John Wordsworth, Commissioning Editor at Headline, has concluded a pre-emptive three-book World rights deal for an epic fantasy series by UK author Richard Ford with the agent John Jarrold. The first volume is provisionally titled Steelhaven and introduces a strong cast of characters in a fascinatingly constructed world and city setting.

Richard is a freelance editor and proof-reader who has just had his debut steampunk novel Kultus published by Solaris. “I’ve always loved fantasy that pushes the boundaries; that takes no prisoners and does what you least expect from the genre,” he said. “With Steelhaven I wanted to see what would happen if you took popular fantasy tropes and attacked them with modern concepts from TV and film. What if David Gemmell’s Legend was mixed with HBO’s The Wire? What if you took the characters from a Tarantino movie and stuck them in a fantasy metropolis on the brink of destruction?”

John Jarrold said: “Steelhaven blew me away. The interweaving storylines and varied characters drew me in from the first page, as did the fluid, involving prose and story-telling. I believe we are talking about a major new fantasy talent here, to rank with Joe Abercrombie, Peter V. Brett and others.  The immediate enthusiasm from John and his colleagues was wonderful and I’m delighted to conclude the agency’s first deal with Headline.”

“Steelhaven is about as edgy a fantasy as I’ve ever read,” said John Wordsworth. “It feels both modern and classic at the same time. I am absolutely thrilled that Richard is joining Headline and I can’t wait to help unleash this monster upon the unsuspecting public.”

Solaris has announced that it has signed up James Lovegrove to write another book in his best-selling military science-fiction Pantheon Series. Age of Voodoo is due for publication in 2013 and will continue the killer blend of high-octane action set in worlds dominated by religion, but not necessarily ones we would find familiar.

The series, including New York Times bestseller The Age of Odin, sets itself in alternative histories that can be read as stand-alone novels or enjoyed as a collective. Deities of old are rewritten and revitalized by Lovegrove, who creates some truly gripping adventures.

2012 will see the publication of the next in the series, Age of Aztec, along with the ebook-only novella, Age of Anansi. The series focuses on the central question of ‘what if the Gods of Mythology were not only real but played a direct role in mankind’s lives?’

In Age of Aztec, the Aztecs’ reign is one of ruthless oppression and regular human sacrifice, but in the jungle-infested city of London, one man defies them: the masked vigilante known as the Conquistador. As the apocalypse looms, the Conquistador must assassinate the mysterious, immortal Aztec emperor even as he is pursued by police inspector Mal Vaughn.

The Age of Odin remained on the New York Times bestseller list for several weeks earlier this year and the series also includes Age of Ra and Age of Zeus.

LOSS OF SEPARATION by Conrad Williams. Solaris £7.99

Reviewed by Jay Eales

They say that bad things come in threes. Paul Roan used to fly Boeing 777s, but after a near-collision – the loss of separation of the title, or at least one interpretation of it, he decided to ground himself, and opened a bed and breakfast with his girlfriend Tamara. Not long after, he is involved in a horrific hit and run car accident, leaving his body as broken and scarred as his psyche, and in a coma for several months. When he awakens, the third boot drops, and he finds Tamara missing.

Williams blends together genres with astounding skill. Part detective story, part psychological horror, grounded in the coastal fishing villageof Southwick, echoing nothing so much as the insular community of Summerisle from The Wicker Man. Paul fulfils the shamanic outsider role for the colony; they bring him their possessions, their secrets and other ephemera to burn. He is their sin eater; a role he never asked for, but does not shirk from.

Roan struggles throughout to keep his reality together, suffering memory loss from his accident and the effects of the powerful pain medication that keeps his jigsaw puzzle body together. This leads to some phenomenal scenes where nightmare and truth blur, and the audience is really able to identify with the protagonist. Despite the likelihood that any reader will find themselves in similar situations to Roan, his actions seem real, and his investigations no more assured than any other normal person’s would be. There are no leaps of logic or intuition here, just a man desperate to find his girlfriend and the truth, and to overcome his demons, both psychological and physical.

Rebellion reports:

“Having already conquered the world of roleplaying games, one of the most dynamic RPG publishers in Britain is now advancing into the world of fiction. Cubicle 7 is pleased to announce the launch of its new fiction imprint – Cubicle 7 Fiction. In cooperation with the established and successful Solaris and Abaddon Books imprints, Cubicle 7 Fiction will publish between three and five novels and anthologies a year based upon its terrific science fiction, fantasy, and speculative properties.

The first title is Sarah Newton’s far future adventure, Mindjammer. The novel and its universe can be explored at the new website HERE. Mindjammer has been released in ebook format, with a release of physical print edition to follow. Additional titles will be announced in the months to come.

Cubicle 7 has already earned a stellar reputation thanks to the quality of its RPG games, which range from aliens and trans-humans to vistas of a far-flung future and Steampunk dystopias peopled by Frankensteinian monsters. Its stable of imagination-fuelled intellectual properties has inspired and driven numerous roleplaying game lines.”

“Rebellion Publishing is proud to announce the opening of its brand new digital store – giving you the pick of the freshest genre writing available at the click of a button.

Everything from SF to horror and fantasy to urban fantasy will be available direct from our Solaris and Abaddon Books imprints for the first time, and in both ePub and mobi formats – perfect for anyone with a Kindle or eReader.

You can visit the new store HERE

The ideal one-stop shop for the 21st century reader, the Rebellion Publishing store offers digital downloads for all our titles with competitive prices, special sales and promotional offers – it’s the perfect place to stock up with winter warmers for the festive season.

Offering Steampunk, SF, fantasy, urban fantasy and horror, the site is easily navigable and each book is categorised in multiple ways. Alternatively, in search of a new read with a strong female lead? Or maybe a good anti-hero? Find what you want quickly with our ‘popular themes’ sections.

And to kick off, not only is there 10% off of all ebooks but, inspired by the lingering chill of Hallowe’en, for this week only all the novels in our Tomes of the Dead zombie series and the Infernal Game series are just £2 each!”

Solaris Rising edited by Ian Whates
Published by Solaris on 25th October (US) and 1st November (UK)
£7.99 (UK)  $7.99/$9.99 (US & CAN)
Also available as an eBook

“Looking for science fiction of the highest order? Solaris Rising is the first in an exciting new series of anthologies set to reaffirm Solaris’ proud reputation for producing high quality science fiction.

In a book full of boundless variety, energy and imagination, award-winning editor Ian Whates gathers the most accomplished writers in the genre including Ian McDonald, Paul di Filippo, Stephen Baxter, Adam Roberts, Pat Cadigan, Eric Brown, Alastair Reynolds and Peter F. Hamilton.

From the imprint that brought you The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction series, Solaris Rising promises bizarre futures, gritty other worlds and strange realms, exemplifying the diversity and innovation that continue to make science fiction the most thrilling genre there is.”

“The tread on the landing outside the door when you know you are the only one in the house. The wind whistling through the eves, carrying the voices of the dead. The figure glimpsed briefly through the cracked window of a derelict house.”

Nineteen chilling stories by Lisa Tuttle, Chaz Brenchley, Robert Shearman, Christopher Fowler, Christopher Priest, Joe R Lansdale and many others … all collected in House of Fear, the new anthology edited by Jonathan Oliver and now available from Solaris (£7.99).

Kultus by Richard Ford
To be published by Solaris 1st November (UK) and 25th October (US & Canada)
£7.99 (UK)    $7.99/$9.99 (US & CAN)
Also available as an ebook

“A steam-powered burlesque of brutal demonic action by the latest break-out talent from Solaris!

Thaddeus Blaklok – mercenary, demonist, bastard and thug-for-hire – is pressed into retrieving a mysterious key for his clandestine benefactors. Little does he know that other parties seek to secure this artefact for their own nefarious ends and soon he is pursued by brutal cultists, bloodthirsty gangsters, deadly mercenaries and hell spawned monsters, all bent on stopping him by any means necessary.

In a lightning paced quest that takes him across the length and breadth of the steam-fuelled city of Manufactory, Blaklok must use his wits and his own demonic powers to keep the key from those who would use it for ill, and open the gates to Hell itself.

Wrapped in a beautiful cover by famous Batman and Robin comic artist Fraser Irving, this is a sizzling mix of the occult and steampunk from a debut novelist that doesn’t leave the fun out.”

REDLAW by James Lovegrove. Solaris £7.99

Reviewed by Karen Stevens

Captain John Redlaw is a member of SHADE, the Sunless Housing and Disclosure Executive, whose job is to police the vampires or ‘Sunless’ who live in ghetto areas of London and the other major cities of the UK. Despised and feared by the general public, the Sunless survive on a diet of bovine blood, but when the vampires riot and the humans respond with violence of their own, Redlaw finds himself trapped in the middle of a powerful conspiracy to provide a final solution to the Sunless problem.

Redlaw is a hard-edged, action-heavy novel with vampires that are more nosferatu than Dracula – no teenage girl would swoon over these bloodsuckers. Redlaw himself is a dour, honourable hero, the sort of person one admires rather than likes, but he wins the reader’s interest and empathy thanks to his grim determination and sense of justice. The description of a present-day London with immigrant vampires detained in filthy council estates is realistically realised and some of the events and groups mentioned seem to be a dark reflection of our modern society. Lovegrove has a terse, clear prose that suits the pace and style of the story and carries the reader rapidly along; it’d be possible to polish this book off in one or two sittings.

All in all a stonking good read and a refreshing change to the paranormal romance that seems to dominate the bloodsucking genre. Buy it, read it, enjoy it.

“Floorboards creek, windows rattle, the wind whistles through the eaves – are you alone in the house? Are you sure?!”

The follow up to Solaris’ 2010 critically-acclaimed End of the Line underground railway horror anthology, House of Fear brings the haunted house out of tired cliché and back into the mainstream with 19 short stories from some of the finest writers working in the genre.

Editor Jonathan Oliver brings horror home with a collection of stories from Joe R. Lansdale, Sarah Pinborough, Lisa Tuttle, Christopher Priest, Adam L. G. Nevill, Nicholas Royle, Chaz Brenchley, Christopher Fowler, Gary Kilworth, Weston Ochse, Eric Brown, Tim Lebbon, Nina Allan, Stephen Volk, Paul Meloy and more.

And on Tuesday 27 September 2011, something scary will be haunting Foyles bookshop on Charing Cross Road, London! The writers and editors of the upcoming House of Fear anthology of haunted house stories will be celebrating its launch and would like you to join them.

Details from Foyles’ website