Review: The Embroidered Book by Kate Heartfield

Jul 062023
 

Publishers Weekly: Heartfield (The Chatelaine) injects some magic into European history with this lush and enchanting outing. In 1768, close-knit sisters Charlotte and Antoine, daughters of the Habsburg emperor, are sent their separate ways to marry powerful husbands: Charlotte to Naples and the brutish King Ferdinand, and Antoine to France, where she is renamed Marie Antoinette and weds the future King Louis XVI. Isolated and alone, the two rely on lessons from a book of spells they discovered as children to reclaim power over their lives while trying to do right for their respective nations. As tension mounts both politically and in the magical world, the sisters find themselves on opposing sides, turning from close confidants to bitter rivals. Heartfield’s accounts of both queens are detailed and insightful, with a fresh take on Marie Antoinette and a fascinating look at her less famous sister. The magic system, which demands a sacrifice for each spell cast, is a cool concept, but in execution it’s a bit murky and occasionally feels like an afterthought to the story at hand. Still, fans of historical novels looking for just a touch of the fantastic are sure to be sucked in.

Assassin’s Creed: The Resurrection Plot by Kate Heartfield

Jul 042023
 

Cairo, 1869. When a bomb goes off at the Khedivial Opera House celebrating the opening of the new Suez Canal, visiting Assassin Pierrette Arnaud investigates, only to uncover a plot to eradicate free will… To her surprise, her old friend and teacher Simeon Price arrives in Egypt on the same trail, seven years after they allied to stop the Templars in London. But there’s no time to reminisce as the Templars maneuver Europe and Africa like pieces on a chessboard, wreaking havoc on a global scale. As Simeon and Pierrette race to stop further attacks, they unearth plans suggesting a mysterious tower is the key to the ultimate Templar takeover… and with the puzzling Engine of History in their grasp, the Assassins might be outmatched at last.

June Translation Rights Deals

Jun 302023
 

Finnish rights to Nebula and Hugo Award winner Martha Wells’ ROGUE PROTOCOL and EXIT STRATEGY, the third and fourth installments in the New York Times bestselling Murderbot Diaries series, to Hertta Kustannus Oy, by Rik Kleuver at Sebes & Bisseling Literary Agency in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.

French renewal rights to New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher’s FURIES OF CALDERON, the first book in the Codex Alera series, to Bragelonne, by Marie-France Heinic at Anna Jarota Agency in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.

Croatian rights to New York Times bestselling author Martha Wells’ ALL SYSTEMS RED, ARTIFICIAL CONDITION, ROGUE PROTOCOL, EXIT STRATEGY, NETWORK EFFECT, and FUGITIVE TELEMETRY, the first six titles in the Murderbot Diaries series, to V.B.Z., by Milena Kaplarević at Prava i prevodi in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.

Chinese rights to James Scott Bell’s POWER UP YOUR FICTION, to China Renmin University Press, by Yijhen Lee at The Grayhawk Agency in association with Katie Shea Boutillier for Donald Maass.

Spanish rights to Sue Burke’s SEMIOSIS, to Dolmen, by Elena Rodriguez at International Editors Co. in association with Katie Shea Boutillier for Jennie Goloboy.

Spanish audio rights to New York Times bestselling author Martha Wells’ ALL SYSTEMS RED, ARTIFICIAL CONDITION, ROGUE PROTOCOL, and EXIT STRATEGY, the first four titles in the Murderbot Diaries series, to Recorded Books, by Elena Rodríguez at International Editors Co. in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.

Chinese rights to Ronald Malfi’s COME WITH ME and BLACK MOUTH, to Sharp Point Press, by Gray Tan of The Grayhawk Agency, in association with Katie Shea Boutillier for Cameron McClure.

Review: Suborbital 7 by John Shirley

Jun 122023
 

Publishers Weekly: Shirley (Halo: Broken Circle) veers from gaming fiction to near-future military techno-thriller in this competent, straightforward novel of U.S. Army Rangers in space. Lt. Art Burkett’s marriage is failing due to his wife’s worries over his continuous insertion into dangerous missions, when he is yanked away yet again, this time into a hostage rescue that involves a drop from space. The mission runs into complications: an undercover agent is killed by friendly fire, the agent’s brother vows vengeance, and the Russians look to solidify their hold on near-Earth orbit by finishing off the spacecraft carrying Burkett and company back to safety. Shirley includes most of the archetypes common to military adventure fiction, including the officer torn between public and private duty, the spy whose suspicions are not mere paranoia, the gruff leader who stands up to the Big Brass, and the Big Brass themselves, whose pettiness is paid for by personal sacrifice. Sure-footed descriptions of spaceflight and the toils of working without gravity enhance the plot without the technobabble ever pulling focus from the soldiers as they fight for their lives and honor. Shirley’s fans will be pleased.

Suborbital 7 by John Shirley

Jun 062023
 

Lieutenant Art Burkett is called up to take part in a rescue mission. Three scientists have been kidnapped by the terrorist group Thieves in Law.

The rescue is swift. Art and his team return to military craft SubOrbital 7, intending to return to safety with hostages rescued and prisoners in tow. But Thieves in Law are not the only people looking for them. Art and his team must fight an ever-growing threat before time runs out for them, and possibly for the rest of the world.

May Translation Rights Deals

May 312023
 

Czech renewal rights to New York Times bestselling author Martha Wells’ ALL SYSTEMS RED, ARTIFICIAL CONDITION, ROGUE PROTOCOL, and EXIT STRATEGY, the first four titles in the Murderbot Diaries series, to Dobrovský, by Lola Dunton at Prava i prevodi in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.

French rights to Brent Weeks’s NIGHT ANGEL NEMESIS, to Bragelonne by Sarah Dray at Anna Jarota Agency, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Donald Maass.

Hungarian rights to New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher’s SIDE JOBS, the first collection of Dresden Files short fiction, to Delta Vision, by Milena Kaplarević at Prava i Prevodi in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.

Italian rights to Peter McLean’s PRIEST OF GALLONS and PRIEST OF CROWNS, to Fanucci, in a two-book deal, by Stefania Fietta at Donzelli Fietta, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Jennie Goloboy.

Italian rights to Brent Weeks’s THE NIGHT ANGEL TRILOGY (omnibus), to Marco Rana at Mondadori, by Stefania Fietta at Donzelli Fietta, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Donald Maass.

Polish rights to New York Times bestselling author Anne Bishop’s THE QUEEN’S WEAPONS, the eleventh book in the Black Jewels series, to Initium, by Milena Kaplarević at Prava i prevodi in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.

Polish rights to Pam Godwin’s LESSONS IN SIN, to Kobiece, by Lola Dunton at Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier.

Polish rights to Brent Weeks’s NIGHT ANGEL NEMESIS, to Mag Jacek Rodek, by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Donald Maass.

Serbian rights to New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher’s FOOL MOON and GRAVE PERIL, the second and third novels in the Dresden Files series, to Žestoka Izdavačka Radionica, by Sanja Stefanjesko at Prava i Prevodi in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.

Spanish rights to LJ Andrews’s CURSE OF SHADOWS, THORNS, COURT OF ICE AND ASH, and CROWN OF BLOOD AND RUIN, to Avery (Spain), in a three-book deal, by Elena Rodriguez at International Editors’, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier.

Ukrainian rights to Robert McCammon’s BOY’S LIFE, SPEAKS THE NIGHTBIRD, THE QUEEN OF BEDLAM, and SWAN SONG, to Zhorzh (Ukraine), in a four-book deal, by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Cameron McClure.

Ukrainian rights to New York Times bestselling author Martha Wells’ WITCH KING, plus THE CLOUD ROADS, THE SERPENT SEA, and THE SIREN DEPTH, the first three titles in the Books of the Raksura series, to Zhorzh, by Milena Kaplarević at Prava i prevodi in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.

Ukrainian rights to New York Times bestselling author Tamsyn Muir’s GIDEON THE NINTH, HARROW THE NINTH, and NONA THE NINTH, the first three books in the Locked Tomb series, to Vivat, by Milena Kaplarević at Prava i prevodi in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.

Starred Review: A Second Chance for Yesterday by R.A. Sinn

May 242023
 

Publishers Weekly: Sinn, the pseudonym for siblings Rachel Hope Cleves (Unspeakable) and Aram Sinnreich (The Essential Guide to Intellectual Property), spin an insightful and emotional story of quantum time travel in their fiction debut. It’s 11:33 p.m. on Sept. 22, 2045, when coder Nev Bourne finalizes SavePoint 2.0, an upgrade to the cutting-edge brain implant that allows users to skip back in time by five seconds. She hits run—and wakes up the morning of September 22, reliving the same day. Then, at 11:33 p.m., the same glitch resets her to the morning of September 21. So it goes: every 24 hours she travels back in time by one additional day. When she runs into notorious hacker Airin Myx, she accuses them of causing the glitch—but instead they reveal that they’ve been working with her to fix it for weeks. On a “collision course with her past,” Nev sets out to mend relationships with her needy boyfriend, domineering mother, and estranged best friend—all while falling for Airin, who’s traveling through time in the opposite direction. The authors infuse this plausible near future with clever science and heartwarming explorations of love and second chances. At the heart of this brilliant sci-fi conundrum is a deeply human story.

 

2023 Locus Awards Finalists

May 192023
 

Congratulations to our DMLA authors who are finalists for the 2023 Locus Awards!

FANTASY NOVEL

  • The Grief of Stones, Katherine Addison (Tor; Solaris UK)
  • Nona the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir (Tordotcom)

YOUNG ADULT NOVEL

  • The Scratch Daughters, H.A. Clarke (Erewhon)

NOVELLA

  • “Bishop’s Opening“, R.S.A Garcia (Clarkesworld 1/22)
  • Even Though I Knew the End, C.L. Polk (Tordotcom)

NOVELETTE

  • “Two Hands, Wrapped in Gold“, S.B. Divya (Uncanny 5-6/22)
  • “Incident at Bear Creek Lodge”, Tananarive Due (Other Terrors)

COLLECTION

  • Breakable Things, Cassandra Khaw (Undertow)

NON-FICTION

  • An Earnest Blackness, Eugen Bacon (Anti-Oedipus)

ILLUSTRATED AND ART BOOK

  • The Keeper, Tananarive Due & Steven Barnes, art by Marco Finnegan (Megascope)

2023 Aurora Award Nominations

May 172023
 

Congratulations to our DMLA authors who have been nominated for a 2023 Aurora Award!

Aurora Award for Best Novel

  • The Embroidered Book, Kate Heartfield, HarperVoyager
  • The Void Ascendant, Premee Mohamed, Solaris Books

Aurora Award for Best Novelette/Novella

  • Even Though I Knew the End, C.L. Polk, Tordotcom

Aurora Award for Best Short Story

  • “Douen”, Suzan Palumbo, The Dark, Issue 82

Review: Suborbital 7 by John Shirley

May 032023
 

Library Journal: Shirley’s (Stormland) exciting novel is an immersive near-future military adventure that proves that doing the job doesn’t count for much if you don’t make it home in one piece. The story follows a group of soldiers led by Lt. Art Burkett, U.S. Rangers Airborne, who is sent halfway around the world on an urgent rescue mission to save the life of a key scientist whose mind is filled with important information. Burkett and his team take off in an off-the-books rocket-turned-airplane, which is able to quickly bring the team into action. The mission goes smoothly until the team tries to get home and runs into trouble in space. The beauty of Shirley’s novel comes from its laser-focused attention to military tactics, which helps to sell its squad-level action. Its haunting near-future setting reads like a story that could be happening right now, giving the text a healthy dose of realism.

VERDICT This is a tight military procedural for fans looking for something like Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan transported to space, with rockets flying, ruthless Russians scheming, and unvarnished trust in the American way.
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