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The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal

Aug 212018
 

Cover of The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal.Mary Robinette Kowal continues the grand sweep of alternate history begun in The Calculating Stars, The Fated Sky looks forward to 1961, when mankind is well-established on the moon and looking forward to its next step: journeying to, and eventually colonizing, Mars.

Of course the noted Lady Astronaut Elma York would like to go, but there’s a lot riding on whoever the International Aerospace Coalition decides to send on this historic—but potentially very dangerous—mission? Could Elma really leave behind her husband and the chance to start a family to spend several years traveling to Mars? And with the Civil Rights movement taking hold all over Earth, will the astronaut pool ever be allowed to catch up, and will these brave men and women of all races be treated equitably when they get there? This gripping look at the real conflicts behind a fantastical space race will put a new spin on our visions of what might have been.

Starred Review: The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal

Aug 212018
 

Cover of The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal.Publishers Weekly: Kowal continues her exquisite exploration of race and gender relations in an alternate 1961 that is still shockingly close to our own.

The stunning second part of Kowal’s duology picks up 10 years after a meteor strikes Earth (depicted in The Calculating Stars) with series heroine Elma now serving as a pilot to the lunar colony. After she survives being taken hostage by a terrorist organization opposed to space travel, Elma is asked to join the first Mars mission, replacing a close friend and incurring the resentment of the existing crew. For Elma and her colleagues on both ships, contained in close quarters for three years far from family and friends, the journey is filled with tension, joy, terror, and sorrow, including the deaths of crew members and an anxious period when contact with Earth is cut off.

The clever details of life in space—from baking challah in zero gravity to finding tricks for communicating privately, as well as the more horrifying practicalities of how to deal with illness and corpses—create an immersive world that will stay with the reader well past the final page.

Review: Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells

Aug 172018
 

Cover of Exit Strategy by Martha Wells.Tor.com: Wells’ characterisation is pitch-perfect. Murderbot’s voice is darkly—and frequently not-so-darkly—funny, and Murderbot itself is a deeply appealing character. Other characters, as is appropriate for a writer of Wells’ talents, feel like fully formed individuals with lives and goals of their own, despite how little time the reader spends in their company. The pacing is excellent, tension mounting to an explosive conclusion, and like all of Wells’ work, it has atmosphere in spades.

And thematically, it’s about what it means to be human, and the nature of responsibility.

I really enjoyed this installment of the adventures of Murderbot. I’m looking forward to Exit Strategy, the next novella, and to the recently-announced forthcoming Murderbot novel. The world needs more Murderbot, because Murderbot is delightful.

Review: Temper by Nicky Drayden

Aug 102018
 

Cover of Temper by Nicky Drayden.B&N SFF Blog: Last year, Nicky Drayden’s debut novel THE PREY OF GODS blew the doors of science fiction and fantasy off their hinges, blending a diverse array of elements into a madcap Afrofuturist romp. If you expected she’d pump the brakes on her sophomore effort, or maybe just that she’d run out of ideas, well, friend, you were mistaken.

With TEMPER, Drayden has solidified herself as not only a fresh and riveting voice in SFF, but as a force to be reckoned with.

Drayden’s worldbuilding boasts depth and nuance, with details that pull taut a sprawling narrative, both figuratively and literally.

Yes, the world is fascinating, but, as was true in THE PREY OF GODS, the true strength of this novel is its cast of characters.

This is a beautiful story, and a dark one. It is raucous and twisted, a story of upheaval told with vibrant glee. TEMPER feels real in the ways of the best speculative fiction, as if we’re looking at ourselves in a funhouse mirror, noting the skewed beauty, and blemishes, and all.

The Murderbot Diaries: Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells

Aug 072018
 

Cover of Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells.Who knew being a heartless killing machine would present so many moral dilemmas?

Sci-fi’s favorite antisocial A.I. is back on a mission. The case against the too-big-to-fail GrayCris Corporation is floundering, and more importantly, authorities are beginning to ask more questions about where Dr. Mensah’s SecUnit is.

And Murderbot would rather those questions went away. For good.

Rogue Protocol is the follow-up to Martha Wells’s hugely popular science fiction action and adventure stories All Systems Red and Artificial Condition.

Temper by Nicky Drayden

Aug 072018
 

Cover of Temper by Nicky Drayden.In a land similar to South Africa, twin brothers are beset by powerful forces beyond their understanding or control in this thrilling blend of science fiction, horror, magic, and dark humor—evocative of the works of Lauren Beukes, Ian McDonald, and Nnedi Okorafor—from the author of The Prey of Gods.

Two brothers.
Seven vices.
One demonic possession.
Can this relationship survive?

Auben Mutze has more vices than he can deal with—six to be exact—each branded down his arm for all the world to see. They mark him as a lesser twin in society, as inferior, but there’s no way he’ll let that define him. Intelligent and outgoing, Auben’s spirited antics make him popular among the other students at his underprivileged high school. So what if he’s envious of his twin Kasim, whose single vice brand is a ticket to a better life, one that likely won’t involve Auben.

The twins’ strained relationship threatens to snap when Auben starts hearing voices that speak to his dangerous side—encouraging him to perform evil deeds that go beyond innocent mischief. Lechery, deceit, and vanity run rampant. And then there are the inexplicable blood cravings. . . .

On the southern tip of an African continent that could have been, demons get up to no good during the time of year when temperatures dip and temptations rise. Auben needs to rid himself of these maddening voices before they cause him to lose track of time. To lose his mind. And to lose his . . .

July Subsidiary Rights Deals

Jul 312018
 

a pair of black ear budsAudio rights to the untitled first full-length novel in Martha Wells’ Nebula Award-winning The Murderbot Diaries series, to Brian Sweany at Recorded Books, by Jennifer Jackson and Michael Curry.

July Translation Deals

Jul 312018
 

French rights to Martha Wells’ Nebula Award-winning The Murderbot Diaries series (ALL SYSTEMS RED, ARTIFICIAL CONDITION, ROGUE PROTOCOL, and EXIT STRATEGY), to L’Atlante, by Robin Batet at Anna Jarota Agency in association with Jennifer Jackson and Michael Curry.

Romanian rights to Martha Wells’ Nebula Award-winning The Murderbot Diaries series (ALL SYSTEMS RED, ARTIFICIAL CONDITION, ROGUE PROTOCOL, and EXIT STRATEGY), to Grupul Editorial Art, by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava i Prevodi in association with Jennifer Jackson and Michael Curry.

French rights to Robert Jackson Bennett’s forthcoming FOUNDRYSIDE and HEIROPHANT, the first two books in The Founders Trilogy, to Gilles Dumay at Albin Michel, by Deborah Druba at Anna Jarota Agency, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier, for Cameron McClure.

French rights Robert McCammon’s BOY’S LIFE, to Monsieur Toussaint Louverture, by Deborah Druba at Anna Jarota Agency, on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier, for Cameron McClure.

Czech rights to Martha Wells’ Nebula Award-winning The Murderbot Diaries series (ALL SYSTEMS RED, ARTIFICIAL CONDITION, ROGUE PROTOCOL, and EXIT STRATEGY), to Dobrovsky, by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava I Prevodi in association with Jennifer Jackson and Michael Curry.

Polish audio rights to NYT bestselling author Jim Butcher’s BLOOD RITES, DEAD BEAT, PROVEN GUILTY, WHITE NIGHT, SMALL FAVOR, and TURN COAT, to Storytel, by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava I Prevodi in association with Jennifer Jackson and Michael Curry.

Robert McCammon’s SWAN SONG, to Iztok-Zapad (Bulgaria), by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava I Prevodi on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier, for Cameron McClure.

Robert Jackson Bennett’s FOUNDRYSIDE and HEIROPHANT, to Apex (Taiwan), by Gray Tan at The Grayhawk Agency on behalf of Katie Shea Boutillier, for Cameron McClure.

German rights to World Fantasy Award nominee  Tamsyn Muir’s debut GIDEON THE NINTH, the first book in the Ninth House trilogy, to Heyne, by Sarah Knofius at the Thomas Schlueck Agency in  association with Jennifer Jackson.

Review: The Agony House by Cherie Priest

Jul 272018
 

The Agony House by Cherie Priest.Kirkus: A white family’s attempts to renovate a storm-wracked Victorian New Orleans house are complicated by bitterly contending ghosts.

The resident spirits aren’t particularly reticent either, readily manifesting not only to 17-year-old Denise and her newlywed mother and stepfather, but to visiting neighbors as well—as a whiff of perfume, creeping shadows, a falling ceiling, and other ominous portents. But rather than being a stereotypical screamer, Denise has much in common (characterwise, at least) with intrepid, gun-toting Lucida Might, girl crime fighter and star of a 1950s manuscript comic Denise finds in the attic. Priest (Brimstone, 2017, etc.) ably weaves contemporary issues and a feminist strand into this fantasy as, while briskly fending off ghostly visitations and searching out clues to the house’s violent past, Denise makes new friends and encounters pushback from some St. Roch neighbors rightfully leery of white gentrifiers. Highlighted by a wonderfully melodramatic climax, the author brings her plotlines to upbeat resolutions with a thrilling discovery, a revelation about the comic’s author, and a degree of general community acceptance of Denise and her family. Nearly every character’s race, white or black, is carefully but unobtrusively specified. O’Connor (The Altered History of Willow Sparks, 2018) inserts multiple pages from the comic and atmospheric stand-alone illustrations all printed in haint blue.

Conflicts, ectoplasmic and otherwise, laid to rest in a deliciously creepy setting.

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