Some exciting news just in….
Announced today at Aussiecon IV (the 68th World Science Fiction Convention), Eos Books, a U.S. imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, will be rebranded as Harper Voyager, joining together with the celebrated Voyagerimprints in Australia/New Zealand and the UK. The move is anticipated to create a global genre-fiction powerhouse.
If, by chance, you happen to be without a literary indulgence this coming bank holiday and primarily based in London, then here are a few alternatives for you to fill your weekend with…
BFI South Bank (London) is hosting the second part in their Film Science series reflecting on how human society might evolve and the human experience change in the future. They will be showing Minority Report, Moon, Punishment without Crime, Les Revenants, Random Quest, Solaris, The Wild Blue Yonder and The Year of the Sex Olympics at various dates and times between 19th - 31st August. However, there seems to be a distinct lack of super powers in this supposed future, so all those hours painstakingly choosing what power you’ll develop or X-Men character you’ll become looks a little wasted if BFI get their way. Alternatively try BFI IMAX for Avatar: Special Edition which includes a whole eight extra minutes of over-sized smurf action.
For your chance to win the full set of books in Darren Shan‘s frighteningly good The City Trilogy. All you need to do is answer the question below.
Email us at thevoyager@harpercollins.co.uk with your name, address and answer to the question below
Q: Which is the first book in The City Trilogy?
a. Hell’s Horizon
b. City of Snakes
c. Procession of the Dead
Good luck!
The competition closes at midnight on 10th September 2010.
This month’s ‘Book of the Month’ comes from Cinda Williams Chima, author of the New York Times bestselling Heir series of young adult fantasy novels. Excitingly for us (and you), The Demon King marks the start of a brand new fantasy series which follows the adventures of an unlikely group of companions in their struggle to save the world.
When 16-year-old Han Alister and his Clan friend Dancer encounter three underage wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea, he has no idea that this event will precipitate a cascade of disasters that will threaten everything he cares about.
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Huge congratulations are due to George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois for their World Fantasy Award – Anthology nomination for Songs of the Dying Earth.
This is a truly remarkable collection, featuring stories from George R. R. Martin, Neil Gaiman, Robert Silverberg, Tad Williams, Dan Simmons and many many others.
To celebrate this remarkable achievement, Voyager Books are giving away pre-publication paperback copies of Songs of the Dying Earth to five lucky fans. To win, all you have to do is answer this very simple question:
Who are the stories in Songs of the Dying Earth written in honour of?
E-mail your answer to thevoyager [at] harpercollins.co.uk by Friday 27 August at 4pm and be entered to win! (Sorry, once again this contest is open only to UK/EIRE residents — will try and have a global contest soon!)
August sees the release of the paperback of Kim Stanley Robinson‘s Galileo’s Dream. If you’re looking for a new book by one of the giants of science fiction, look no further – and if you don’t believe me, take a look at some of these reviews…
‘Galileo’s Dream, however, is a gleaming return to form for one of the world’s best SF writers: thought-provoking and moving in equal measure… Elegant, charming, funny and profound, Galileo’s Dream is magnifico.’ Guardian
‘ …very thought-provoking and fresh science fiction novel with a very engrossing story challenging preconceptions about time, reality and history itself. Recommended.’ Science Fiction and Fantasy book reviews
‘Galileo’s Dream is a richly rewarding read that I thoroughly enjoyed.’ A.L. Rutter – Floor to Ceiling Books
Have you reviewed Galileo’s Dream? Tweet me or e-mail me and I’ll add it to the list!
Synopsis under the cut…
As you may have already seen over on Robin Hobb’s blog, we recently released the cover of her brand new short story collection, The Inheritance. As we’ve been having lots of cover discussion recently on this blog, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this cover too. The two gorgeous cats are by Jackie Morris.
Voyager UK is publishing The Inheritance at the end of March, 2011. One of the most fascinating aspects of this book is seeing how one author can have two such distinct voices – and this is the first time ‘Robin’ and ‘Megan’ have been blended into a single volume. Anyone interested in the writing process will be fascinated by how Robin switches between writing personas and how a particular story fits one voice over the other.
The post below on sci-fi and fantasy book covers has generated some great discussion and opinions are varied. One of Voyager’s main designers, Dominic Forbes, threw his comments into the ring as well… Thanks Dom!
As a cover designer and reader of SF/fantasy, I agree it’s annoying when a series changes look halfway through. Although for very long series or ones that have large gaps between releases (Mr Martin I’m looking at you) it’s possibly more understandable. Covers are quite like fashion in that styles come and go fairly quickly. Often it’s about refreshing something to attract new readers or broaden a title’s appeal.
@westerosorg asked: Shift in cover art for SF/F, from more illustrative towards more abstract/graphic, seems more pronounced in UK than US. Why?
Thanks for your question @westerosorg! I can’t really speak for the US or even the UK market as a whole, but I’ll try to give some insight into cover design from the Voyager/HarperCollins art department team perspective.
The great thing about the fantasy genre is that the fantasy market is actually very evenly spread across genders and age groups. The challenge is then that our book covers have to work for an extremely varied audience. We also have to be extra careful not to alienate any potential readers as external market research has shown us that sometimes more traditional-looking, illustrative fantasy covers are off-putting for newcomers to the genre. There’s a whole website dedicated to ridiculous fantasy covers — and while hopefully we are doing better nowadays there is still a negative perception towards fantasy books (‘trashy’, ‘weird’, ‘dated’ come to mind) that we have to push back against. Basically, more graphic, elegant covers are hopefully appealling to our extremely loyal genre fanbase as well as to new readers who perhaps wouldn’t expect to enjoy a ‘fantasy’ novel — and changing the perception of the genre as a whole.
Today we’re celebrating the publication of Stuart B. MacBride’s Halfhead. Already very well-known and loved in crime-thriller circles (have you checked out Killer Reads, the HarperCollins crime website?), Stuart has turned his hand to science fiction…
‘Slick, gruesome and brutally intelligent, this is bare knuckles thriller-writing’ Michael Marshall
‘Compelling’ SFX
There are worse things than the death penalty…
They call them halfheads: convicted criminals, surgically mutilated and lobotomized by the State, then sent out to do menial jobs in the community so everyone will know what happens when you break the law. There are no appeals, no reprieves, and no one ever comes back. Until now.
Dr Fiona Westfield, one of the most prolific serial killers Glasgow has ever seen, is waking up. Surrounded by blood and death and darkness.
William Hunter has risen through the ranks since putting Westfield away; now he’s Assistant Network Director, in charge of police actions. But a routine murder investigation is about to embroil him in an appalling conspiracy.
The vast connurb blocks on Glasgow’s deprived south side are ready to explode. Eleven years ago the VR riots killed millions – now someone wants to start them all over again. And Will is being dragged back into a past he desperately wants to forget…
Welcome to the Voyager blog – full of news, reviews, and opinion pieces on all of your favourite Voyager authors. We publish a wide range of authors across the genre, from classic science fiction authors to giants of fantasy, as well as a range of bright new stars.
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