Congratulations to all our DMLA who were chosen for Amazon’s Best Books of 2020!
Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2020
Best Children’s books of 2020: ages 9 to 12
The only bridge between past and future is a leap of faith.
Pursued by enemies, exiled Liaden clan Korval is settling into a new base on backworld Surebleak. Moving is expensive, as is war, and Korval is strapped for cash. Delm Korval has therefore instructed Master Trader Shan yos’Galan to design and implement new trade routes, quickly.
But this is no easy task. Dutiful Passage is targeted by Korval’s enemies, denied docking at respectable ports, and cheated at those less respectable. Struggling to recuperate from an attack on his life, while managing daughter Padi’s emerging psychic talents, Shan is running out of options—and time. His quest to establish the all-important trade route puts him at odds with his lifemate, while doubting crew desert the ship. Facing the prospect of failure, Shan accepts the assistance of chancy allies and turns the Passage toward a port only just emerging from Rostov’s Dust and awash with strange energies.
Without trade, Clan Korval will starve. Will a trader’s leap of faith save everything—or doom all?
When the witch built the forty-flight tower, she made very sure to do the whole thing properly. Each flight contains a dreadful monster, ranging from a diamond-scaled dragon to a pack of slavering goblins. Should a prince battle his way to the top, he will be rewarded with a golden sword—and the lovely Princess Floralinda. But no prince has managed to conquer the first flight yet, let alone get to the fortieth. In fact, the supply of fresh princes seems to have quite dried up.
Catalan rights to Nnedi Okorafor’s BINTI TRILOGY, to Raig Verd, in a three-book deal, by Amaiur Fernandez at International Editors’, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Donald Maass.
Czech rights to Micaiah Johnson’s THE SPACE BETWEEN WORLDS, to Albatros Media , by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava I Prevodi, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Cameron McClure.
French renewal rights to New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher’s STORM FRONT, FOOL MOON, GRAVE PERIL, SUMMER KNIGHT, and DEATH MASKS, books 1-5 in the Dresden Files series, to Bragelonne, by Robin Batet at Anna Jarota Agency in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.
Italian rights to New York Times Bestselling author Jim Butcher’s STORM FRONT, FULL MOON, and GRAVE PERIL, the first three books in the Dresden Files series, to Mondadori, by Stefania Fietta at Donzelli Fietta Agency in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.
Italian rights to Annika Martin’s THE BILLIONAIRE’S FAKE FIANCE and RETURN BILLIONAIRE TO SENDER, to Triskell, by Stefania Fietta at Donzelli Fietta, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Cameron McClure.
Polish rights to New York Times bestselling author Anne Bishop’s SHADOWS AND LIGHT, the second book in the Tir Alainn trilogy, to Initium, by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava i Prevodi in association with Michael Curry for Jennifer Jackson.
Polish rights to Ada Palmer’s THE WILL TO BATTLE, to Mag Jacek Rodek, by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava I Prevodi on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Cameron McClure.
Russian rights to Brent Weeks’s THE BLACK PRISM, to Eksmo, by Igor Korzhenevski at Alexander Korzhenevski Agency, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Donald Maass.
Turkish rights to Robert Jackson Bennett’s VIGILANCE, to Ithaki, by Merve Ongen at ONK Agency, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier, for Cameron McClure.
Turkish rights to Micaiah Johnson’s THE SPACE BETWEEN WORLDS, to Ithaki, by Merve Ongen at ONK Agency on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier for Cameron McClure.
Popular Science Books: Elizabeth Bear is one of the best SF writers currently active, and Machine does not disappoint. As Bear makes clear in her acknowledgements, this novel, set in her ‘White Space’ universe, owes a debt to the Irish author James White’s classic Sector General stories, which were a breath of fresh air in the 1960s.
In her White Space universe, Bear has what is surely one of the best successors to Iain M Banks’ Culture universe setting, whether it’s in the sophisticated culture, the AI-as-people or the quaintly-named ships. Throw in a relic wreck of a generation ship, located where it never should have reached, a host of corpsicles, a strange AI entity and unexpected systems failures and we get a satisfyingly rich and interesting plot. The ideas come thick and fast, and Bear deploys fun future technology with aplomb.
…A good addition to what I hope will be a long-continued universe.
BEST FANTASY
Jim Butcher – PEACE TALKS
BEST SCIENCE FICTION
Tamsyn Muir – HARROW THE NINTH
Martha Wells – NETWORK EFFECT
Micaiah Johnson – THE SPACE BETWEEN WORLDS
