It’s been a couple of months since I last did an Aconyte Books roundup, so in this article I’m going to take a look at recent Aconyte releases from June and July 2021. There are four new releases to talk about, between them covering a lot of ground across four different IPs – Legend of the Five Rings, Assassin’s Creed, Arkham Horror and Marvel: Crisis Protocol – so if you’re a fantasy and/or sci-fi fan I’d be pretty hopeful of there being something here which will appeal! As usual I’ll also quickly recap over a few other recent releases which are either now or soon to be available in UK paperback editions, then take a look ahead to some cool upcoming releases. Lastly, I’ll pick out a book from the Aconyte back catalogue to talk about in a bit more detail!
June’s releases
I’ll start off with two new novels published in June – here are the publication dates for both of these books:
- 1st June May 2021: global ebook and US paperback
- 5th August 2021: UK paperback
Next, here’s the publisher’s synopsis for each book, along with links to my reviews and author interview for the first one, and my interview with the translator for the second.
Legend of the Five Rings – Death’s Kiss by Josh Reynolds
Daidoji Shin, former louche layabout turned amateur investigator, and his long-suffering bodyguard, Kasami, are called away from the comforts of the City of the Rich Frog and into Unicorn lands to investigate a seemingly open-and-shut case of murder. But it’s never that straightforward… A condemned woman’s life is at stake, and the outcome may prevent a war between noble families. But that’s only the beginning of this mystery: Shin will come face to face with a sinister seditionist organization that could have much deeper consequences than he could imagine.
I’ve loved all of the L5R books I’ve read so far, and this was no exception. The first ‘Daidoji Shin Mystery’ – Poison River was a lot of fun, so I had high hopes for this one…and I wasn’t disappointed! Check it out for another highly entertaining detective story set in the feudal Japan-inspired world of L5R.
Check out my review of Death’s Kiss.
Check out my interview with Josh Reynolds talking about Death’s Kiss.
Assassin’s Creed – The Ming Storm by Yan Leisheng
China, 16th century. The Assassins are gone. Zhang Yong, the relentless leader of the Eight Tigers, took advantage of the emperor’s death to eliminate all his opponents, and now the Templars hold all the power. Shao Jun, the last representative of her clan, barely escapes death and has no choice but to flee her homeland. Vowing to avenge her former brothers in arms, she travels to Europe to train with the legendary Ezio Auditore. When she returns to the Middle Kingdom, her saber and her determination alone will not be enough to eliminate Zhang Yong: she will have to surround herself with allies and walk in the shadows to defeat the Eight Tigers.
I haven’t read this one yet, but it sounds fascinating! I’ve never played an Assassin’s Creed game, but this is a particularly interesting historical period, and it’s brilliant to see Aconyte bringing Chinese fiction to the English-speaking market. I was delighted to be able to chat to Nikki Kopelman, who translated it from French into English, to find out more about it!
Check out my interview with translator Nikki Kopelman talking about The Ming Storm.
July’s releases
Next, up another pair of books released in July – a novel and a short story anthology. Here are the publication dates:
- 6th July 2021: global ebook and US paperback
- 2nd September 2021: UK paperback
Now let’s look at the synopses as usual, followed by review/interview links.
Arkham Horror – The Devourer Below edited by Charlotte Llewelyn-Wells
Something monstrous has come to Arkham, Massachusetts. There have always been shadows here, but now a new hunger has risen from the depths and threatens those who dwell here. But there are heroes too – people who stand up and fight to stem the tide, even when it costs them everything. Explore eight shocking new tales of occult horror, captivating mystery, and existential fear – from a zealous new heroine to conniving cultists, bootleg whiskey to night terrors, and fiends that crawl from open graves. A nightmare has fallen across Arkham, and it will devour all.
I was really impressed by this anthology, both in terms of the individual stories and the way the whole thing hangs together with a clear and consistent theme. It also hits that lovely balance between exploring parts of an IP that will be familiar to existing fans, and providing great stories in their own right for people (like me) who aren’t very familiar with the setting. Highly recommended.
Check out my review of The Devourer Below.
Check out my interview with editor Charlotte Llewelyn-Wells talking about The Devourer Below.
Marvel Crisis Protocol – Target: Kree by Stuart Moore
Following the destruction of their world, a group of Kree refugees come to Earth to work for Stark Enterprises. But the Guardians of the Galaxy arrive soon after, believing that the world-killer is actually one of those Kree, now hiding out on Earth. But there are others after the killer too, and the Avengers have no choice but to respond – and both Tony Stark and Ms Marvel have to choose between the fate of the Earth and the people they care about.
What’s not to like about a novel featuring the Guardians of the Galaxy facing off against the Avengers? I haven’t yet reviewed this, but I have read it…and it’s a lot of fun! It’s pretty much like reading a blockbuster movie – packed full of action and great, familiar characters, and really just very entertaining.
Check out my interview with Stuart Moore talking about Target: Kree.
Recent releases
So that’s June and July, but what about recent books which were first released in ebook format (and paperbacks for those lucky folks in the US) and are just now becoming available as paperbacks in the UK? There are plenty of these titles to talk about, so here are a few quick links for the most recent releases, with my interviews and (where available) reviews.
These two novels are both out now in UK paperback:
Arkham Horror – Litany of Dreams by Ari Marmell
KeyForge – The Qubit Zirconium by M. Darusha Wehm
These two are due out on the 22nd July in UK paperback:
Marvel Heroines – Elsa Bloodstone: Bequest by Cath Lauria
- Check out my review of Elsa Bloodstone: Bequest
- Check out my interview with Cath Lauria talking about Elsa Bloodstone: Request
Marvel Heroines – Rogue: Untouched by Alisa Kwitney
- Check out my review of Rogue: Untouched
- Check out my interview with Alisa Kwitney talking about Rogue: Untouched
Coming up
There are no fewer than six new novels coming in August and September, so I reckon there should be something for everyone! As I understand it, the release schedule has slightly changed for these two months so that the ebooks for all 6 titles will be released first, with the US paperbacks coming a bit later.
Coming in August (ebooks first, US paperbacks towards the end of September):
- Terraforming Mars – In the Shadow of Deimos by Jane Killick – Aconyte’s first novel set in the Terraforming Mars IP. I like a bit of Martian fiction, so this should be fun.
- Twilight Imperium – The Necropolis Empire by Tim Pratt – the sequel to 2020’s The Fractured Void. Reminds me that I need to read the first book!
- Marvel Legends of Asgard – The Serpent and the Dead by Anna Stephens – the latest instalment in this series exploring the semi-mythical characters of Asgard, in this case Lady Sif and Brunnhilde the Valkyrie.
Coming in September (ebooks early September, US paperbacks late September):
- Marvel Heroines – Outlaw: Relentless by Tristan Palmgren – the latest in this growing range of novels, exploring a character who played a part in Tristan Palmgren’s previous novel Domino: Strays.
- Pandemic – Patient Zero by Amanda Bridgeman – the first Pandemic novel from Aconyte, which I think was originally due to be one of the first books they published but was held back because of…you know…the global pandemic! Should be interesting.
- Marvel Xavier’s Institute – Triptych by Jaleigh Johnson – the third book in this series, featuring lesser-known characters from the X-Men range, in this case ‘former super-soldier and master thief, Fantomex’.
Back catalogue
Each time I write one of these roundups I’m going to pick out a book from Aconyte’s growing back catalogue to talk about in a bit more detail. This month, as it’s just won the Scribe Award for ‘General Original Novel and Adapted Novel’, it seems appropriate to feature…
Watchdogs Legion: Day Zero by James Swallow and Josh Reynolds
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m really not a video gamer, so I didn’t know anything whatsoever about the Watchdogs IP before I made a start on Day Zero. I am, however, a big fan of both James Swallow and Josh Reynolds – in terms of their Black Library writing and their own fiction – so I went into it pretty confident that I was going to enjoy it. What I wasn’t expecting though, was just how contemporary and plausible this high-tech thriller felt, or how perfectly the two authors’ styles complemented each other – they make for a brilliant combination, and I absolutely loved the end result.
If, like me, you’re not very well up on Watchdogs, according to Josh this particular version of the game – and obviously the book itself – is “set in a near-future London where surveillance software has become ubiquitous and everyone is carrying a cutting-edge artificial intelligence in their pocket.” That sounds pretty relevant, right? The book itself “centers on DedSec, a secretive resistance movement composed of hackers, anarchists and the like, as they struggle against government crackdowns, a shady private military contractor, and other assorted enemies.” Not only does that make for a pretty cool backdrop to a video game, but it also works really well for the novel.
Here’s an excerpt from the opening paragraph of my review to give you a bit more info on the plot:
“Trouble is brewing in an alternative but worryingly believable London, with organised crime rife, private military contractor Albion muscling in on the Met, and hacker collective DedSec leading an underground resistance. Tensions begin to escalate when a spate of shootings rock the East End, and players from all sides – local government, DedSec, Albion, the brutal Clan Kelley crime family – step up their efforts, as a deeper mystery starts to come to light in the battle for control of the city.”
This all makes for a powerful, topical backdrop to a pacy, action-packed adventure, and the two authors’ styles gel really well together to provide a spot-on mix of great characters and a propulsive, breakneck plot. It has all the hallmarks of a great modern thriller, full of cool tech but also warnings of the overreliance on technology, and it feels brilliantly topical, especially if you’re familiar with London. It’s packed full of “hacking camera feeds, hijacking drones, soldiers clashing with coppers, bold heists and dangerous political power plays”, and with multiple POV characters and the classic thriller pace it’s a total blast from start to finish.
Because this is set pretty much in current-day London, I would say it’s probably the most accessible of all the Aconyte novels I’ve read, with no real need for world building beyond the basics of who/what DedSec is. It should very much appeal to fans of the game, but it’s ideal for readers like me who just want a cool story with great characters – if someone picked it up off the shelf at a bookshop and didn’t realise that Watchdogs: Legion was a video game, I really don’t think they would notice, they would just enjoy it for the pacy, entertaining thriller that it is. I think that’s the hallmark of a great tie-in novel, to be honest, in that it broadens the world for existing fans but can be read and loved with absolutely no prior knowledge. In my opinion that’s exactly what Swallow and Reynolds have achieved here, and I really can’t recommend this book enough!
So there you have it – Day Zero is definitely worth getting hold of, and in my opinion is a much-deserved Scribe Award winner! If you’d like to know more, check out one or both of these links:
My interview with James Swallow and Josh Reynolds talking about Day Zero.
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Before I sign off, I should point out that congratulations are due as well to M.K. Hutchins who has also recently won a Scribe Award! In her case it was the ‘Short Story’ award for her KeyForge story Useful Parasites, which I described in my review as “a story about someone getting to grips with their grief and remembering that hiding from pain isn’t the same thing as healing”, and “beautifully bittersweet.” If you haven’t already, I would definitely recommend checking out the Tales from the Crucible anthology which features this story!
As usual, I hope this has been useful, and has maybe inspired you to give one of these cool new books a try. Whether you’re a fan of IP fiction already (Warhammer, Star Wars, Star Trek, whatever) or you just fancy some entertaining SFF or horror fun, I would really recommend you take a look at what Aconyte are doing! I’ll be back with another roundup in a couple of months’ time.
I’d love to know what you think about this article, and whether there’s anything you would like to see more or less of in future. Likewise, whether you’ve read any Aconyte novels recently and want to chat about them! Let me know in the comments below, or find me on Twitter and say hi…
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