An unmissable Gollancz debut for 2013

Humans will be the hunted. Love will be tested. Vengeance will be had. An unmissable Gollancz debut for 2013!

UK and Commonwealth rights to The Falconer trilogy by debut author Elizabeth May were snapped up in a six-figure pre-emptive deal by Gollancz just before the Frankfurt Bookfair this year. Editorial Director Gillian Redfearn did the deal with Heather Baror-Shapiro of Baror International, acting on behalf of Russell Galen of the Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency, and getting the Frankfurt Book Fair off to a great start for all concerned. Heather Baror-Shapiro went on to sell The Falconer trilogy in six-figure pre-empt deals in Germany, Italy and Brazil.

Elizabeth May said, about the deal, ‘If I had to name my favourite authors in science fiction and fantasy, a great deal of them would have been published by Gollancz. For The Falconer to be added to such a talented list of individuals is overwhelming, and I’m so honoured. I may have sobbed with happiness over my morning coffee.’

The Falconer begins in Edinburgh, in 1844, where we meet 18 year old Lady Aileana Kameron, who was destined to live a life carefully planned around Edinburgh’s social events — until a faery killed her mother. Now, between the seeming endless social parties and boring dances, Aileana has a new hobby: every night she sheds her aristocratic facade to go hunting, secretly slaughtering the fae who prey on humans in the city’s dark alleyways, and determined to track down the faery who murdered her mother. Vengeance has become her life . . . so she never anticipated her growing attraction to the magnetic Kiaran MacKay, the faery who trained her to kill his own kind. Or that there was a world beyond hers, filled with secrets which affect her past and have the potential to destroy her present.

But when her own world is about revenge, and when she holds Kiaran’s fate in her hands, how far is Aileana prepared to go to avenge her mother’s murder . . . ?

Perfect for fans of Deborah Harkness’ A Discovery of Witches, Elizabeth May is a new author to watch.

Heather Baror-Shapiro said ‘After reading The Falconer, I knew we had a hit on our hands, the book is beautifully written with tons of smart action and romance. After speaking with the author, Elizabeth May, I knew we had a bestseller. She is brilliant and incredibly talented, and I am so excited to represent this special trilogy and author.’

Gillian Redfearn added: ‘I can’t wait to start working with Elizabeth May. Her heroine, Lady Aileana Kameron, jumps so fully formed from the page and is so engaging – whether she’s at a formal ball, chatting with friends, or slaying murderous fae on the street. The story is perfectly constructed, and the balance of society, romance and vengeance is wonderful. The Falconer made me smile, it made my heart ache, and it had me turning the pages faster and faster with every chapter. I’m not sure there is higher praise for a novel.’

Elizabeth May’s debut novel The Falconerwill be published by Gollancz in the UK & Commonwealth in early 2013.