Forthcoming Books

Go West, Not-So-Young Man!

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Having just completed his first military SF series (which concludes with Starship: Flagshipthis coming December), five time Hugo-winning author Mike Resnick is going to turn his talented hand to a new first for him – steampunk! We’ve just signed with him for The Buntline Special: A Weird West Tale. Picture a fractured America, steampunk technology, cowboys, rayguns, Native American shamans, and, drum roll please, zombies! I feel very safe guaranteeing that the West will never be the same.

Mike Resnick has won an impressive five Hugos and been nominated for twenty-eight more. He has sold fifty-eight novels and more than two hundred short stories. He has edited fifty anthologies. His work ranges from satirical fair, such as his Lucifer Jones adventures, to weighty examinations of morality and culture, as evidenced by his brilliant tales of Kirinyaga. The series, with sixty-seven major and minor awards and nominations to date, is the most honored series of stories in the history of science fiction.

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Behold – The Coming of the Vampire Empire! (Cue scary music)

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The vampires are coming. Oh, they’ve been here already, in the comedic fantasy of Mike Resnick, and things suspiciously like vampires (but also unlike them) have popped up in the works of Tom Lloyd and Joe Abercrombie. There are definitely vampire-esque entities in James Barclay and James Enge’s work. But we haven’t done an out and out, unabashedly vampire book yet at Pyr. This is nothing against bloodsuckers, honest, but I’ve been looking for the right vampire book, the kind of vampire book that says “this is how Pyr does vampires.”

And I’ve finally found it.

Enter Clay and Susan Griffith, and their Vampire Empire. The first book in a projected series (“Vampire Empire” is the series title, book one is most likely going to be titled “The Greyfriar”), this is alt. history steampunk vampire. Let’s say that again. “Alt. history steampunk vampire.” We’ve just signed it up–most likely for a late fall 2010/early spring 2011 publication–and boy does it push all the right buttons!

“We are thrilled to be working with Pyr books on Vampire Empire: The Greyfriar,” they say. “Pyr has always published the sort of rich fantasy we enjoy reading, so it’s a great treat to write for them too. Vampire Empire is the culmination of our love of fantasy, history, and rousing pulp adventure. The world of the novel consists of familiar Victorian history blended with strange twists to create a vast tapestry of politics and war fueled by odd steampunk technology. We think our take on vampires will excite you. But mostly, we promise that we know, as any reader does, characters count more than anything else.”

So who are these folks?

Clay and Susan Griffith are a husband and wife writing team who specialize in blending fantasy and historical adventure in prose and graphic novels. They have published works ranging from the dark fantasy novel Banshee Screams (Pinnacle Entertainment 2002) to many issues of the satirical comic book The Tick (NEC Press). Clay and Susan met, probably not surprisingly, in a bookstore. Clay is a professor of history and Susan has a background in journalism, technical writing, and graphic design. They were married in Scotland, the country that provides much of the setting of Vampire Empire. Clay and Susan live with a cat in North Carolina. They have been writing together over 20 years, and are still married!

I’m very pleased to welcome them into the Pyr fold and looking forward to springing their genius on you in due course.

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For Your Viewing Pleasure: The Quiet War Full Cover Spread

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Coming in September…

Cover Illustration © Sparth
Design by Jacqueline Cooke


“Shortlisted for this year’s Arthur C. Clarke Award, this sweeping interplanetary adventure is also a thoughtful examination of human nature. …McAuley (Cowboy Angels) moves deftly among five well-drawn characters in the thick of the action: a cloned spy, a hotshot pilot, a ruthless scientist, a bluntly independent biological engineer and an unscrupulous diplomat. They all, in different ways, must choose between the familiar and the new, struggling to reconcile conflicting desires. This compelling tale opens vast panoramas while confronting believable people with significant choices.” Publishers Weekly starred review

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Things to Look Forward To For the Next Year

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Because I’ve just compiled this for Locus, no reason not to share here. (When we get as far out as next summer, things might shift a little bit, might drop another title in, etc… but…)

August 2009:
Mike Resnick, Stalking the Dragon (A Fable of Tonight, 3) – trade paperback, comedic urban fantasy
Justina Robson, Chasing the Dragon (Quantum Gravity 4) – trade paperback, urban fantasy

September 2009:
Tom Lloyd, The Grave Thief (Twilight Reign 3)- trade paperback, epic fantasy
Paul McAuley, The Quiet War – trade paperback, science fiction
James Barclay, Dawnthief (Chronicles of the Raven 1) – trade paperback, epic fantasy

October 2009:
Joel Shepherd, Sasha (A Trial of Blood & Steel,1) – trade paperback, epic fantasy
James Enge, A Crooked Way (2 of 3) – trade paperback, fantasy/swords & sorcery
James Barclay, Noonshade (Chronicles of the Raven 2) – trade paperback, epic fantasy

November 2009:
Mark Chadbourn, The Silver Skull (,The Sword of Albion, 1) – trade paperback, historical fantasy
Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Diving into the Wreck – trade paperback, science fiction/space opera
James Barclay, Nightchild (Chronicles of the Raven 3) – trade paperback, epic fantasy

December 2009:
Mike Resnick, Starship: Flagship (Starship, 5) – hardcover, science fiction

January 2009:
Kay Kenyon, City Without End (Entire and the Rose, 3) – trade paperback, sci-fantasy
Kay Kenyon, Prince of Storms (Entire and the Rose, 4) – hardcover, sci-fantasy

February 2009:
David Louis Edelman, Geosynchron (Jump 225 Vol III) – trade paperback, science fiction

March 2010:
Joel Shepherd, Petrodor (A Trial of Blood & Steel, 2) – trade paperback, epic fantasy
Adrian Tchaikovsky, Empire in Black and Gold (Shadows of the Apt 1) – trade paperback, epic fantasy

April 2010:
George Mann, Ghosts of Manhattan (1 of 2) – trade paperback, steampunk pulp/superhero adventure
Adrian Tchaikovsky, Dragonfly Falling (Shadows of the Apt 2) – trade paperback, epic fantasy

May 2010:
Mark Chadbourn, The Devil in Green (Dark Age Book 1) – trade paperback, urban fantasy
Adrian Tchaikovsky, Blood of the Mantis (Shadows of the Apt 3) – trade paperback, epic fantasy

June 2010:
Mark Chadbourn, The Queen of Sinister (Dark Age Book 2) – trade paperback, urban fantasy
Ian McDonald, The Dervish House – hardcover, science fiction
Matthew Sturges, The Office of Shadow – trade paperback, fantasy

July 2010:
Mark Chadbourn, The Hounds of Avalon (Dark Age Book 3) – trade paperback, urban fantasy

August 2010:
Kay Kenyon, Prince of Storms (The Entire and the Rose, 4) PB after hardcover, sci-fantasy
Jon Sprunk, Shadow’s Son (1 of 3) – trade paperback, fantasy

Excited?

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For Your Viewing Pleasure: Dawnthief (Chronicles of the Raven)

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Dawnthief © James Barclay
Cover Illustration © Sam Hadley
Design by Nicole Sommer-Lecht


Coming September 2009:

“Action fantasy at its best. Dawnthief stays fresh, sparky and intelligent (enough) throughout. A great start to what I’m sure will be a memorable series.” —SFX

The Raven: six men and an elf, sword for hire in the wars that have torn apart Balaia

For years their loyalty has been only to themselves and their code.

But, that time is over. The Wytch Lords have escaped and The Raven find themselves fighting for the Dark College of magic, searching for the location of Dawnthief. It is a spell created to end the world, and it must be cast if any of them are to survive.

Dawnthief is a fast paced epic about a band of all-too-human heroes.

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You’re Going to Love Eva Forge

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One of the best books I’ve read in a while that I didn’t edit/publish at Pyr was Tim Akers’ absolutely brilliant, Heart of Veridon, a steampunk noir forthcoming from Solaris in August. The book is fantasticly imaginative, the dialogue pitch perfect, the story screaming to be an Alex Proyas film. In fact, it impressed me so much that I chased Tim down for his next one.

Thus, I am very happy to inform you all that we concluded a deal last Friday to publish his novel, The Horns of Ruin, which mixes those same elements of steampunk and crime noir that he does so well with both high fantasy and urban fantasy. I was hooked from the first line of the pitch:

Eva Forge is the last paladin of a dead god.

Cue the Keanu Reeves “whoa.” And if that doesn’t get you, Tim elaborates, “You know, paladins with jetpacks. Clockwork monasteries besieged by revenants.”

Excited? I sure am. Tim’s writing it at the moment, so we’re looking at late 2010 for a pub date at the earliest, but you can pick up Heart of Veridon in August, and then you can get as excited as I am.

Now, why not head over to Tim’s blog and congratulate him?

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Meet Jon Sprunk – New Fantasy Author

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A little while back, I alluded on Twitter (@Pyr_Books) to being about to make someone’s day with an offer. Well, that someone was debut novelist Jon Sprunk, and that offer was for his wonderful fantasy trilogy, of Shadow’s Son, Shadow‘s Lure, and Shadow’s Master. Sprunk is a Pennsylvania-based author with several small-press short story publications to his credits. He impressed me with the strength of his world-building, how he conjured credibility from a a few impressive details, and with his characterizations and imagination.

The first book, Shadow’s Son, is the story of an assassin thrust into the middle of a political and religious upheaval that threatens to topple the last bastion of civilization. It’s got everything that Pyr fantasy is coming to represent – great action, grit & grime, morally ambiguous characters, strong females who are more than foils, complex politics, actual magic, and lots and lots of swordplay. The first book will be out around Summer 2010, which is a while to wait, but I think you guys are going to like it.

Meanwhile, you can visit Jon’s website and his Facebook page.

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For Your Viewing Pleasure: Desolation Road

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Cover Illustration © Stephan Martiniere
Design by Jacqueline Cooke

It all began 30 years ago on Mars, with a greenperson. But by the time it all finished, the town of Desolation Road had experienced every conceivable abnormality from Adam Black’s Wonderful Travelling Chataqua and Educational Stravaganza (complete with its very own captive angel) to the Astounding Tatterdemalion Air Bazaar. It’s inhabitants ranged from Dr. Alimantando, the town’s founder and resident genius, to the Babooshka, a barren grandmother who just wants her own child grown in a fruit jar; from Rajendra Das, mechanical hobo who has a mystical way with machines to the Gallacelli brothers, identical triplets who fell in love with and married the same woman.


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For Your Viewing Pleasure: Killswitch mmpb

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Cover Illustration © Stephan Martiniere
Design by Jacqueline Cooke

Two years after the unhatching of Callayan President Neiland’s plot to make the capital city of Tanusha the center of the Federation, Callay is under siege. So begins the third installment of this gripping trilogy from an exciting new sci-fi author.

A powerful faction of conservative Fleet captains has surrounded Callay, at Earth’s behest, and is threatening a blockade – or worse. A fearful Earth does not wish to lose direct control of its precious war machine, and there are fears of civil war.

All that Callay has to oppose the warships of the Fleet is the Callayan Defense Force (CDF) – a newly formed group of raw recruits led by a politically hamstrung general. However, the CDF is largely trained and organized by Major Vanessa Rice and her best friend, Callay’s combat-android, Commander Cassandra Kresnov. But when Cassandra’s lover, Special Agent Ari Ruben, discovers a plot to kill her using a killswitch, which her old masters in the League built into her brainstem, Sandy is forced to go underground to stay alive.

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