Black Gate

Superhero fiction is tricky. It’s hard to get right. Superheroes rule in comics and at the box office, but in print…. not so much. Why is that? If I’d cracked that puzzle I’d be a Manhattan super-agent. The best I can tell you is that in visual media like comics and film, superheroes naturally draw all the attention. But in the more studied medium of print, away from the fast-action visuals of comics and movies, superheroes require a more thoughtful touch to really be appealing.

There have been successful superhero novels, of course. Like Vicious by V. E. Schwab (which Matthew David Surridge reviewed for us here), Carrie Vaughn’s After the Golden Age, Sarah Kuhn’s Heroine Complex trilogy… and Paige Orwin’s The Interminables (2016), the tale of two powerful agents of a wizard’s cabal in a drastically altered Earth on a mission that lands them in a very dark place. No truly successful superhero novel stands alone for long, of course, and late last year the sequel Immortal Architects arrived in paperback. Here’s the description.

Edmund Templeton, a time-manipulating sorcerer, and Istvan Czernin, the deathless spirit of WWI, are the most powerful agents of the magical cabal now ruling the US East Coast. Their struggle to establish a new order in the wake of magical catastrophe is under siege: cults flourish and armies clash on their borders. Perhaps worst of all the meteoric rise of a technological fortress-state threatens their efforts to keep the peace.

As if that weren’t enough, a desperate call has come in from the west. A superstorm capable of tearing rock from mountains is on its way, and [it’s] acting unlike any storm ever seen before. Who better to investigate than two old friends with the sudden need to prove themselves?

The Interminables may be the breakout series that finally proves the superhero novel can be serious genre literature — and seriously entertaining. Immortal Architects was published by Angry Robot on September 5, 2017. It is 479 pages, priced at $7.99 in paperback and $6.99 for the digital edition. The cover is by Amazing15. Read the complete first chapter at the Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog here.

Tochi Onyebuchi lives in Connecticut. His first short story was published in 2011; since then he’s appeared in Asimov’s SF, Ideomancer, and a number of small press anthologies.

Beasts Made of Night is his debut novel, and I’ve heard a lot about it over the last few months. VOYA called it “Unforgettable,” and Caitlyn Paxson at NPR says it’s “The beginning of a great saga… Tochi Onyebuchi conjures up a busy market city inspired by his Nigerian heritage and populates it with a group of outcast kids who shoulder the sins of the rich and powerful.” And Buzzfeed called it a “compelling Nigerian-influenced fantasy has a wonderfully unique premise and lush, brilliant worldbuilding.” Here’s the description.

Black Panther meets Nnedi Okorafor’s Akata Witch in Beasts Made of Night, the first book in an epic fantasy duology.

In the walled city of Kos, corrupt mages can magically call forth sin from a sinner in the form of sin-beasts — lethal creatures spawned from feelings of guilt. Taj is the most talented of the aki, young sin-eaters indentured by the mages to slay the sin-beasts. But Taj’s livelihood comes at a terrible cost. When he kills a sin-beast, a tattoo of the beast appears on his skin while the guilt of committing the sin appears on his mind. Most aki are driven mad by the process, but Taj is cocky and desperate to provide for his family.

When Taj is called to eat a sin of a member of the royal family, he’s suddenly thrust into the center of a dark conspiracy to destroy Kos. Now Taj must fight to save the princess that he loves — and his own life.

Debut author Tochi Onyebuchi delivers an unforgettable series opener that powerfully explores the true meaning of justice and guilt. Packed with dark magic and thrilling action, Beasts Made of Night is a gritty Nigerian-influenced fantasy perfect for fans of Paolo Bacigalupi and Nnedi Okorafor.

Beasts Made of Night was published by Razorbill on October 31, 2017. It is 304 pages, priced at $17.99 in trade paperback and $10.99 for the digital edition. Read a lengthy excerpt at NPR.

African fantasy and SF is experiencing a true renaissance, and while it’s tempting to give much of the credit to the astonishing worldwide success of Black Panther, in truth the trend has been building for years.

Tomi Adeyemi’s West African-inspired debut is a full-blown publishing phenomenon all on its own, for example. Publisher Henry Holt Books made a pre-emptive 7-figure bid for it last year, making it one of the biggest debut YA books of all time. Entertainment Weekly labels it “A phenomenon,” Ebony calls it “The next big thing in literature and film,” and, closer to home, Andrew Liptak features it prominently in “15 new science fiction and fantasy books to read this March” at The Verge.

Children of Blood and Bone is the first installment of a new trilogy. It follows Zélie Adeola, whose mother is killed when the king orders the death of all maji, as she fights to bring magic back to the kingdom of Orïsha, while struggling to keep her own growing power under control. Here’s the description.

They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.

Now we rise.

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.

Children of Blood and Bone was published by Henry Holt and Co. on March 6, 2018. It is 544 pages, priced at $18.99 in hardcover and $9.99 for the digital editions. Read an excerpt at Entertainment Weekly.