John Jarrold

Alex Berman at Phantasia Press has acquired limited edition hardback rights in STORMBLOOD, the brilliant SF debut by Jeremy Szal. The deal was concluded with Alice Cottrell, Rights Manager at Orion/Gollancz. Gollancz published STORMBLOOD in 2020, and the sequel, BLINDSPACE, in 2021. The third book in the sequence, WOLFSKIN, is being written.

Vakov Fukasawa used to be a Reaper: a bio-enhanced soldier fighting for the Harmony, against a brutal invading empire. He’s still fighting now, on a different battlefield: taking on stormtech. To make him a perfect soldier, Harmony injected him with the DNA of an extinct alien race, altering his body chemistry and leaving him permanently addicted to adrenaline and aggression. But although they meant to create soldiers, at the same time Harmony created a new drug market that has millions hopelessly addicted to their own body chemistry.

Vakov may have walked away from Harmony, but they still know where to find him, and his former Reaper colleagues are being murdered by someone, or something – and Vakov is appalled to learn his estranged brother is involved. Suddenly it’s an investigation he can’t turn down . . . but the closer he comes to the truth, the more addicted to stormtech he becomes.
And it’s possible the war isn’t over, after all . . .

Jeremy Szal was born in 1995 and was raised by wild dingoes, which should explain a lot. He writes dark science fiction of a character-driven, morally grey nature. His main series is The Common Trilogy, which includes STORMBLOOD, BLINDSPACE and WOLFSKIN, about a drug harvested from alien DNA that makes users permanently addicted to aggression and adrenaline. He’s written over forty short stories, translated into nine languages. He was the editor for the Hugo-winning StarShipSofa until 2020, where he was the editor and audio producer for authors such as George R. R. Martin, Harlan Ellison, and William Gibson. He’s got a somewhat useless a BA in Film Studies and Creative Writing from UNSW. He carves out a living in Sydney, Australia with his family. He loves watching weird movies, exploring cities, eccentric IPAs, rainy weather, and dark humour. Find him at http://jeremyszal.com/ or @JeremySzal

PRAISE FOR STORMBLOOD:

STORMBLOOD is a high stakes adrenaline filled adventure featuring two estranged brothers suddenly on opposite ends of an addict’s war. And it’s real damn good ― Nick Martell, author of THE KINGDOM OF LIARS

A captivating military sci-fi debut. Stormblood tells a splendid story about two brothers divided by war that is full of comradeship, actions, and conflict ― Novel Notions

A magnificent and explosive adrenaline-fest . . . Szal’s debut is an absolute must read for fans of gritty, action-packed, detective and military SF ― Grimdark Magazine

Stormblood feels like a superb combination of the actions in Red Rising Saga and the world-building of Mass Effect. Exciting, thought-provoking, and full of incredibly intense moments. Military sci-fi readers would be treating themselves well by putting Stormblood on their radar ― Novel Notions

This frenetic, grisly sucker-punch of a book manages to be everything you could want from sci-fi, while also carving out its own niche with a rusty slingshiv. ― Fantasy Book Review

Szal’s world is an insane, twisted place, and STORMBLOOD is one of the best scifi stories you’ll ever read ― Rob Boffard, author of OUTER EARTH

Delivers visceral, bone-crunching fight sequences and a strong emotional core ― SFX

Razor sharp and vicious, Stormblood is an adrenaline-driven vision of a dark future. Highly recommended! ― Michael R. Fletcher, author of BLACK STONE HEART

Vakov Fukasawa is a former soldier, addicted to the biotech inside his own body that makes him constantly crave for action. And there is plenty of action in this fast moving novel, but not at the expense of ideas, or of humanity, or of vivid descriptions of Szal’s carefully imagined war-torn galaxy ― Chris Beckett, author of Arthur C Clarke award-winning DARK EDEN

An intriguing mix of rich worldbuilding, meaty twists and ballistic ultraviolence ― SFX

Highly recommended, a visceral trip into the darker side of SF. . .a rich setting replete with many alien races and a constant undertone of threat ― Jamie Sawyer, Author of THE LAZARUS WAR

The prose was visceral, the plot packed a punch and the emotional scenes aimed for the gut. Jeremy just burst through the door and blew away the competition with this powerful action sci-fi debut ― Gray Williams, author of END OF THE LINE

STORMBLOOD is sci-fi with an edge. It’s a gritty, action-packed story that fans of Richard Morgan will eat right up, but it’s got a ton of heart as well. The characters – especially Vakov – are exceptional, and the future-noir setting is extremely well-crafted. You’ll want two things when you’re finished this book: a glass of gin and a sequel. ― Nicholas Eames, author of KINGS OF THE WYLD

Stormblood gets under your skin. It’s like a prose torpedo packing a hefty payload of deep space opera noir, chrome-edged and irresistible ― Michael Cobley, author of HUMANITY’S FIRE

Fanucci has acquired Italian rights to the first two volumes of The Bound and the Broken fantasy series, which has sold over 110,000 copies since publication of the first volume in 2021, by hugely successful and award-winning self-published author Ryan Cahill: OF BLOOD AND FIRE and OF DARKNESS AND LIGHT. The agent was Maura Solinas of Piergiorgio Nicolazzini Literary Agency (PNLA), representing the John Jarrold Literary Agency.

Born in fire. Tempered in blood.

Epheria is a land divided by war and mistrust. The High Lords of the South squabble and fight, only kept in check by the Dragonguard, traitors of a time long past, who serve the empire of the North.

In the remote villages of southern Epheria, still reeling from the tragic loss of his brother, Calen Bryer prepares for The Proving – a test of courage and skill that not all survive.

But when three strangers arrive in the village of Milltown, with a secret they are willing to die for, Calen’s world is ripped from under him and he is thrust headfirst into a war that has been raging for centuries.

There is no prophecy. His coming was not foretold.

He bleeds like any man, and bleed he will.

“Might be the 21st Century’s own Tolkien or Robert Jordan” – Mike Shackle, author of the LAST WAR series

“A triumph of a debut” – FANFI ADDICT

“Impressive, enthralling and breathtaking” – LIBRARYOFAVIKING

“A truly stunning debut” – Zack Argyle, author of the THREADLIGHT series

“Cahill’s golden ticket to the pantheon of fantasy greats” – Petrik Leo, NOVEL NOTIONS

“A new modern fantasy classic” – Craig – BOOKWYRM

AST has acquired Russian rights to fantasy novel HALL OF BONES by Tim Hardie, the first book in the Brotherhood of the Eagle series, which was self-published in 2020. The agent was Laura Karayotov of the SAS Lester Literary Agency & Associates representing the John Jarrold Literary Agency.

The Brotherhood of the Eagle series is a Viking-style fantasy set in a secondary world. It will appeal greatly to fans of both John Gwynne and Giles Kristian. In the remote land of Laskar the seven ruling clans have vied with each other for power for over a century. The son of the Reavesburg Clan Chief, Rothgar, has been groomed all his life for a role supporting his elder brother, Jorik, in leading their kingdom when their father’s time finally comes to an end.

However, the rulers of their greatest rivals, the Vorund Clan, are in the grip of something older and far darker. They have been conquered by evil, a remnant from the time when the gods warred with one another and the world of Amuran collapsed into the Fallen Age.

Everything is about to change …

PRAISE FOR HALL OF BONES

“… plenty of action, intrigue, betrayal and a chilling slide into not bedtime story magic” – Janny Wurts, author of The Wars of Light and Shadow fantasy series

“A fantasy novel done right should read like Hall of Bones … this novel brims and oozes with all that good stuff you want to sink your reading eyes into.” – Scarlett Readz & Runz Book Reviews

“Hall of Bones is a strong debut by an author who should absolutely be on your radar. I can’t wait to see where he takes me next.” – Sarah Chorn, author of Seraphina’s Lament and Of Honey and Wildfires

“… a rich, emotional, and gritty novel … Hall of Bones will remind you vividly of the stories you grew up reading while bringing in a fresh perspective to the genre.” – Under The Radar SFF Books

“If you enjoy stories like ‘Game of Thrones’, where there are many careful political intrigues, you will undoubtedly enjoy this book … ‘Hall of Bones’ is a strong debut, and I’ll be waiting for the sequel” – Kamila Reads Book Blog

Tim Hardie grew up in the seaside town of Southport during the 1970s and 1980s. This was before anyone had even heard of the internet and Dungeons & Dragons was cutting edge. Living in a house where every available wall was given over to bookshelves, he discovered fantasy writers like JRR Tolkien, Michael Moorcock, Ursula Le Guin, Alan Garner, Stephen Donaldson and Susan Cooper. Those stories led him into the science fiction worlds created by Frank Herbert, Philip K Dick, Arthur C Clarke and HP Lovecraft.

After training to become a lawyer Tim lived in London for three years before moving to Yorkshire in 1999, where he has worked ever since in a variety of legal, commercial, financial and management roles. His writing began as a hobby in his early twenties and has gradually grown into something else that now threatens to derail his promising career.

Tim will be donating his advance on this book to the British Red Cross.

SF/F writer Jonny Nexus has joined the John Jarrold Literary Agency. He was born and raised in London but now finds himself exiled by way of marriage to a small town on the outskirts of Greater Manchester. Several years in he’s starting to feel at home, but that might just be delayed Stockholm Syndrome.

He first came to non-quite-prominence in the late 90s with the cult pen-and-paper RPG Webzine Critical Miss, following that up in the early 00s with a monthly RPG humour magazine column in Mongoose Publishing’s house magazine, Signs & Portents. Having written the parody Slayers Guide to Games Masters for them, he followed that up by self-publishing Game Night, a novel of six very dysfunctional Greek-style gods playing a roleplaying game, very badly, with the mortal realm below.

In the years since, he’s self-published three further novels. If Pigs Could Fly and Sticks and Stones tell the story of Rav Shah, a moonlighting social worker turned paranormal detective. In The Sleeping Dragon, five misfits are tasked with saving a fantasy world transformed by the invention of mass-produced magic.

He also had a short story, On Her Majesty’s Deep Space Service, published by Stone Skin Press in their anthology, the New Hero.

 
John Jarrold said: “Jonny is both prolific and fascinating. We are discussing several varied projects and I’ll be talking to major publishers on both sides of the Atlantic soon.”

Andrey V Chernikov at Eksmo has acquired Russian rights to fantasy novels GRIM SOLACE and BREAKING CHAOS by award-winning self-published author Ben Galley, after their rights deal for the first book in the series, CHASING GRAVES, in 2022. The agent was Laura Karayotov of the SAS Lester Literary Agency & Associates representing the John Jarrold Literary Agency.

This bestselling series is set in an Egyptian-themed fantasy world where ghosts are bound as slaves for the rich, and being murdered is just the start of your problems. Chasing Graves is perfect for fans of grimdark, and dark fantasy mixed with razor wit.

PRAISE FOR THE CHASING GRAVES SERIES:

“The world building is fantastic and reminiscent of Michael Moorcock’s Elric series.”
– Grimdark Magazine

“Chasing Graves might well be one of the best releases not only for December but for the entirety of 2018.”
– BookNest

“Unique, fantastic worldbuilding, interesting characters, and much more.”
– The Fantasy Inn

“Dark, tense and surprisingly hilarious.”
– Laura M. Hughes, Author of Danse Macabre

“Grim Solace is a wonderfully realized story dominated by impeccable and deepening character development.”
– Justine Bergman

“This book swings for the fences with a potent mix of political backstabbing, religious symbology, and tense action.”
– Fantasy Book Review

“Galley’s descriptive prose is simplistically beautiful.”
– Fantasy Faction

“There’s serious grounds here for building something spectacular.”
– Emma Davis, Fantasy Book Review

“Dark, gory and enthralling.”
– Cultured Vultures

“The writing was smooth, fluid and beautiful at times. It never failed to create an awesome atmosphere.”
– The Weatherwax Report

 
“An excellent first book in a series that I will absolutely keep on reading. Exceptional writing, great characters.”
– Nicholas Eames, author of Kings of the Wyld