Today we've got a special guest blog from editrix extraordinaire, Diana Gill, of Out of this Eos. Many of us are overwhelmed by the amount of offerings in sci-fi/fantasy, but Diana is here to give us a great introductory course in the genre. Sherecently presented upcoming Eos titles at the New York Public Library--her full presentation can be found here: Download Book Buzz Eos.
Without further ado, here she is!
"A couple of weeks ago I presented current and upcoming Eos titles (science fiction, fantasy, urban and supernatural fantasy) to a group of approximately 40 NYC librarians in an SF Book Buzz panel, along with editors and marketing people from Del Rey and Macmillan. It was my first time presenting to librarians (versus, say, fans at conventions), and I had a blast.
I talked about both some recent Eos titles and about our upcoming Winter ’10 list, which includes titles from Robin Hobb, Kim Harrison, and Raymond E. Feist, among others. Afterwards, we offered each librarian a choice of one of several Eos titles, from science fiction to epic fantasy to urban/supernatural fantasy. The most titles most requested were SANDMAN SLIMby Richard Kadrey, Brom’s dark retelling of Peter Pan, THE CHILD THIEF, and Margaret Ronald’s urban fantasy SPIRAL HUNT. Several people were interested trying sf/f, and not sure where to start.
Urban fantasy (and its cousin paranormal romance) is the easiest gateway to the genre—since it takes place in a world that is very much our own, only with magic. Not coincidentally, it’s also the hottest thing going, between the phenomenon that is Stephenie Meyers' Twilight saga to the incredibly popular True Blood tv series. Urban fantasies are an easy way for readers to try the genre, and there are a lot of great ones out there.
I recommend Kim Harrison’s DEAD WITCH WALKING or Richard Kadrey’s SANDMAN SLIM. And for fans of True Blood, Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse series is a natural (and delightful) progression. Jim Butcher, Patricia Briggs, Yasmine Galenorn are all great. In-house, we love Eos authors Vicki Pettersson and Jocelynn Drake, among others.
On the paranormal romance side, Jeaniene Frost, Marjorie Liu and Rachel Vincent are doing wonderfully sexy stories with equally strong world-building.
The YA field has a ton of amazing urban fantasy right now, beyond Twilight. Many adult authors (like Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Vincent, and Kim Harrison) have YA series. Other great series include those by including Lili St. Crow, Melissa Marr, Aprilynne Pike, P. C. Cast, and more. Need more ideas? Check out BN.Com’s greatest Paranormal Fantasies of 2000-2009 (I’ve read and loved most of the list, and not just those I’ve edited).
And feel free to ask for more suggestions (including for sf and fantasy!)—just leave a comment!
Diana Gill
Executive Editor, Morrow/Avon/Eos"
A great sci fi story:
"nSpace" by Dovin Melhee
would recommend to any sci fi reader.
Posted by: Seimbrim Uicey | January 19, 2010 at 11:29 AM
Which books by Kim Harrison are YA appropriate? I was looking at her stuff this morning but wasn't sure where to start...
Posted by: Terri | December 17, 2009 at 12:00 PM
I wish that publishers would do more to publicize their sf/fantasy lines. They seem like an afterthought sometimes, which really does the field a dis-service. Finished the presentation for Boston yet?
Posted by: Cathy Doyle | December 11, 2009 at 02:50 PM