering gruesome horror and sweeping fantasy worldbuilding in equal measure. The dextrously delineated human hierarchy in the castle and the creepy saints’ bee-based faith system undergird the increasingly shocking events of the plot. The pace is fast, the twists are unexpected, and the complex queer characters—each of whom narrate in wonderfully distinct voices—are easy to root for. This is a feast. (May)

TOTO by A.J. Hackwith

Nov 122024
 

I was mostly a Good Dog until they sold me out to animal control, okay?

But if it’s a choice between Oz, with its creepy little singing dudes, and being behind bars in gray old Kansas, I’ll choose the place where animals talk and run the show for now, thanks.

It’s not my fault that the kid is stuck here too, or that she stumbled into a tug-of-war over a pair of slippers that don’t even taste good. Now one witch in good eyeliner calls her pretty and we’re off on a quest? Teenagers.

I try to tell her she’s falling in with the wrong crowd when she befriends a freaking hedge wizard made of straw, that blue jay with revolutionary aspirations, and the walking tin can. Still, I’m not one to judge when there’s the small matter of a coup in the Forest Kingdom….

Look, something really stinks in Oz, and this Wizard guy and the witches positively reek of it. As usual, it’s going to be up to a sensible little dog to do a big dog’s job and get to the bottom of it.

And trust me: Little dogs can get away with anything.

September Subsidiary Rights Deals

Sep 302024
 

a pair of black ear budsAudio rights to Miranda Lyn’s Fae Rising series, to Kerri Buckley at Dreamscape Media, in a four-book deal, by Katie Shea Boutillier (NA).

Audio rights to Nicky Drayden and Matthew Bey’s DEEP AUSTIN: CASE OF THE WEIRD CARNIVOROUS SKY, a tale of gonzo horror chock full of ghosts and other weirdness, plus a sequel, to Kim Budnick at Tantor Media, by Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.

Audio rights to Caitlin Starling’s THE OBLIVION BRIDE, to Kim Budnick at Tantor Media, by Katie Shea Boutillier on behalf of Caitlin McDonald (World English).

Audio rights to Camilla Raines’s THE HOLLOW AND THE HAUNTED, to Kim Budnick at Tantor Media, in an exclusive submission, by Katie Shea Boutillier on behalf of Kat Kerr (NA).

2024 Igynte Awards finalists

Jul 292024
 

The finalists for the 2024 Ignyte Awards have been announced, and we are so excited to see so many DMLA authors on the list! Congratulations to Vajra Chandrasekera, C.L. Polk, R.S.A. Garcia, and Premee Mohamed!

Outstanding Novel: Adult

  • The Saint of Bright Doors – Vajra Chandrasekera (Tordotcom)

Outstanding Novelette

  • Ivy, Angelica, Bay – C L Polk (Reactor)

Outstanding Short Story

  • Tantie Merle and the Farmhand 4200 – R.S.A. Garcia (Uncanny)

Outstanding Anthology/Collected Works

  • No One Will Come Back for Us – Premee Mohamed (Undertow Publications)

USA Today Bestseller: EVEN THOUGH I KNEW THE END by C.L. Polk

Jul 222024
 

Congratulations to C.L. Polk whose work, EVEN THOUGH I KNEW THE END, made #77 on the USA Today Bestseller list!

2024 Lammy Awards Finalists!

Apr 102024
 

Congratulations to the following DMLA authors for being named a 2024 Lammy Awards finalist!

LGBTQ+ Speculative Fiction

  • The Archive Undying // Emma Mieko Candon (Tordotcom Publishing)
  • The Saint of Bright Doors // Vajra Chandrasekera (Tordotcom Publishing)

2024 Hugo Awards Finalists!

Apr 052024
 

The finalists for the 2024 Hugo Awards have been announced! Congratulations to the following DMLA authors!

BEST NOVEL

  • The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera (Tordotcom)
  • Witch King by Martha Wells (Tordotcom)

BEST NOVELETTE

  • “Ivy, Angelica, Bay” by C.L. Polk (Tor.com 8 December 2023)

Further congratulations to Premee Mohamed and Mur Lafferty for work on Escape Pod, and to Mia Tsai for work on GigaNotoSaurus! All received acknowledgements under BEST SEMIPROZINE.

System Collapse by Martha Wells received enough votes to qualify for BEST NOVEL on the final ballot, but she declined the nomination.

Locus 2023 Recommended Reading

Feb 052024
 

Congratulations to our clients appearing on the Locus 2023 Recommended Reading List!

NOVELS – SCIENCE FICTION

  • System Collapse, Martha Wells (Tordotcom)

NOVELS – FANTASY

  • Witch King, Martha Wells (Tordotcom)

NOVELS – HORROR

  • The Reformatory, Tananarive Due (Saga; Titan UK)

FIRST NOVELS

  • The Saint of Bright Doors, Vajra Chandrasekera (Tordotcom)

COLLECTIONS

  • The Wishing Pool and Other Stories, Tananarive Due (Akashic)
  • No One Will Come Back For Us, Premee Mohamed (Undertow)
  • Skin Thief, Suzan Palumbo (Neon Hemlock)

NOVELLAS

  • The Salt Grows Heavy, Cassandra Khaw (Nightfire; Titan UK)
  • Hybrid Heart, Iori Kusano (Neon Hemlock)
  • The Navigating Fox, Christopher Rowe (Tordotcom)

NOVELETTES

  • “At Every Door a Ghost”, Premee Mohamed (Communications Breakdown)
  • “Ivy, Angelica, Bay“, C.L. Polk (Tor.com 12/8/23)

SHORT STORIES

  • “Those Hitchhiking Kids“, Darcie Little Badger (The Sunday Morning Transport 4/2/23)
  • “Suppertime”, Tananarive Due (New Suns 2)
  • “Homewrecker“, E. Catherine Tobler (Apex 11/21/23)

December Translation Deals

Dec 312023
 

Italian rights to Jo Walton’s AMONG OTHERS, to Marco Rana at Edizione E/O, by Stefania Fietta at Donzelli Fietta, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Cameron McClure.

Italian rights to C.L. Polk’s THE MIDNIGHT BARGAIN, to Marco Rana at Edizione E/O, by Stefania Fietta at Donzelli Fietta, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Caitlin McDonald.

Turkish rights to Melissa K. Roehrich’s LADY OF DARKNESS and LADY OF SHADOWS, to Ren Kitap, in a two-book deal, by Merve Öngen at AnatoliaLit Agency, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier.

French rights to Melissa K. Roehrich’s LADY OF DARKNESS series and LEGACY series, to Guy Tredaniel, at auction, in a very nice deal, in a nine-book deal, by Sarah Dray at Anna Jarota Agency, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier.

Hungarian rights to New York Times bestselling author Tamsyn Muir’s PRINCESS FLORALINDA AND THE FORTY-FLIGHT TOWER, to Fumax, by Milena Kaplarević at Prava i prevodi in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.

Italian rights to Jeanette Ng’s UNDER THE PENDULUM SUN, to Marco Rana at Edizione E/O, by Stefania Fietta at Donzelli Fietta, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Jennie Goloboy.

Spanish audio rights to New York Times bestselling author Martha Wells’ WITCH KING, to Recorded Books, by Amaiur Fernández at International Editors Co. in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.

Deal: Caitlin Starling

Nov 152023
 

Author photo of Caitlin Starling.Author of THE DEATH OF JANE LAWRENCE and LAST TO LEAVE THE ROOM Caitlin Starling’s next novel GRACEVIEW, a hospital gothic in which a patient is haunted by an unseen force while undergoing a high-risk new treatment for her incurable disease, to Michael Homler at St Martin’s Press, in a good deal, in a two-book deal, by Caitlin McDonald. (World)

 Older Entries