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Solaris acquires Vajra Chandrasekera’s award-winning fantasy novel The Saint of Bright Doors for the UK

Against a black background with white stars and the white Solaris logo in the top right corner, two blue circles. In the larger circle, white text "Acquisition Announcement. Vajra Chandrasekera. THE SAINT OF BRIGHT DOORS. June 2024." In the smaller circle, an author photo of R. T. Ester.

Solaris is delighted to announce the acquisition of Vajra Chandrasekera’s The Saint of Bright Doors and Rakesfall in a two-book deal for the UK.

The winner of the Crawford Award and a finalist for the Nebula Award, The Saint of Bright Doors sets the high drama of divine revolutionaries and transcendent cults against the mundane struggles of modern life, resulting in a novel that is revelatory and resonant.

Fetter was raised to kill, honed as a knife to cut down his sainted father. This gave him plenty to talk about in therapy.

He walked among invisible powers: devils and anti-gods that mock the mortal form. He learned a lethal catechism, lost his shadow, and gained a habit for secrecy. After a blood-soaked childhood, Fetter escaped his rural hometown for the big city, and fell into a broader world where divine destinies are a dime a dozen.

Everything in Luriat is more than it seems. Group therapy is recruitment for a revolutionary cadre. Junk email hints at the arrival of a god. Every door is laden with potential, and once closed may never open again. The city is scattered with Bright Doors, looming portals through which a cold wind blows. In this unknowable metropolis, Fetter will discover what kind of man he is, and his discovery will rewrite the world.

UK/BC, excluding Canada, English Language Rights were acquired by Amanda Rutter from Chris Scheina at Tordotcom.

The Saint of Bright Doors will be released on 6th June 2024. Preorder here.

Author Vajra Chandrasekera on the acquisition:

“I’ve long been a fan of the wonderful work that Solaris publishes, and I’m utterly delighted that they will be bringing my books to readers in the UK.”

Acquiring Editor Amanda Rutter:

“I am so thrilled to be publishing Vajra’s work for a UK audience – his books are vital and challenging, and I adored every word when I read them both. New readers can expect stunning prose, vivid characters, and utter originality, and I can’t wait to see what people think!”

Vajra Chandrasekera is from Colombo, Sri Lanka and is online at vajra.me. His debut novel The Saint of Bright Doors was a New York Times Notable Book of 2023, and his short fiction, anthologized in The Apex Book of World SFThe Gollancz Book of South Asian Science Fiction, and The Best Science Fiction of the Year among others, has been nominated for the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award. His second novel Rakesfall is out in 2024.

For press enquiries please contact Natalie Sorrell Charlesworth, Digital Marketing and Social Media Executive: natalie.charlesworth@rebellion.co.uk.

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Solaris acquires dark sci-fi debut The Ganymedan by R.T. Ester

Solaris is thrilled to announce the acquisition of The Ganymedan by R.T. Ester, a dark and compelling science fiction debut that examines agency and sacrifice through one man’s desperate attempt to reach home.

The prodigal son of an anti-AI rebel faction, Kerwin Dotnet tried to make a life for himself as a mixologist on Mars. Now his tyrannical employer, the richest man alive, has been murdered, and K-Dot must depend on first-generation AI spaceship TR-8901 to get him to safety on Jupiter—or suffer a fate worse than death. But TR has a direct interest in identifying the murderer, and its devotion to law and order is the only thing keeping it from purposely self-destructing after 200 years of obsolescence.

World English Language Rights were acquired by Amy Borsuk from Jason Yarn at Jason Yarn Literary Agency.
The Ganymedan will be released in November 2025.

Author R.T. Ester on the acquisition:

“I am very pleased to have joined the Solaris family. Meeting Amy Borsuk last November, I connected instantly with her vision for The Ganymedan, her very observant take on its protagonist, and her enthusiasm for the themes it explores. I was quickly assured the story had found its home and, seeing a notable commitment to publishing thought-provoking fiction, I am thrilled it will be in the caring hands of the Solaris team. I look forward to working with Amy and everyone else to get my scorpion-and-turtle retelling that blends the transhumanist noir of Altered Carbon with the gritty spacefaring of The Expanse out into the world.”

Acquiring Editor Amy Borsuk:

“I’m so excited to be the editor for this provocative and brilliantly intense sci-fi story from R.T. Ester! This compelling story of one man’s doomed and determined journey home explores thought-provoking themes of agency and autonomy, and sacrifice in the name of goodness. It also has a brilliant outmoded, sentient spaceship who acts as counterpoint to everything. R.T. is a brilliant writer and those ready for darker shades of sci-fi, or journeys home, or sentient AI, will love this book.”

Originally from Nigeria, R.T. Ester moved to the United States in 1998 and, catching the creative bug early on, studied art with a focus on design. While working full time as a graphic designer, he began to write speculative fiction in his spare time and, since then, has had stories published in Interzone and Clarkesworld. The Ganymedan is his first novel.

For press enquiries please contact Jess Gofton, PR & Marketing Manager: jess.gofton@rebellion.co.uk.

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Solaris Nova to publish Regency fantasy trilogy by Natania Barron

We’re delighted to announce the latest addition to the Solaris Nova family: Netherford Hall by Natania Barron.

The first in a brand new trilogy combining the Regency era with witchcraft, Netherford Hall is a sapphic historical fantasy in which Gentlewitch Edith Rookwood and her family return to their ancestral seat of Netherford Hall in Kent, England following a mysterious fire in their London home. It’s there Edith faces a new threat in the form of her tenant: the chaotic and lovely Poppy Brightwell.

The women can’t deny the attraction growing between them, but Edith needs to marry for money to save her new home from usurpers—and Poppy’s very soul is at risk when she discovers the bargain her parents made with a being they thought was a witch.

Netherford Hall will hit shelves in August 2024!

World All Languages Rights were acquired by David Moore from Stacey Graham at 3 Seas Literary Agency.

For press enquiries please contact Jess Gofton, PR & Marketing Manager: jess.gofton@rebellion.co.uk

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Solaris to publish sapphic Gothic horror The Needfire by MK Hardy

Solaris is thrilled to announce the acquisition of The Needfire, and a second fantasy novel, by MK Hardy.

For fans of Rebecca and The Hacienda, lush Gothic horror The Needfire brings 19th century Scotland to life as the financially ruined Norah Mackenzie accepts her father’s creditor’s hand in marriage and travels father to the north to his estate, Corrain House.

The land itself seems to speak to Norah: she is plagued by the cries of drowned sailors and the smell of burning thatch, remnants of the Clearances that swept the land decades before. Her only solace is a tumultuous and intense affair with housekeeper Agnes Gunn, who guards mist-wreathed secrets of her own. As the house begins to crumble beneath her feet, Norah must piece together the family and the land’s history to survive the ghosts haunting her – and make it out alive.

UK/BC English Language Rights were acquired by Amy Borsuk from John Baker at Bell Lomax Moreton Agency.

The Needfire will be released in July 2025.

Author MK Hardy on the acquisition:

“We are over the moon to be joining the list of authors published by Solaris, having admired their library of smart and diverse speculative books for some time. From our first call with Amy Borsuk we were invigorated by her enthusiasm and keen editorial eye and we can’t wait to work with her and the rest of the Solaris team. With their help we’ll ensure our Gothic horror The Needfire ensnares and bewitches readers, hopefully opening their eyes to an overlooked period in Scottish history and giving them a few scares – and swoons – along the way!”

Acquiring Editor Amy Borsuk:

“I’m so excited to be working with the incredible team that is MK Hardy on a story that is so creepy, haunting, and gorgeous in equal measure. The Needfire is the Scottish queer Gothic horror we’ve always needed.”

MK Hardy is the pen name for Morag Hannah and Erin Hardee, two geeky women living and writing together in Scotland. They are both communications specialists working in higher education. With backgrounds ranging from museum interpretation to web design, and from science communication to ghost tours, they are devoted to storytelling in almost every aspect of their lives and work. When they are not telling stories they can be found singing in choirs, foraging for fungi, and working on their 1880s fixer-upper.

For press enquiries please contact Jess Gofton, PR & Marketing Manager: jess.gofton@rebellion.co.uk.

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Solaris snaps up Karin Lowachee’s dragon novella trilogy The Crowns of Ishia

Solaris is delighted to announce the acquisition of The Crowns of Ishia trilogy, including The Mountain Crown, The Desert Talon and a sequel, by Karin Lowachee.

Meka’s nomadic people, the Ba’Suon, were driven from their homeland by the Kattakans. Decades later, under a fragile truce, Meka returns for an ancient and necessary rite: culling a king dragon of the Crown Mountains to maintain balance in the wild country.

Accompanied by an imprisoned dragon, a Kattakan veteran of war and a Ba’Suon traitor, Meka soon discovers the survival of the Ba’Suon people, their dragons, and the land itself will depend on the choices she and her companions make in this gunslinging fantasy of colonialism and resistance.

World English Rights were acquired by Amy Borsuk from Tamara Kawar at DeFiore & Company.

The Mountain Crown will be released in October 2024.

Author Karin Lowachee on the acquisition:

“I am absolutely thrilled to be a new part of the team at Solaris with The Mountain Crown and its sequels. I know my stories will thrive in the hands of Solaris as we work together to shepherd them into fruition. My heartfelt gratitude to Amy Borsuk and everyone at Solaris who are just as excited as I am to dive in!”

Acquiring Editor Amy Borsuk:

“I am absolutely thrilled to be working with Karin Lowachee on this incredible series. At long last, I get to work on an epic dragon fantasy! I loved this series from the first page and I’m so excited to bring it to fantasy readers across the globe. Karin is able to pack a full world rich with dragons, personal traumas, intense cultural histories and politics of colonialism and empire into the novella form with such ease. Come for the dragons, stay for the beautiful storytelling, compelling characters and gunslinging flavour.”

Karin Lowachee was born in South America, grew up in Canada, and worked in the Arctic. She has been a creative writing instructor, adult education teacher, and volunteer in a maximum security prison. Her novels have been translated into French, Hebrew, and Japanese, and her short stories have been published in numerous anthologies, best-of collections, and magazines. When she isn’t writing, she serves at the whim of a black cat.

For press enquiries please contact Jess Gofton, PR & Marketing Manager: jess.gofton@rebellion.co.uk.

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Solaris to publish The Longest Autumn by Amy Avery for the UK

Solaris is delighted to announce the acquisition of The Longest Autumn by Amy Avery for the UK, a lush, romantic fantasy for fans of Kushiel’s Dart and Gods of Jade and Shadow.

Tirne is one of four humans rigorously selected to usher the turn of the seasons into the mortal world. Every year, she escorts the taciturn god Autumn between the godly and human realms. Autumn’s seasonal stay among mortals brings cooler weather, changing leaves, and the harvest of apples and gourds until Winter takes his place.

This year, the enchanted Mirror that separates their worlds shatters after Tirne and Autumn pass through, trapping both of them in the human realm. As the endless autumn stretches on, crops begin to fail and the threat of starvation looms. Away from the magic of the gods’ home, Tirne suffers debilitating headaches that return with a vengeance. Worse, Autumn’s extended stay in the human realm turns him ever more mortal and vulnerable, stirring a new, forbidden attraction to Tirne.

While the priesthood scrambles to find a way to reassemble the Mirror, Tirne digs into the temple’s secrets and finds an unlikely ally–or enemy–in the enigmatic sorcerer and master of poisons, Sidriel. Thrown into a world of mystery, betrayal, and espionage as she searches for the truth, might Tirne lose her morals, her hard-earned position, and the illicit spark between her and Autumn?

UK/BC, excluding Canada, English Language Rights were acquired by Amy Borsuk from Brent Taylor at Triada US Inc. on behalf of Jennifer Azantian at Azantian Literary Agency.

The Longest Autumn will be released in January 2025.

Author Amy Avery on the acquisition:

“I’m so thrilled and honored to be working with Solaris and Amy Borsuk on The Longest Autumn! I can’t wait for the UK to meet my flawed, messy priestess and experience her world of unending autumn. It’s a joy to call Solaris my home across the pond.”

Acquiring Editor Amy Borsuk:

“I’m so excited to be bringing The Longest Autumn to UK readers. This lush fantasy has such an evocative world, and some deliciously messy romance. I was transported by the story from page one, and with a story about the god of Autumn and a priestess trying to find her way in two worlds, how can you not be?”

Amy Avery is a graphic designer and a lifelong lover of fantasy living in Wichita, Kansas. In her spare time, she co-hosts the writing craft podcast And It’s Writing. She can also be found watching cooking shows with her husband, mixing cocktails, or catering to the whims of a rather demanding tuxedo cat.

For press enquiries please contact Jess Gofton, PR & Marketing Manager: jess.gofton@rebellion.co.uk.

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Solaris to publish Matt Wallace’s Savage Company and Savage Bounty for the UK

Solaris is thrilled to announce the acquisition of Savage Company and Savage Bounty by Matt Wallace for the UK.

An epic fantasy with a diverse ensemble cast for fans of Joe Abercrombie and Anna Smith Spark, Savage Company follows warrior Evie, charged by a grieving widow to find a man Evie herself once loved who holds the key to expose the dark underbelly of the Empire’s missing population.

UK/BC, excluding Canada, English Language Rights were acquired by David Moore from Becky LeJeune at Bond Literary Agency.

Savage Company, the first book in the series, will be released in April 2024.

Author Matt Wallace on the acquisition:

“Solaris publishes some of my absolute favourite authors in the genre right now. I’m beyond thrilled to join their ranks. I’m also grateful to David Moore, and to my wonderful agent, Becky LeJeune, for making this happen.”

Acquiring Editor David Moore:

“I’m a big fan of Matt’s, and the Savage Rebellion is the best kind of epic fantasy – gritty, smart and complex, but still hopeful and full of heart. This is really exciting!”

Matt Wallace is a Hugo Award winner and the author of the Sin du Jour series, the Savage Rebellion trilogy, and the middle grade novels Bump, The Supervillain’s Guide to Being a Fat Kid, and Nowhere Special. He’s also penned over one hundred short stories in addition to writing for film, television, and video games. In his youth he traveled the world as a professional wrestler and an unarmed combat and self-defense instructor before retiring to write full-time. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Nikki.

For press enquiries please contact Jess Gofton, PR & Marketing Manager: jess.gofton@rebellion.co.uk.

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Solaris to publish Southern vampire horror Bless Your Heart for the UK

Solaris is thrilled to announce the acquisition of Bless Your Heart by Lindy Ryan for the UK.

Set in Southeast Texas in 1999, Bless Your Heart follows the Evans women—Ducey, Lenore and Grace—owners of the only funeral parlour in town, whose job for the past eighty years has been ensuring the dead stay dead. When the body of the town gossip rises from her coffin, it’s clear that the Strigoi―the original vampire―have returned.

As more folks turn up dead and Deputy Roger Taylor begins asking way too many questions, the Evans women must take up their blades to protect their town.

UK/BC Rights (excluding Canada) were acquired by Amanda Rutter from Kerry Nordling, Vice President/Director of Sub-Rights at Minotaur Books.

Bless Your Heart will be released in July 2024.

Author Lindy Ryan on the acquisition:

“I’m delighted to steep UK readers in Southern charm and introduce them to the Evans women and their monstrous southeast Texas hometown by working with Solaris on Bless Your Heart.”

Acquiring Editor Amanda Rutter:

“Lindy’s sharp, clever, funny writing is a perfect match for the Solaris list, and I am over the moon that we have signed Bless Your Heart for the UK market. I cannot wait for readers to enjoy the charm and terror of this amazing book.”

Lindy Ryan is a Bram Stoker Awards®-nominated and Silver Falchion Award-winning editor, author, short-film director, and professor. Ryan is the current author-in-residence at Rue Morgue, the world’s leading horror culture and entertainment brand, and a regular contributor at Booktrib and LitReactor. Her guest articles and features include NPR, BBC Culture, Irish Times, Daily Mail, and more. She is an active member of the Horror Writers Association (HWA), the International Thriller Writers (ITW), and the Brothers Grimm Society of North America. In 2022, she was named one of horror’s most masterful anthology curators, alongside Ellen Datlow and Christopher Golden, and has been declared a “champion for women’s voices in horror” by Shelf Awareness (2023). Her animated short film, Trick or Treat, Alistair Gray, based on her children’s book of the same name, won the Grand Prix Award at the 2022 ANMTN Awards.

For press enquiries please contact Jess Gofton, PR & Marketing Manager: jess.gofton@rebellion.co.uk.

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Solaris snaps up new and backlist titles by Aliya Whiteley

Solaris is thrilled to announce the acquisition of two brand new novels, and four backlist titles, by Arthur C. Clarke Award-nominated author Aliya Whiteley.

A meta coming of age tale of stories within stories, Three Eight One follows Rowena Savalas, a curator of the 21st century’s primitive internet in the year 2314, who stumbles upon a story posted online in the summer of 2024 that leads her to question her own life choices and whether the truth behind the story really matters at all.

Previously published by Unsung Stories, Solaris will also reissue The Beauty, The Loosening Skin, The Arrival of Missives and Greensmith, with a tenth anniversary edition of The Beauty to be published in Summer 2024.

Three Eight One will be released in January 2024. World All Languages Rights for Three Eight One and a second title and exclusive rights in all languages and territories for The Beauty, The Loosening Skin, The Arrival of Missives and Greensmith were acquired by David Moore from Max Edwards at Aevitas Creative Management. Titan will continue to sublicense North American English language rights to The Beauty, The Loosening Skin and The Arrival of Missives from Solaris, as they previously had from Unsung Stories.

Author Aliya Whiteley on the acquisition:

“It’s a delight and a reassurance to know that Solaris will be publishing my novels and novellas, starting with my latest novel of adventure and discovery, Three Eight One, from 2024. Many thanks to David Moore and all at Solaris for deciding to champion my stories into the future.”

Acquiring Editor David Moore:

“Aliya is a ferocious talent, creating some of the smartest, weirdest, most hauntingly beautiful stuff in genre at the moment, and it’s an honour to be a part of that. Three Eight One is a gorgeous book, a coming-of-age story that’s also a road trip that’s also an exploration of generational tension that’s also a meandering commentary on authorship and authenticity that’s also one of the coolest bits of metafiction you’ll read this year.”

Aliya Whiteley’s strange novels and novellas explore genre, and have been shortlisted for multiple awards including the Arthur C Clarke award, BFS and BSFA awards, and a Shirley Jackson award. Her short fiction has appeared in many places including Beneath Ceaseless Skies, F&SF, Strange Horizons, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Lonely Planet and The Guardian. She writes a regular non-fiction column for Interzone magazine.

For press enquiries please contact Jess Gofton, PR & Marketing Manager: jess.gofton@rebellion.co.uk.

For rights enquiries please contact Reitha Pattison, Rights Manager: reitha.pattison@rebellion.co.uk

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Solaris acquires haunting literary sci-fi by Lorraine Wilson

Solaris is thrilled to announce the acquisition of We Are All Ghosts in the Forest by Lorraine Wilson.

The internet is dead and its ghosts haunt us all. In a world without electronics and barely any politics, photojournalist Katerina flees to her grandmother’s village and a life of herbal medicine and beekeeping. When a wordless young boy is mysteriously entrusted into her care and rumours of harvest failure and a rampant digital disease start to swirl, they must escape into the dubious safety of the forest amidst accusations of witchcraft to search for the truth behind the disease.

We Are All Ghosts in the Forest will be released in November 2024. English Language UK/BC excluding Canada Rights were acquired by Amanda Rutter from Robbie Guillory at Underline Literary Agency.

Author Lorraine Wilson on the acquisition:

“I am truly delighted to be joining Solaris – they work with an amazing array of authors and are doing really exciting things across speculative fiction, so it will be an honour to become part of that. Amanda is a fantastic champion to have for my books and I know they are in the best possible hands with her. I have to confess I absolutely adore the characters and world in We Are All Ghosts In The Forest, so I cannot wait to see this story come to life under Solaris’ care, and to then be able to share it with readers. I feel like Orlando and Stefan are going to steal some hearts!”

Acquiring Editor Amanda Rutter:

“From the moment I started We Are All Ghosts in the Forest, I knew I was reading something special – it haunted me every time I wasn’t able to read it, and I couldn’t wait to get back to it. The beauty of the prose drew me in first, and then the warmth and hope of the character relationships had me all-in. I’ve been aware of Lorraine’s work for a while, and was thrilled to realise that this novel was just as special as what I had seen before, with themes of loss, love and belonging. I am delighted to welcome Lorraine to Solaris and can’t wait to bring We Are All Ghosts in the Forest to the reading public.”

A conservation scientist and third culture Scot, Lorraine Wilson lives by the sea writing stories influenced by folklore and the wilderness. She has a PhD from the University of St. Andrews but left academia and turned to writing due to disabling illness. Her debut novel, the dystopian thriller This Is Our Undoing, was a multi-award finalist. The follow up, a dark folkloric mystery The Way The Light Bends, was longlisted for the BSFA Best Novel award; and her third book, Mother Sea has recently released. It is an exploration of motherhood, climate change and belonging, and was called ‘complex, rich and beautifully crafted’ by Claire North, author of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August. Lorraine has been stalked by wolves and befriended pythons, she also runs the Rewriting The Margins mentorship scheme for marginalised writers.

For press enquiries please contact Jess Gofton, PR & Marketing Manager: jess.gofton@rebellion.co.uk.