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.

Review: Demons of Good and Evil by Kim Harrison

Apr 242023
 

Booklist: After fighting for her position in Trouble with the Cursed (2022), Cincinnati subrosa (demon leader) Rachel Morgan must deal with an old enemy. Walter returns with a horde of alpha weres from outside the city, hoping to steal power over the city’s werewolves from Rachel’s ally David. On top of that, Rachel is being investigated by the coven of moral and ethical standards, initially for using an illegal dark curse and then for murder she didn’t commit. Coincidentally, Rachel’s lover, Trent, is suddenly being investigated for illicit genetic endeavors and Brimstone trade, plunging both their lives into more chaos than usual. After a rescue that involves trading with sullen demon Dali while hiding in the ever after, Rachel and Trent learn that the coven is planning to block demons from returning to reality, led by none other than Walter’s ally the Mage, and launch themselves into action to prevent it. Harrison delivers another page turner in the Hollows series, leaving readers wondering how Rachel will emerge from this crisis and which of her allies will survive it with her.

Review: Hybrid Heart by Iori Kusano

Apr 102023
 

Library Journal: Kusano, an Asian American living in Tokyo, makes their debut with this novella set in a near-future Japan, where people have software apps installed in their bodies that allow them to interact online in their minds, and human pop stars compete for fame against digital vocaloid singers. Rei is a human “idol,” an entertainer with a corporate manufactured image created for purely commercial purposes. She loves to sing and aspired to this life, but then her singing partner Ririko abandoned their idol life for love. Now Rei is even more strictly managed by Kosaka, who controls every aspect of her life from her songs and performances to what she eats and where she goes. Rei tries to navigate handling Kosaka and garnering more fame while still missing Ririko and obsessing over singer LYRICO, who hides behind an avatar. When Kosaka takes on a new, younger singer, Rei begins to see her life for what it is more clearly and has to decide what she wants for herself.

VERDICT Give this to fans of manga and anime for an insightful, speculative glimpse into Japanese pop culture.

March Translation Rights Deals

Mar 312023
 

French rights to USA Today bestselling author Cassandra Khaw’s HAMMERS ON BONE and A SONG FOR QUIET, to Argyll, by Sarah Dray at Anna Jarota Agency in association with Michael Curry.

German rights to New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher’s CHANGES, GHOST STORY, COLD DAYS, SKIN GAME, PEACE TALKS, and BATTLE GROUND, Books 12-17 in the Dresden Files series, to Blanvalet, by Sarah Knofius at the Thomas Schlueck Agency in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.

German rights to LJ Andrew’s Curse of Shadows and Thorns, Court of Ice and Ash and Crown of Blood and Ruin, the first three books of The Broken Kingdoms series, to Blanvalet, in a pre-empt, by Sarah Knofius at Thomas Schlueck Agency, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier.

German renewal rights to New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher’s FURIES OF CALDERON, ACADEM’S FURY, CURSOR’S FURY, CAPTAIN’S FURY, PRINCEPS’ FURY, and FIRST LORD’S FURY, the Codex Alera series, to Blanvalet, by Sarah Knofius at the Thomas Schlueck Agency in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.

Italian rights to Seth Dickinson’s THE TRAITOR BARU CORMORANT, the first book in the Masquerade series, to Mondadori, by Stefania Fietta at Donzelli Fietta Agency in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.

Italian kiosk edition 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 Mondadori, by Stefania Fietta at Donzelli Fietta Agency in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.

Polish audio rights to New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher’s PEACE TALKS and BATTLE GROUND, the sixteenth and seventeenth novels in the Dresden Files series, plus renewal of audio rights on the first 11 novels in the series, to Storytel, by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava i Prevodi in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.

Polish 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 MAG Jacek Rodek, by Milena Kaplarević at Prava i prevodi in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.

Polish rights to Ellen O’Clover’s SEVEN PERCENT OF RO DEVEREUX, to Kobiece, by Lola Dunton at Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier.

Hybrid Heart by Iori Kusano

Mar 282023
 

Rei is a pop idol in near future Japan trying to push past middling success despite competition from Vocaloid-style digital singers. Haunted by both guilt and the insidious manipulations of a controlling talent manager, Rei is forced to question what parts of herself—and those around her—she will sacrifice on the path to top billing.

Review: Hybrid Heart by Iori Kusano

Mar 232023
 

Publishers Weekly: Kusano brings the vibrant world of J-Pop into stunning clarity in their near-future debut novella. Rei must navigate the semidystopian world of Japanese pop idols as a solo act after her best friend and former duo member, Ririko, gets caught with a secret boyfriend despite a contractual obligation not to fall in love. In the wake of this scandal, Rei’s success hinges on her role as the singing voice of a character on a popular anime, and her overbearing manager frequently reminds her how tenuous her career is. Meanwhile, she can’t help being drawn to the music of her main competitor, a lifelike computer-generated idol called Lyrico. With a hotshot young recruit to Rei’s talent agency nipping at her heels, Rei must work out her feelings for Lyrico and determine if the new trainee will be friend or foe. Rei makes for a fascinating protagonist held captive in a glittering world. The author holds readers in a similarly tight grip, immersing them in imagined future Japanese pop culture. Kusano shows real promise.

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