Dec 082017
 

LA Times: The first in a four-part series called “The Murderbot Diaries,” Martha Wells’ novella follows a self-aware robot, who calls itself (you guessed it) Murderbot. The artificial being, which hacked itself to achieve autonomy, is tasked with protecting a team of scientists on a distant planet from an unknown threat.

This book wastes no time in getting to the action. It’s a testament to Wells’ talent that this book’s plot and its characters feel as well fleshed out as any full-length novel. It’s hard not to immediately sympathize with a misanthropic robot, can’t we all understand the desire to just binge-watch TV instead of dealing with people? Wells imbued Murderbot with extraordinary humanity, and while this is a fun read, don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s not a profound one.

 December 8, 2017  Tagged with: ,
Dec 052017
 

Cover of Canto Bight by Saladin Ahmed.Soon to be seen in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, welcome to the casino city of Canto Bight. A place where exotic aliens, captivating creatures, and other would-be high rollers are willing to risk everything to make their fortunes. Set across one fateful evening, these four interconnected stories explore the deception and danger of the lavish casino city.

• An honest salesman meets a career criminal as a dream vacation turns into the worst nightmare imaginable, in a story by Saladin Ahmed.

• Dreams and schemes collide when a deal over a priceless bottle of wine becomes a struggle for survival, as told by Mira Grant.

• Old habits die hard when a servant is forced into a mad struggle for power among Canto Bight’s elite, in a tale by Rae Carson

• A deadbeat gambler has one last chance to turn his luck around; all he has to do is survive one wild night, as told by John Jackson Miller.

In Canto Bight, one is free to revel in excess, untouched from the problems of a galaxy once again descending into chaos and war. Dreams can become reality, but the stakes have never been higher—for there is a darkness obscured by all the glamour and luxury.

 December 5, 2017  Tagged with: ,
Dec 052017
 

Cover of Fleet Insurgent by Susan R. Matthews.Collected for the first time, here is the complete Under Jurisdiction body of work falling outside of Matthews’ celebrated novels: long out-of-print short stories fleshing out details of the personal histories of favorite characters, including Joslire Curran and Security Chief Stildyne; substantial novellas—two published here for the first time ever—covering critical events in the life of the series, such as the devil’s bargain between Andrej Koscuisko and Captain Lowden on the Ragnarok; and many more novelettes, stories, and vignettes from The Life and Hard Times of “Uncle” Andrej Koscuisko, who is Not a Nice Man.

 December 5, 2017  Tagged with: ,
Dec 052017
 

Cover of Hymn: The Final Volume of the Psalms of Isaak by Ken Scholes.Ken Scholes completes his five-book epic that began with his acclaimed first novel Lamentation. The battle for control of The Named Lands has captivated readers as they have learned, alongside the characters, the true nature of world called Lasthome.

Now the struggle between the Andro-Francine Order of the Named Lands and the Y’Zirite Empire has reached a terrible turning point. Believing that his son is dead, Rudolfo has pretended to join with the triumphant Y’zirite forces—but his plan is to destroy them all with a poison that is targeted only to the enemy.

In Y’Zir, Rudolfo’s wife Jin Li Tam is fighting a war with her own father which will bring that Empire to ruin.

And on the Moon, Neb, revealed as one of the Younger Gods, takes the power of the Last Home Temple for his own.

 December 5, 2017  Tagged with: ,
Nov 302017
 

Russian rights to Yoon Ha Lee’s Hugo- and Nebula-nominated NINEFOX GAMBIT, to Eksmo, by Igor Korzhenevski at Alexander Korzhenevski Agency in association with Jennifer Jackson and Michael Curry.

Hungarian rights to Nebula-nominated Martha Wells’ ALL SYSTEMS RED and ARTIFICIAL CONDITION, the first two installments in The Murderbot Diaries, to Fumax, by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava I Prevodi in association with Jennifer Jackson and Michael Curry.

Brazilian rights to the Nebula and Hugo Award winner for Best Novella, Nnedi Okorafor’s BINTI, to Galera, in a three-book deal,  by Cristina Purchio at International Editors’ in association with Katie Shea Boutillier on behalf of Donald Maass.

Hungarian rights to NYT bestselling author Robert McCammon’s BOY’S LIFE, to Fumax, by Milena Kaplarevic at Prava I Prevodi, in association with Katie Shea Boutillier on behalf of Cameron McClure.

Dutch rights to World Fantasy, Nebula and Hugo Award-winning author Nnedi Okorafor’s WHO FEARS DEATH, to Silhuet, by Philip Sane at The Lennart Sane Agency in association with Katie Shea Boutillier on behalf of Donald Maass.

Simplified Chinese rights to Jo Walton’s AMONG OTHERS, to Winshare, by Gray Tan at The Grayhawk Agency in association with Katie Shea Boutillier.

 November 30, 2017  Tagged with: , , , ,
Nov 272017
 

Cover of The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden.Kirkus: Nicky Drayden’s debut novel The Prey of Gods is a surprising cornucopia of genres and characters taking place in a futurist South Africa and with seemingly disparate, multi-layered storylines that slowly progress toward each other­–just as the characters do. It’s a little bit surreal, a little bit weird, a lot of fun and wholly impressive.

In a world that is constantly bombarding me with evil and awful news, reading something so queer, so beautiful, so hopeful, so cool­–well, do you wonder why I wanted more?

 November 27, 2017  Tagged with: ,
Nov 222017
 

Cover for Yoon Ha Lee's Ninefox Gambit.B&N SFF Blog: This is one of those books that can’t be adequately described; better to silently hand it to someone and nod sagely, implying with your expression that this is the book that will change everything.

Describing the universe Lee creates here isn’t easy, but here’s a go at it: it’s a consensus reality, shaped by the shared and very rigid belief of the inhabitants, belief is controlled by numbers, equations, and other mathematical processes. Reality itself is therefore governed by an accepted application of formula ­but what happens if there’s a rebellion of thought? In our own world, cutting-edge math and physics are merely disturbing. In Lee’s, they upset the very fabric of reality.

 November 22, 2017  Tagged with: ,
Nov 162017
 

Congratulations to the DMLA clients who made Amazon’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2017!

  • All Systems Red by Martha Wells
  • Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee
  • City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett

 

 November 16, 2017  Tagged with: , ,
Nov 102017
 

Cover of The Stone in The Skull by Elizabeth Bear.Locus Magazine: With Elizabeth Bear’s previous novels in the same world: the Eternal Sky trilogy of Range of Ghosts, Shattered Pillars, and Steles of the Sky. That trilogy is one of the best – most deeply thought, carefully structured, and elegantly finished – epic fantasies of the last decades.

Bear’s worldbuilding is, as ever, a richly detailed delight, rendered tangible in cut-glass prose. The precision and care with which she employs language make the landscapes through which her characters move come powerfully to life – and gives those characters, too, powerful presence and compelling life.

It’s an enormously rich and textured novel, magnificently compelling – and really easy to read. Despite its sprawling, epic canvas, its pace is tight, and Bear cuts between plotlines with an adroit eye for tension. The Stone in the Skull is an astonishing delight of a book.

 November 10, 2017  Tagged with: ,