Congratulations to Martha Wells!

Jun 262023
 

WITCH KING debuts at #2 on the UK Sunday Times Bestseller List!

After being murdered, his consciousness dormant and unaware of the passing of time while confined in an elaborate water trap, Kai wakes to find a lesser mage attempting to harness Kai’s magic to his own advantage. That was never going to go well.

But why was Kai imprisoned in the first place? What has changed in the world since his assassination? And why does the Rising World Coalition appear to be growing in influence?

Kai will need to pull his allies close and draw on all his pain magic if he is to answer even the least of these questions.

He’s not going to like the answers.

Review: Witch King by Martha Wells

Jun 162023
 

New York Times: Reversing that trajectory, Martha Wells has followed up her best-selling series of Murderbot novellas with a return to full-length, epic fantasy. WITCH KING (Tordotcom, $28.99, 414 pp.), a deeply immersive throwback to a beloved (and for me, foundational) species of 1990s fantasy doorstop, is full of cataclysmic intrigues between mostly immortal families, complete with map and dramatis personae.

The titular Witch King, Kaiisteron, or Kai, wakes from an enchanted sleep to find that he and his best friend, Ziede, have been betrayed and imprisoned by someone close to them. Kai is a demon, able to wield magic and possess the bodies of the living; Ziede is a witch, able to converse with the elemental world. They use their powers to subdue and escape their would-be captor, but discover that Ziede’s wife, Tahren, is missing.

Together — gathering waifs and strays along the way — they embark on a quest to find her and root out the conspiracy that separated them. As they search for answers, Kai remembers his early life fighting necromantic wizards called Hierarchs and rebuilding the world they broke.

Kai is very good at protecting those he has chosen to care for, and part of the pleasure of “Witch King” comes from seeing his keen-edged competence at work, contrasted with moments of profound, bewildered vulnerability. Kai’s timelines play off each other wonderfully: Elements introduced in a dizzying rush of world building become welcome context for the flashbacks, which in turn escalate tension in the present. Wells is working at the height of her powers here, and it’s relaxing to be carried along for a ride in the company of such a phenomenal storyteller.

Demons of Good and Evil by Kim Harrison

Jun 132023
 

Rachel Morgan, witch-born demon, suspected that protecting the paranormal citizens of Cincinnati as the demon subrosa would be trouble. But it’s rapidly becoming way more trouble than even she could have imagined.

While Rachel and her friends may have vanquished the trickster demon Hodin, his mysterious associate known only as “The Mage” is eager to finish what Hodin started, beginning with taking down Rachel’s power structure piece by piece.

With her world falling apart, Rachel desperately needs help. But with all of her supporters under attack, her only hope is to make a deal with the unlikeliest of allies…

Review: Witch King by Martha Wells

Jun 022023
 

Wall Street Journal: Regular readers of sci-fi know Martha Wells from her Murderbot Diaries (if you don’t, go get them immediately). “Witch King” is a fantasy novel about as far from Murderbot as it’s possible to get, and the fact that the author does it so well is a testament to her range and abilities.

We start in the middle of the action, meeting the main character and his companion when they wake up after a mysterious betrayal and attack. Kai uses his supernatural powers to drain the life out of his enemies just in time to rescue Ziede, who has been locked away in a vault. But what starts off seeming to be the tale of two vampiric lovers who kill and consume anyone in their way turns into a story far more complicated and fascinating.

Kai, we soon learn, is a demon from the “underearth,” a creature whose formidable abilities are connected to the experience of pain. In the world of “Witch King” demons are decidedly non-spiritual creatures who have a complex relationship with the people of the Grasslands; they are invited into the bodies of the dead and then treated like family. Ziede is a witch, which here is more a race than a profession. She is close friends with Kai but married to a missing woman called Tahren—who has Fallen from another group, the Immortal Blessed.

“Witch King” across two different timelines: Years ago, when Kai, Ziede and Tahren first meet and help save the world from the crushing invasion of the Hierarchs, and in the story’s present, when the Rising World—an alliance of the surviving nations—is in jeopardy.

Ms. Wells creates uniquely fascinating cultures and abilities for the people who live in her universe, including magic systems that are fully developed and beautifully described. When Kai swallows a magical “intention” into his chest you can practically see it.

The heroes’ adventures together are exciting and their escapes clever; quibbles with the book are just that. There is supposed to be a grand conspiracy trying to topple the Rising World, and it would have been nice to see it in action outside the main group of characters. Also, there are a lot of names to keep track of. Fans of intricate fantasy may love that—but my aging brain needed a wiki.

A wonderfully original world, sympathetic characters and a solid quest make “Witch King” the satisfying fantasy you yearn for when named swords and cursed rings begin to grow stale.

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.

Witch King by Martha Wells

May 302023
 

After being murdered, his consciousness dormant and unaware of the passing of time while confined in an elaborate water trap, Kai wakes to find a lesser mage attempting to harness Kai’s magic to his own advantage. That was never going to go well.

But why was Kai imprisoned in the first place? What has changed in the world since his assassination? And why does the Rising World Coalition appear to be growing in influence?

Kai will need to pull his allies close and draw on all his pain magic if he is to answer even the least of these questions.

He’s not going to like the answers.

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)

Review: Demons of Good and Evil by Kim Harrison

May 122023
 

Publishers Weekly: Harrison delivers her signature blend of high stakes urban fantasy and soap operatic interpersonal drama in the 18th installment to her Hollows series (after 2022’s Trouble with the Cursed). Witch-born demon Rachel Morgan has successfully claimed the role of subrosa, or leader of Cincinnati, Ohio’s supernatural communities, but now must defend that title against challengers. Her latest enemy, a mysterious mage, sets out to undermine her power base by targeting her allies, including her friend David, who is harassed by renegade werewolves. Meanwhile, the coven of moral and ethical standards is breathing down Rachel’s neck regarding her use of an unsavory charm, and her boyfriend, elven businessman Trent Kalamack, faces punishment for his own illegal dealings. Rachel must protect her loved ones, prove her innocence to the coven, and defeat the enemies gunning for her before she loses everything. There are a lot of balls in the air, but Harrison juggles them gracefully. Longtime readers will be gratified to see both increased momentum in the overarching series plot and callbacks to much earlier installments. This series still has some surprises up its sleeve.

April Translation Rights Deals

Apr 302023
 

French rights to Annika Martin’s MOST ELIGIBLE BILLIONAIRE and THE BILLIONAIRE’S WAKE-UP-CALL GIRL, to BMR, by Sarah Dray at Anna Jarota Agency, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Cameron McClure.

Greek rights to Robert McCammon’s BOY’S LIFE, to Klidarithmos, by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Cameron McClure.

Spanish rights to New York Times bestselling author Martha Wells’ ALL SYSTEMS RED, ARTIFICIAL CONDITION, ROGUE PROTOCOL, and EXIT STRATEGY, the first four installments in the New York Times bestselling Murderbot Diaries series, to Hidra, by Elena Rodríguez at International Editors & Yáñez Co’ S.L. 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.

 Older Entries  Newer Entries