Jennifer Jackson – Literary Agent

Readers unfamiliar with 2006′s Trial of Flowers will be baffled by this sequel; those who have read the former are likely to be both delighted and flabbergasted by the latter. The City Imperishable is the decadent relic of a magical empire in which human and numinal forces struggled until the Old Gods were almost forgotten—but this familiar-sounding background doesn’t set up a predictable heroic fantasy yarn. The city’s diverse inhabitants, including demigods and manmade dwarves, are subject to violent physical and moral transformations, and Lake’s lushly energetic writing pulls readers through startling developments. Major concerns this time include bloody political intrigue, a blockade by corsairs and an expedition to the North that may lead to the city’s rebirth or its doom. The result is exuberantly odd, melodramatically ironic and dangerously wonderful. –Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

Congratulations to Jim Butcher with Turn Coat taking the #1 spot on Locus’ hardcover bestseller list! Small Favor is on the paperback list at #7.


Jay Lake’s Green is named a New And Notable book this month. The eponymous heroine of this colorful fantasy is a slave, courtesan, and assassin struggling to navigate a land of magic and political intrigue. “A complex, beautifully described world — something like a combination of steampunk and the gods of India, with an added dash of Lovecraftian horror.” [Faren Miller]

Green

Lake (Escapement) makes a shift from steampunk to lush fantasy filled with exotic locales and exquisite descriptions. Sold as a child, raised and educated as a courtesan and secretly trained as an assassin, strong-willed Green retains her unyielding sense of independence, leading her to make drastic, unwise choices. Often used as a pawn and occasionally betrayed, she perseveres in trying to gain a measure of control over her life and a place to call home. Her goals become harder to reach when she’s caught up in the machinations of immortals and power games of meddling gods. Despite an occasionally episodic feel and some rocky pacing that suggests it might have worked better split over several installments, the story is nicely powered by strong mythic undertones and a fresh take on the relationship between gods and mortals. –Publishers Weekly

Jim Butcher is at #2 on the hardcover list with Small Favor (The Dresden Files, Book 10). His second month on the list!

C.E. Murphy’s The Queen’s Bastard (The Inheritors’ Cycle, Book 1) is at #1 on the trade list.

And Jay Lake ties for the #9 spot on the mass market list with the paperback edition of Mainspring.

Congratulations to everyone!

Congratulations to Elizabeth Bear for her story “Tideline” (Asimov’s, June 2007) – a finalist for the Sturgeon, for best science fiction story of the year.

Congratulations to Jay Lake for his book, Mainspring – a finalist for the John W. Campbell Memorial, for best science fiction novel of the year (this is not the same as the Campbell-not-a-Hugo award at Worldcon).

You are both keeping some might fine company!