Emma Newman's Blog, page 3
March 28, 2024
Between Two Thorns - Split Worlds series book 1
The Split Worlds series is published by Diversion Press. The series is complete and all five books of the series are currently available in ebook and audio book format.
Beautiful and nuanced as it is dangerous, the manners of Regency and Victorian England blend into a scintillating fusion of urban fantasy and court intrigue.
Between Mundanus, the world of humans, and Exilium, the world of the Fae, lies the Nether, a mirror-world where the social structure of 19th-century England is preserved by Fae-touched families who remain loyal to their ageless masters. Born into this world is Catherine Rhoeas-Papaver, who escapes it all to live a normal life in Mundanus, free from her parents and the strictures of Fae-touched society. But now she’s being dragged back to face an arranged marriage, along with all the high society trappings it entails.
Crossing paths with Cathy is Max, an Arbiter of the Split Worlds treaty with a dislocated soul who polices the boundaries between the worlds, keeping innocents safe from the Fae. After a spree of kidnappings and the murder of his fellow Arbiters, Max is forced to enlist Cathy’s help in unravelling a high-profile disappearance within the Nether. Getting involved in the machinations of the Fae, however, may prove fatal to all involved.
Where you can buy itLinks to all the different ebook versions (US) can be found here: Amazon/Kobo/Google/iBooks etc
UK kindle edition
You can pre-order the paperback here: UK Amazon | US Amazon
The audio version (narrated by me) is available from The Book Depository | BarnesandNoble.com | Audible.com
Here's what some wonderful people have said about the book:
“Emma Newman has built a modern fantasy world with such élan and authorityMore in the Split Worlds...
her ideas of why and how the seemingly irrational world of Fairy works
should be stolen by every other writer in the field. Her characters are
complex and troubled, courageous at times and foolhardy.
This book of wonders is first rate.”
Bill Willingham, Eisner Award winner, and creator of Fables
“Emma Newman has created a reflection of Bath that reminds one that charming is not safe. Between Two Thorns shows the darkness beneath the glamour of the social Season. Learning to be a young lady has never seemed so dangerous.”
- Mary Robinette Kowal, Hugo Award winner, and author of Shades of Milk and Honey and Glamour in Glass
“With a feather-light touch, Emma Newman has crafted a very English fantasy, one brilliantly realised and quite delightful, weaving magic, mystery and parallel worlds together with ease. Newman may well be one of our brightest stars, The Split Worlds: Between Two Thorns is just the beginning of a remarkable journey.”
- Adam Christopher, author of Empire State and Seven Wonders
“Between Two Thorns is magical, exciting, and clever. It manages to conjure a world that feels completely natural but also mysterious, sometimes dangerous, sometimes funny, combining several different kinds of urban fantasy into one story, and capturing a lovely sense of modern Britishness that is reminiscent of other fantastic British fantasy. I’m eagerly awaiting the sequel!”
- Fantasy Faction
The second book in the series is called "" , the third is All Is Fair, the fourth is "A Little Knowledge" and the fifth and last novel of the series is called "All Good Things".
After Atlas
After Atlas is a standalone science-fiction crime novel published by Roc. It is set in the Planetfall universe. The books can be read in any order.
About After AtlasAcclaimed author Emma Newman returns to the captivating universe she created in Planetfall with a stunning science fiction mystery where one man’s murder is much more than it seems…What other people have said about After Atlas
Gov-corp detective Carlos Moreno was only a baby when Atlas left Earth to seek truth among the stars. But in that moment, the course of Carlos’s entire life changed. Atlas is what took his mother away; what made his father lose hope; what led Alejandro Casales, leader of the religious cult known as the Circle, to his door. And now, on the eve of the fortieth anniversary of Atlas’s departure, it’s got something to do why Casales was found dead in his hotel room—and why Carlos is the man in charge of the investigation.
To figure out who killed one of the most powerful men on Earth, Carlos is supposed to put aside his personal history. But the deeper he delves into the case, the more he realizes that escaping the past is not so easy. There’s more to Casales’s death than meets the eye, and something much more sinister to the legacy of Atlas than anyone realizes…
Publisher’s Weekly gave it a starred review and have listed it in their best books of 2016.
Starburst Magazine gave it 10/10 stars and said “Expect to see this book on various award shortlists in 2017. It’s that good.”
And Barnes and Noble said it’s “painfully good Sci-fi”
Where you can buy After AtlasIf you are based in the States, you can find links to buy After Atlas from all major retailers here.
In the UK, you can buy a signed copy from Forbidden Planet (limited stock).
It is also available from:
The Book Depository
Wordery
Waterstones
Amazon UK
Planetfall
Planetfall is a standalone science-fiction novel published by Roc.
From Emma Newman, the award-nominated author of Between Two Thorns, comes a novel of how one secret withheld to protect humanity’s future might be its undoing…What other people have said about Planetfall
Renata Ghali believed in Lee Suh-Mi’s vision of a world far beyond Earth, calling to humanity. A planet promising to reveal the truth about our place in the cosmos, untainted by overpopulation, pollution, and war. Ren believed in that vision enough to give up everything to follow Suh-Mi into the unknown.
More than twenty-two years have passed since Ren and the rest of the faithful braved the starry abyss and established a colony at the base of an enigmatic alien structure where Suh-Mi has since resided, alone. All that time, Ren has worked hard as the colony’s 3-D printer engineer, creating the tools necessary for human survival in an alien environment, and harboring a devastating secret.
Ren continues to perpetuate the lie forming the foundation of the colony for the good of her fellow colonists, despite the personal cost. Then a stranger appears, far too young to have been part of the first planetfall, a man who bears a remarkable resemblance to Suh-Mi.
The truth Ren has concealed since planetfall can no longer be hidden. And its revelation might tear the colony apart…
“Planetfall is gripping, thoughtful science fiction in the vein of Tiptree or Crispin. Emma Newman has crafted a story that turns inward on itself in a beautiful spiral; the written equivalent of the golden mean. I have been waiting for this book for a very long time.”
—Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author of A Red-Rose Chain
“You’ve never read a science fiction book like this. A masterful study of mental illness, with the ruins of an enigmatic alien race serving as therapist for one of the most unsparingly drawn fictional characters you’ll ever read.”
—Melinda M. Snodgrass, screenwriter, author of the Edge series
“Newman has crafted a thrilling tale of murder, mystery and madness on a world where humanity is still its own worst enemy. Horrifying and heartbreaking in equal measure, the catastrophe driving this narrative will keep you riveted until the very last page. Don’t miss this one.”
—Kameron Hurley, author of the The Mirror Empire
“We have a destiny waiting for us among the stars, and now it’s calling to us. A great genre debut, and beautifully written: an unfolding alien mystery, and complex, utterly believable characters. You will want to believe.”
—Stephen Baxter, National Bestselling Author of Ultima
“Filled with wonders, revelations, and edge-of-the-seat suspense, Planetfall is a fascinating, heartbreaking exploration of love and loneliness set against an awe-inspiring backdrop. An instant classic of the genre.”
—Gareth L. Powell, BSFA Award-winning author of Ack-Ack Macaque
Early reviews
It's early days so there are only a few reviews (that I know of anyway!).
Publisher's Weekly gave Planetfall a starred review.
And that review on the left is from RT magazine!
Michaela Gray reviewed Planetfall for Geek Syndicate - Read the full review
Planetfall is a brilliantly gripping psychological study of the ties that bind a diverse community together, of spirituality and science, love, loss, and the price of keeping up a pretence over a long period of time. Slowly unfurling its layers of lies until the worm in the bud is revealed, Planetfall is a story to be slowly savoured, a sublime mix of science fiction and faith. This is what Prometheus wishes it was.
Planetfall confirms Newman as one of the most versatile, talented and thoughtful voices currently in science fiction and fantasy. I can’t wait to see what she does next.
And Jane Hanmer reviewed it on her blog too. Read the full review here.
This novel left me bruised and heartsore. It is about love and grief as well as power and lies. I loved it, you need to put this on your to read list now.
David reviewed Planetfall and you can see the full review at his Blue Book Balloon blog
Brilliantly written, haunting in places, with a constant narrative drive, this is the best science fiction I've read for a long time. Above all, Ren is a magnificent and magnificently written character who Newman does an excellent job of making real. When I arrived at my Tube station with 20 odd pages of this book left, I simply had to stand there on the platform, let myself be late, for work and finish it.Where you can buy it
I think you'd want to do the same.
So, if this sounds like your kind of book, here are the places where you can buy it. I'm dividing into US and UK readers for the sake of ease, if you live outside of the US and UK I'm guessing that Amazon and The Book Depository would be your first ports of call.
There is also an audio book version, narrated by yours truly. That's available in the States at Audible.
In the USIn the UKForbidden Planet (signed copies available!)
January 15, 2024
Hello world!
Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!
August 12, 2019
Worldcon 2019 – Where you can find me
This is an excerpt from the newsletter I just sent out to my subscribers, containing all the info you need if you are attending the Dublin Worldcon 2019.
Worldcon is this week! Here is where you can find me:
THURSDAY
Creating wonderful new worlds
Format: Panel
15 Aug 2019, Thursday 19:00 – 19:50, Wicklow Hall-1 (CCD)
FRIDAY
Friday 17:30 pm Point Square – Meet the Artists reception
SATURDAY
Kaffeeklatsch
17 Aug 2019, Saturday 11:00 – 11:50, Level 3 Foyer (KK/LB) (CCD)
–
Autographs
17 Aug 2019, Saturday 14:00 – 14:50, Level 4 Foyer (CCD)
SUNDAY
Octocon presents: The Monster’s Perspective
Format: Panel
18 Aug 2019, Sunday 11:00 – 11:50, Wicklow Hall 2B (CCD)
–
The audio acting bug
Format: Panel
18 Aug 2019, Sunday 15:00 – 15:50, Wicklow Room-4 (CCD)
–
Signing on Gollancz stand (presumably in the traders/dealers area) Sunday 16:30-17.00
MONDAY
Reading: Emma Newman
19 Aug 2019, Monday 15:30 – 15:50, Liffey Room-3 (Readings) (CCD)
I am particularly nervous about the art show, for several reasons. The most obvious, of course, is the raging imposter syndrome about being an artist. I can just about accept that I am an author. It helps to have many published works on my shelf at home to challenge any brain silliness about that (doesn’t make me feel like I am any good at it mind you, just confirms that yes, I am published). But painting is so new for me that I am really struggling to conceive of myself as that kind of artist. The other fear is that no-one will make it to the art show as it is in another building, but they are close to each other apparently.
All of the art I am exhibiting will be for sale, and there is a bidding system for those who want to buy. The art show people are very helpful and will be happy to explain how you do that if you haven’t bought art at a convention art show before. Time and panic dependent, I hope to post some preview pictures online on Twitter/Instagram and Facebook.
If you would like to come and chat with me during Worldcon, may I ask that you come to the art show reception on the Friday if you can, and/or the Kaffeeklatsch on the Saturday? I know where I will be at those times, and will be all psyched up for chatting to people. As things are tough at the moment, I need to be very careful about how I spend my spoons. You will need to sign up in advance to the Kaffeeklatsch as there are limited spaces, simply ask at the main con reception where you can do that (don’t ask me as I don’t know!).
If you have books you want me to sign, wonderful, bring them! The best times to get them signed are the autographing session on Saturday afternoon or the signing session at the Gollancz stand on Sunday afternoon. If you can’t make either of those, feel free to ask me after a program item, or if you see me around at the con – though if I am rushing to get to an item or in dire need of a break I may arrange another time with you.
If you just want to say hello, don’t be afraid to approach, it is always a joy to meet people who have enjoyed my work. The worst thing that will happen is that I won’t have time (or the mental energy, if I am overloaded or have been doing lots that day already) to have a proper chat. I promise that I am not scary at all. In fact, I am likely to be far more anxious than you are!
Hope to see you there!
January 23, 2019
Atlas Alone available for pre-order!
I’m delighted to say that the fourth novel set in the Planetfall universe, Atlas Alone, is now available for pre-order. I’ve gathered up the links below, and there will be an audiobook (that I am narrating) but there doesn’t seem to be a pre-order option available for that yet. I’ve put the blurb at the bottom of this page as it is a tad spoilery for a couple of the other Planetfall novels and I get twitchy about that sort of thing.
The US edition (published by Ace) will be released on April 16th 2019 and the UK edition (published by Gollancz) will be released on April 18th 2019.
There are plans for a London event around the time of the launch and when the details are finalised I’ll let you know. In fact, the best way for you to be kept up to date on that and all the other things I’m getting up to is my newsletter that I am revamping to incorporate a short story club. You can find out more and sign up for the newsletter here.
Here’s where you can pre-order Atlas Alone
Pre-ordering is the best thing you can do to support an author, as it indicates to both the publishers and the booksellers that there is a demand for our work, which helps it to sell more in the first critical week on sale, and makes it more likely they will publish more books by us in the future. So if you pre-order Atlas Alone, you are officially a bless poppet.
Pre-order the US edition
Barnes and Noble, paperback
Nook ebook
US Paperback, Amazon
US Kindle Edition
Pre-order the UK edition
UK Paperback edition on Wordery
Amazon Kindle UK
Amazon UK Paperback
UK Paperback, Book Depository
UK Paperback, Waterstones
Here is the blurb for Atlas Alone – though please note this contains spoilers for After Atlas and Before Mars. Even though the four novels are genuine stand-alones, I do recommend that you have read After Atlas before this one, as it does follow on six months after the end of that novel with several of the characters featured in it. You could read Atlas Alone first, but I think you’ll enjoy it more if you have read After Atlas beforehand.
Hugo Award winner Emma Newman returns to the captivating Planetfall universe with a novel about vengeance and the lengths to which one will go to save the future of humanity.
Six months after she left, Dee is struggling to manage her rage toward the people who ordered the nuclear strike that destroyed Earth. She’s trying to find those responsible, but she’s not getting very far alone.
A dedicated gamer, Dee is endeavoring to discover a mersive good enough to enable her to escape her trauma. When she is approached by a designer who asks her to play test his new game, she hopes it will be what she needs—but it isn’t like any mersive she’s played before. When a man suddenly dies in the real world, she realizes that at the same time in the game, she killed a character who bears a striking resemblance to the dead man—a man she discovers was one of those responsible for the death of millions on Earth.
Disturbed, but thinking it must be a coincidence, Dee continues the hunt for information. But when she finds out the plans for the future colony, she realizes that to save what is left of humanity, she might have to do something that risks what remains of her own.
April 11, 2018
Book launch events for Before Mars!
Here I am again, dusting off the blog and wondering why time is whizzing past so quickly! I need to tell you about two events in April that are taking place around the launch of Before Mars, the third book in the Planetfall universe.
Ace edition of Before Mars
Here are the details, then I’ll babble about some other things that have been going on.
Monday 16th April, 2018 7:30pm – 9pm
Bristolcon Fringe Event at The Gryphon, 41 Colston St, Bristol BS1 5AP
I’ll be sharing the event with the utterly amazing author Adrian Tchaikovsky and this will effectively be the Bristol launch of Before Mars. We’ll both be reading, mine will be the first public reading from Before Mars, and there will be an opportunity to ask both Adrian and I questions too. Books will be on sale at the venue.
Thursday 19th April, 2018 Doors open 6pm for 6:30pm start – 8:30pm
Blackwells, High Holborn, London
Launch of Before Mars – Pat Cadigan and Emma Newman in conversation
Tickets (free of charge) available here
This is the official launch party for Before Mars, featuring the incredible Pat Cadigan in conversation with me, a signing session and wine with nibbles! The event is free of charge, but it would be a great help to the organisers if you could book your ticket using the link above so they know how much wine to get in. It will also reassure me that someone will actually be coming, as that is the thing keeping me up at night right now!
If you can’t make it to those events, the book is available for pre-order now. If you plan to read it, pre-ordering would be fantastic, because it gives the book shops and the publishers an indication that people want the book, meaning it’s more likely to be stocked and also that they are more likely to ask me to write more of them!
Here are some links to help you do that:
Gollancz edition of Before Mars
I’m also so delighted that Gollancz has bought the UK rights to all the Planetfall novels, including After Atlas which was shortlisted for last year’s Clarke Award. Working with Gollancz makes me so very happy, and it means the novels should be much easier to buy in UK bookstores. The US editions is still published by Ace/Roc so no change there!
December 20, 2017
Something I never do…
I saw The Last Jedi last night and I just couldn’t keep all my thoughts and feelings about it locked up in my head. It is spoiler ridden and a very personal take (I loved it, just FYI) so don’t listen unless you have seen the film.
Comments are disabled because this expresses all I want to say about the movie. Please don’t be offended if I don’t reply elsewhere on social media, as I am horribly busy. That’s why this is an unedited audio response to the film. It’s faster than writing an epic essay on it!
http://www.enewman.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Last-Jedi-braindump.mp3
September 8, 2017
An extraordinary summer
Here I am, dusting off the blog again, feeling bad for not updating it with all the stuff that’s been happening over the past few months. The thing is, I was so busy doing all those things that I didn’t have a spare moment to write about them!
So much has happened since March (March! For heaven’s sake! It’s now September!) that it feels kind of ridiculous to try and write about it all, so I’m going to list some edited highlights. It’s been that kind of summer.
The Split Worlds series is finished!
Yay! The series is complete!
It’s been a long, and sometimes rocky and painful, journey, but the fifth and final Split Worlds novel, All Good Things, came out in June and I am so thrilled that the story is finished and out there in the world. It was quite a challenge to end that series, after four other novels and over fifty short stories. You can find all the linky goodness here if you would like to buy it.
Oh, and if you haven’t dived into the Split Worlds yet (very British urban fantasy with mad sorcerers, evil Fae and lashings and lashings of feminism), you need to start with Between Two Thorns, as it’s one of those series that really needs to be read in order.
Awards, and the winning and losing thereof
It’s been a good year for After Atlas, my second science fiction novel in the Planetfall universe. It was shortlisted for the Locus Best Science Fiction Novel award and shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award too!
The latter was a real milestone for me. I’ve followed the Clarke Awards for years and simply getting onto the shortlist meant so much to me. I was a nervous mess at the awards ceremony and I confess, even though I was obviously disappointed not to win, I was rather relieved that I wouldn’t have to give a speech!
Tea and Jeopardy was also shortlisted for the Hugo Award for Best Fancast, and I cannot believe I am actually writing this, but we won! It was such an exciting, terrifying, nerve-wracking and bizarre evening and I won’t lie; I still look at the rockets we received and smile. The Hugos are another award I’ve been following for a long time and it was such an amazing feeling to bring one home.
All the travelling!
I was astounded to be invited along on the Writing Excuses Cruise as an instructor. Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells and Howard Taylor gathered an amazing team of people together to offer a week long writing course/retreat during a Baltic cruise.
Reader, it was phenomenal.
I could write about ten posts about that week alone (I don’t have the time, alas!) but highlights included visiting Tallin, Stockholm, Copenhagen and St Petersburg as well as getting to meet, hang out with and develop an even deeper admiration and respect for Ken Liu and Jasper Fforde. I met so many wonderful people and it was an honour and a privilege to be involved.
And, happily, my general life rule of “What would Mary Robinette Kowal do in this situation?” was proven to be excellent yet again.
We had literally one day at home before racing off to Helsinki for Worldcon 75. Such a wonderful city and the people were so friendly and helpful it was a joy to visit. Oh, for that public transport system to be in England too.
Obviously, the Hugo nomination and nerves leading up to the ceremony played a big part in that week, but that was almost eclipsed by the sheer terror of doing a live Tea and Jeopardy show with none other than George R.R. Martin as our special guest! The room we performed in was the largest available, seating, I estimate, over 800 people and they were turning people away at the door. It was a great success and there will be a video of it released very shortly.
In another panel, I had to sing the lyrics of “I’m Too Sexy” to the tune of Frere Jacques. That was all Lee Harris’s fault and I will never be able to hear either of those songs without twitching again.
Wild Cards
So the whole interviewing GRRM on stage was a really big deal, but before that, he became my editor, which is something I still can’t get my head around. He and Melinda Snodgrass invited me to join the Wild Cards team for a new book set in the UK. My new character, Stonemaiden, will be appearing in Knaves Over Queens as George wrote about here. I am tickled pink. Also: sending off a short story draft to George R.R. Martin and Melinda Snodgrass was one of the sharpest experiences of Imposter Syndrome I have ever been lucky enough to experience.
A pause for breath
You know, writing this all out is making me really appreciate how wild this year has been so far. So much has happened, in such a short space of time, I am still reeling.
Audio books
My audio book narration career has also been ticking along nicely and I’m currently narrating Adrian Tchaikovsky’s astounding novel ‘Guns of the Dawn’. I have gushed about this at length on Twitter and to anyone who will listen elsewhere. Seriously, read it, or wait until November when you can listen to me read it to you, but either way, you need this book in your life.
Looking ahead
The next novella in my Industrial Magic series (gaslamp fantasy set in England, 1850 where the industrial revolution was brought about by advances in magic, rather than science), Weaver’s Lament, will be released on October 17th (2017) and is available for pre-order now. Incidentally, pre-ordering is known to give a +5 bonus to Charisma, so… Whilst each novella is a self-contained story, I think you’ll enjoy Weaver’s Lament more if you’ve read Brother’s Ruin first.
The next release on the horizon is in April 2018 for Before Mars, my third novel set in the Planetfall universe but as that is a little way off, I’ll write about that more another time. Though I will say that the pre-order Charisma bonus is stackable…
I’m thrilled to say that I will be Guest of Honour at Rikon 2017 in Croatia in early October, which is very exciting for me as I’ve never been to Croatia before!
I am also a guest at Utopiales 2017 in Nantes, France at the beginning of November!
And if all of this hasn’t been exciting enough, I am also going to be teaching a course on writing science fiction and fantasy for Arvon. I mean… this year… I can’t quite believe this is my life!
Sprinkled in amongst all of that are three audio books to be narrated (and more may come in), two short stories to write for a couple of anthologies and a new book to start writing. I guess what I’m saying is, please bear with me if it’s a while before I write another blog post!
That being said, you are far more likely to find me on Twitter (@emapocalyptic) or on Facebook.
March 14, 2017
Brother’s Ruin is out today!
If you’re in the mood for something a bit lighter than my usual fare, set in an 1850s London where magic, rather than science, is responsible for the industrial revolution, then you’re in luck! (Okay, that’s pretty unlikely but hopefully it has whet your appetite.) The first gaslamp fantasy novella in the Industrial Magic series, Brother’s Ruin, is out on sale now.
The thing I am most excited about is the fact that Gail Carriger, an amazing author who I have been a huge fan of since devouring the Parasol Protectorate series, said this about Brother’s Ruin: “A gripping story full of charm and adventure. Newman manages to keep her readers tense and delighted at the same time.” I think the squeal I made when I first saw that quote might have been heard on the other side of the planet, so if that shriek worried you, I’m really sorry.
Gaslamp fantasy is a new genre for me (though I confess I had no idea that the story I’d written would be classed as that until I saw Tor.com’s description!), and Brother’s Ruin is set in a new world with new characters. I had great fun writing this and the next in the series and I have ideas for several more adventures with Charlotte Gunn which I hope I get to write.
Of course, the likelihood of more novellas in the series being approved is all entirely dependent on sales, so if you fancy giving it a try, you can buy it at all your usual booksellers (like Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK and Amazon US, Forbidden Planet, Wordery, Waterstones, and the Book Depository). And if you like it, a review, a tweet about it or even just a ‘hey, you might like this too!’ to a friend will go a long way to securing your place in the hallowed halls of… no, wait, I mean it will go a long way to securing my undying gratitude. Yes, that’s it. After all, I doubt bribing my editor, the lovely Lee Harris, with chocolate and tea will get very far when it comes to buying more in the series.
In other news…
I’ve been rather absent online of late, thanks to major house renovations going on at the moment, coupled with a book deadline. They go so well together. So much fun.
In all seriousness, things are brilliant but also pretty stressful at the moment. That’s why I neglected to mention on here that Roc have bought another two books in the Planetfall universe. The next one, called Before Mars, will be out in April 2018. Here’s the official announcement .
Speaking of Mars…
I was on Radio 4 the other day, talking about Mars funnily enough. I’m only on for about 30 seconds or so, but the program is very interesting and the entire Mars set of programs are brilliant. You can find the one I’m in here and my snippet starts at 11.58 minutes in. I really recommend listening to the others in the series too.
But anyway…
Brother’s Ruin is out now! Yay! You can go and meet Charlotte Gunn and follow her adventures, perhaps with a nice cup of tea and a slice of cake. You can read more about it, along with links to where you can buy and see some reviews on the Brother’s Ruin page.
