I am absolutely thrilled that Sam Hawke's fantasy series has been won at auction by the fabulous Simon Taylor, editorial director at Transworld.
Sam has already got amazing advance quotes from some exciting names in fantasy.
Praise for City of Lies
"A tale of poisoners, deceit and treachery that will surely keep readers entranced. I don’t read many stories as twisty and unpredictable, especially in the latter chapters, as this one, and I loved what Sam Hawke did."—Terry Brooks
"If the first line doesn’t make you buy this book, you should turn in your fantasy-lover’s badge. City of Lies got me through sitting seven hours in an airport, and proves that a tale about the one who risks his life to thwart assassins can be as compelling as any assassin’s tale."—Robin Hobb
"Sibling protagonists anchor this twisty story of old grievances coming to a boil. Hawke writes with nuance about the loves, loyalties, ambitions, and resentments that bind her characters together and threaten to tear them apart."—Kate Elliott
"Absolutely loved this; the world building is brilliant, the mystery and crime elements merge seamlessly into a fantastical world of poisoners, warrior-guilds and ancient magic. But the heart of the story is the central characters, they’re written with such depth, flawed, human and likeable. City of Lies is a wonderful read and one that I'd highly recommend to all lovers of fantasy."—John Gwynne
"An enormously enjoyable read, one of the best new fantasies I’ve seen in a long time."—Adrian Tchaikovsky
Adrian also wrote a lovely piece about it over on his own blogspot.
I can't wait for you guys to read this! :-)
The Bookseller announced the deal earlier today:
Transworld scoops debut fantasy series at auction
Transworld has won two books in a new fantasy series at auction.
Simon Taylor, editorial director at the Penguin Random House division, bought UK and Commonwealth rights for the titles by debut author Sam Hawke, from Diana Gill, executive editor for Tor US.
City of Lies is the first book in The Poison War series by the Australian author, represented by Julie Crisp Literary Agency, and will be published in hardback in the UK August 2018.
Outwardly, Jovan is the lifelong friend of the chancellor’s charming, irresponsible heir, the blurb reads. However in secret, he's a master of poisons and chemicals, trained to protect the chancellor’s family from treachery. When the chancellor succumbs to an unknown poison and an army lays siege to the city, Jovan and his sister Kalina must protect the heir and save their city-state.
Taylor said: "It’s all too easy to say 'I love it' about something one’s reading, but I and my colleagues loved Sam Hawke’s City of Lies – an epic fantasy debut that felt as fresh as it was totally engaging and page-turning."
He added: "We’re chuffed to pieces to be introducing this exceptional novelist to UK readers and I know the team at Penguin Random House Australia, which is Sam’s home turf after all, are similarly thrilled."
Hawke, who works in law and is based in Canberra, said: "As an Aussie I’m so excited to be working with Transworld to bring City of Lies direct to UK, Australian and New Zealand readers."
Gill said: "I'm delighted that Transworld will be publishing City of Lies and that Sam will be joining their select science fiction list along with authors like Steven Erikson, Erika Johansen and the much-missed Terry Pratchett."