Debut novelist Seth Dickinson’s THE TRAITOR BARU CORMORANT, an epic fantasy geopolitical tragedy pitched as Game of Thrones meets Germs, Guns and Steel, and two additional novels to Marco Palmieri at Tor Books in a pre-empt by Jennifer Jackson.
After Melody’s wedding, the Ellsworths and Vincents accompany the young couple on their tour of the continent. Jane and Vincent plan to separate from the party and travel to Murano to study with glassblowers there, but their ship is set upon by Barbary corsairs while en route. It is their good fortune that they are not enslaved, but they lose everything to the pirates and arrive in Murano destitute.
Jane and Vincent are helped by a kind local they meet en route, but Vincent is determined to become self-reliant and get their money back, and hatches a plan to do so. But when so many things are not what they seem, even the best laid plans conceal a few pitfalls. The ensuing adventure is a combination of the best parts of magical fantasy and heist novels, set against a glorious Regency backdrop.
New York Times bestselling author Anne Bishop’s 4th and 5th fantasy novels in the Others series, following VISION IN SILVER (Penguin/Roc, March 2015), continuing the epic story of humans trying to survive in a world that belongs to the Others, in a two-book deal to Anne Sowards at Penguin/Roc by Jennifer Jackson.
Congratulations to the DMLA authors who were named finalists for the 2014 Hugo Awards!
Romantic Times: [4 of 5 stars] The conclusion of the Eternal Sky series, Steles of the Sky has a lot to offer. The most incredible aspects of these stories are the well-created characters, who inhabit a rich, imaginative world. Bear shows admirable skill in balancing the fantastical aspects with the believability of her characters, adding a healthy does of gritty realism of human beings locked in battle, be it emotional, physical or the clash of kings.
Edene, Temur and Samarkar are planning their war against al-Sepehr — and he will not make winning it easy. Edene, bound to the djinn and the Ghulam by the green ring on her finger, must find a way to be their supernatural leader without losing her own humanity; Samarkar must make peace with the love she feels toward Temur and also her own incredibly strong powers of sorcery, and Temur must balance his choices against what is best for him to regain his rightful seat as Khagan of his grandfather’s lands.
Congratulations to our DMLA authors who won an RT Reviewers’ Choice Award for 2013!
Elizabeth Bear’s The Lotus Kingdoms, a new fantasy trilogy set in the same world as The Eternal Sky, in which a brass automaton with a soul, the disenfranchised servant of a dead Caliph, and a priest with one golden eye are drawn into a high stakes political game involving two queens and the fate of their kingdoms, to Beth Meacham at Tor Books by Jennifer Jackson.
Re Temur, exiled heir to his grandfather’s Khaganate, has finally raised his banner and declared himself at war with his usurping uncle. With his companions—the Wizard Samarkar, the Cho-tse Hrahima, and the silent monk Brother Hsiung—he must make his way to Dragon Lake to gather in his army of followers.
Temur has many enemies, and they are not idle. The sorcerer who leads the Nameless Assassins, whose malice has shattered the peace of all the empires of the Celedon Highway, has struck at Temur’s uncle already. To the south, in the Rasan empire, a magical plague rages. To the east, the great city of Asmaracanda has burned, and the Uthman Caliph is deposed. And in the hidden ancient empire of Erem, Temur’s son has been born, and a new moon has risen in the Eternal Sky.
Publishers Weekly: The espionage potential of magical illusions sets the stage for Kowal’s fourth alternate-Regency caper (after Without a Summer). Lady Jane and Sir David Vincent, both accomplished at the art of spinning strands of magic into the sounds and images called “glamour,” leave England to visit Venice and Murano. Their plan is to work with Murano’s glassmakers, under the guise of visiting Vincent’s friend Lord Byron, and capture glamour in glass so that it can be moved from place to place. After their ship is attacked by “a Barbary corsair,” Vincent is injured and the pirates relieve the pair of their valuables. They arrive in Venice sans papers and discover Byron is away; their straits are dire. A banker offers lodging and monetary assistance, but their relief turns to dismay when they begin to suspect his motives. Jane and Vincent’s affectionate but never anachronistic relationship, and Kowal’s clever incorporation of period artifacts into the schemes, are of particular note.
Kirkus: Combining history, magic and adventure, the book balances emotional depth with buoyant storytelling. Kowal continues her creative Regency-set Glamourist Histories series with a clever, captivating plot that culminates in a magical heist storyline. Before we get there, though, we are treated to a touching examination of a loving marriage under duress and the connections and collaborations these extraordinary partners must create and reaffirm with each other and those around them in order to thrive. Continue reading »