Posts Tagged ‘Claire North’

Claire North shortlisted for Sunday Times/PFD Young Writer of the Year Award!

We’re delighted to say that Claire North has been shortlisted for the Sunday Times/PFD Young Writer of the Year Award for her novel THE END OF THE DAY (UK|US|ANZ)!

Claire North Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year award

The prize honours a work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry by a British or Irish author aged between 18 and 35, and Claire is one of five authors shortlisted for the award.

Andrew Holgate, Sunday Times literary editor and one of the judges on the panel, said that “The fact that the judges decided to nominate five instead of the usual four authors speaks volumes about the strength of this year’s shortlist – diverse, adventurous, immensely mature and confident”.

The shortlist was announced in the Sunday Times yesterday, with THE END OF THE DAY being described by the paper as:

‘Funny, ambitious, immensely humane and full of philosophical panache’

The shortlist was also discussed on Radio 4’s Open Book show yesterday, with judge Lucy Hughes-Hallett saying about THE END OF THE DAY: 

“This is a book which is busting out with invention…it’s extraordinary, and its premise is wonderfully mad. The protagonist is the Harbinger of Death, but actually this harbinger is a sort of sweaty-handed young man, making the best of a rather weird job and getting a bit flustered about it. That combination of very downbeat humour and very grand visions of the end of the world are so at once wildly impressive and deliciously ordinary”

You can hear from all the authors shortlisted at a special event on Tuesday 28th November at Waterstones, Trafalgar Square. The winner will be announced at a ceremony at the London Library on 7th December.

Please join us in congratulating Claire North on Twitter!

THE END OF THE DAY – ‘poignant and cathartic and deeply meaningful’

END OF THE DAY by Claire North
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Rarely have we seen such moving, heartfelt and extraordinary reader reviews as we have done for THE END OF THE DAY (UK|US|ANZ) by Claire North. We wanted to share a few of them with you here:

“It jerked me about and sat on me and beat me up . . . Clear, wide-ranging, brilliant, and glorious to behold.”

“I found it poignant and cathartic and deeply meaningful”

“Ten Stars. Incredible and extraordinary, a masterpiece.”

“It confused me, scared me, made me teary, made me laugh, and made me think. I loved it.”

“I found myself with tears in my eyes”

“A book to sink into and leave the world behind”

 “Overall just total total magic. Magic on the page”

 “I feel honoured to have had the chance to read this book. I will surely return to it again, and again in the future.”

“This book is plainly beautiful. Mind-blowingly amazing. Wonderful. Emotional. Moving. It’s a deep dive into one’s conscious and it makes you think. About everything. About death, and about life. About people, and humanity. It opens up your eyes and makes you see”

“This is sublime, beautifully affecting fiction . . . Read this book as soon as soon as is humanly possible. You can thank me later”

“My favorite book of 2017 so far. Read it your first opportunity. You won’t be disappointed”

THE END OF THE DAY (UK|US|ANZ)  is out now in paperback.

If you’re in London today, you can hear Claire speaking about the book at this event at Blackwells.

Cover launch: THE SUDDEN APPEARANCE OF HOPE by Claire North

THE SUDDEN APPEARANCE OF HOPE by Claire North, author of THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST

Today we can unveil the cover for an astonishing new book. It’s from Claire North, author of the word-of-mouth phenomenon THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST (UK | US | ANZ),  and the critically acclaimed TOUCH (UK|US|ANZ).

THE SUDDEN APPEARANCE OF HOPE (UK|US|ANZ) is the extraordinary tale of a girl with a very unique problem . . .

You might have met Hope Arden before. In fact, you might have met her a hundred times.

But there’s no way that you’ll remember who she is. Because Hope’s unique problem . . . is that she’s the girl the world forgets.

It all started when she was sixteen years old. A slow declining, a kind of isolation, one piece at a time. Her father forgetting to drive her to school. Her mother setting the table for three, not four. A teacher forgeting to chase her missing homework. A friend looking straight through her and seeing a stranger.

No matter what Hope does – the words she says, the people she hurts, the crimes she commits – you will never remember who she is. That makes her life tricky. But it also makes her dangerous.

THE SUDDEN APPEARANCE OF HOPE (UK|US|ANZ) is the tale of a girl no one remembers, but her story will stay with you for ever.

It will be released in hardback, ebook and audio this May from Orbit in the UK and Redhook in the US – and it’s available for pre-order now! And in case you haven’t checked out Claire North’s novels yet, here are a few reminders why you should:

Praise for Claire North’s novels:

‘Little short of a masterpiece’ INDEPENDENT

‘North’s talent shines out’ SUNDAY TIMES

‘Poignant and intensely gripping’ GUARDIAN

‘A masterful literary thriller’ io9

‘Will seduce even scifi sceptics, and keep readers absolutely hooked to the dramatic conclusion’ SUNDAY MIRROR

‘As intriguing and breathless as it is brilliantly original’ LOVE READING

‘Bold, magical and masterful’ M. R. Carey, author of THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS

‘Utterly readable, utterly believable and compelling . . . one of the fiction highlights of the decade’ Judy Finnigan, Richard and Judy Book Club

Orbit acquires three more novels from the author of THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST

Photo of Claire North, author of THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST and the Gameshouse novellasPlease see below for a press release which has just been sent out:

Orbit has acquired three new novels from Claire North, the author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed novels THE FIFST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST and TOUCH. Senior Editor Anna Jackson acquired World rights from Meg Davis at the Ki Agency.

Claire North is a pseudonym for British author Catherine Webb. THE FIFST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST was her first novel published under the Claire North name, and was one of the fastest-selling new SFF titles of the last ten years. It is the tale of a man who lives his life over and over again with the knowledge of the previous lives he has lived, and was one of the few titles ever to be selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club, the Radio 2 Book Club and the Waterstones Book Club promotions. Her next novel TOUCH was published in 2015 to widespread critical acclaim and was described by the Independent as “little short of a masterpiece”.

Acquiring editor Anna Jackson said: “The reaction to THE FIFST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST was astounding, and it was truly a break-out point in Catherine’s career. We’re incredibly excited about her future too, starting with the release of three digital novellas this week entitled THE SERPENT  (UK|US|ANZ), THE THIEF (UK|US|ANZ) and THE MASTER (UK|US|ANZ), which can be read separately but also fit together to make a complete, intricately woven tale. The next Claire North novel to be released in print will be THE SUDDEN APPEARANCE OF HOPE in May 2016. And I’m delighted to have now acquired three further novels from Catherine, who is truly one of the most exciting and imaginative writers in modern fiction.”

Covers for the Gameshouse novellas The Serpent, The Thief and The Master by Claire North, author of thw First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

New from Claire North, author of HARRY AUGUST and TOUCH: The Gameshouse novellas

At the start of November, we are launching something brand new from Claire North – author of the critically acclaimed and bestselling novels The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August and Touch.

Enter the world of the Gameshouse, a world where the best players compete secretly not just for riches – but for political power, for the control of kingdoms, for their very lives… These are the tales of The Serpent (UK|US|ANZ), The Thief  (UK|US|ANZ) and The Master (UK|US|ANZ).

The Gameshouse novellas are three digital stories that can be read separately, but which also fit together to make a complete, intricately woven tale.

Covers for the Gameshouse novellas The Serpent, The Thief and The Master by Claire North, author of thw First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

These stories are thrilling, so rich and beautifully crafted. They’re a perfect example of how Claire’s stories are breathtaking in scope but also painfully intimate. If you’re a fan of her previous novels then we know you’ll love these stories – and they’re also a great way to sample her writing for the first time.

See below for the blurb for the first novella, The Serpent:

In seventeenth century Venice exists a mysterious establishment known only as the Gameshouse.

There, fortunes are made and broken over games of chess, backgammon and every other game under the sun.

But those whom fortune favours may be invited to compete in the higher league . . . a league where the games played are of politics and empires, of economics and kings. It is a league where Capture the Castle involves real castles, where hide and seek takes place on a scale as big as the British Isles.

Not everyone proves worthy of competing in the higher league. But one woman who is about to play may just exceed everyone’s expectations.

Though she must always remember: the higher the stakes, the more deadly the rules . . .

All three titles will be released digitally at the start of November 2015, and are available for pre-order now. They will also be available as a complete volume in audiobook.

Events Round-Up: Stephen Aryan and Claire North

This September we have a fantastic series of events lined up in the UK for Claire North – bestselling author of THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST and TOUCH – and Stephen Aryan – debut author of magic-fuelled and explosive fantasy epic, BATTLEMAGE (released this month). Follow the event links below for more details:-

‘An Evening with Claire North’ at Waterstones Leeds, Monday 21nd September, 7pm

‘An Evening with Local Author Stephen Aryan’ at Waterstones Leeds, Tuesday 22nd September, 7pm

‘An evening with Claire North’ at Waterstones Manchester Deansgate, Tuesday 22nd September, 7pm

Stephen Aryan signing BATTLEMAGE at Forbidden Planet, Shaftsbury Avenue, London, Tuesday 29th September, 5:30pm

Super Relaxed Fantasy Club – Stephen Aryan reading and drinks at The Grange Holborn Hotel (Rooftop ‘Sky Bar’), 50-60 Southampton Row, London, 29th Sept, 6:30pm until late

‘An evening with Claire North’ at Waterstones Liverpool, Wednesday 30th September, 6.30pm

Also look out for upcoming appearances from Stephen Aryan at Fantasycon in Nottingham in October, and SLEDGE-LIT  – alongside Guest of Honour Charles Stross, and THE OVERSIGHT author Charlie Fletcher – in Derby in November.

september events - claire north and stephen aryan

Harry August wins John W. Campbell Memorial Award!

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North
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Many congratulations to Claire North, whose THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST (UK | US | ANZ) has won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel of the Year.

The Award was presented at the Campbell Conference Awards Banquet and Conference, held at the University of Kansas and which focusses on the writing, publishing, illustration and criticism of science fiction.

Claire flew over from for the ceremony and – despite having had some issues getting the trophy through airport security – she is delighted and honoured to have received this prestigious award.

Congratulations to Claire, and to all the other nominees!

TOUCH by Claire North: “I am left staggered into an awed slow-clap”

Touch - a dark thriller novel by Claire North, author of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August
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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live someone else’s life?

TOUCH (UK|US|ANZ) by Claire North is out now. It’s a high-concept thriller about a being who can jump from body to body, just with a touch.

Claire North is the author of THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST (UK | US | ANZ), one of the UK’s bestselling SFF novels of last year. And her new book TOUCH is wowing critics across the board:

‘I am left staggered into an awed slow-clap at everything North has accomplished here. Touch is touching, horrifying, magnificent; step into it, and it will step into you’ NPR

‘As intriguing and breathless as it is brilliantly original, constantly defying expectations and a step (or two) ahead of the reader . . . this one will keep you awake at night in the search for answers’ LOVE READING

‘A dark thriller that asks readers to imagine whom they would be if they could be anyone. . . The high stakes and breakneck pace of the plot will draw readers in, and the meditations on what it means to be human and to be loved will linger long after the last shot is fired’ KIRKUS

‘Bolstered by an impeccable sense of setting, a challenging central character and a sinister plot that doesn’t for a second stop, Touch is its own singular, spirited thing, as fascinating and affecting as its predecessor’ TOR.COM

‘The quality of the writing and the dazzlingly imaginative heart of this exciting book will seduce even scifi sceptics, and keep readers absolutely hooked to the dramatic conclusion’ SUNDAY MIRROR

‘Triumphant . . . This novel is utterly engaging, addictive, and thought-provoking . . . simply superb’ CIVILIAN READER

‘Seriously I cannot get over how amazingly good Claire North is. I could have read this book forever. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August was so smart, Touch is beyond genius. This will be one of THE books of 2015. Mark my words’ BITE THE BOOK

‘Powerful, disquieting, and provocative’ PORNOKITSCH

‘The writing is stunning; the action . . . exhilarating; the depth and emotion – always – thought-provoking and touching’ THE LITERARY TREE

‘One of the cleverest, most compelling books I’ve read in a long time . . .  Claire North is one hell of a writer’ C. L. Taylor, author of THE ACCIDENT

‘A work of sparkling originality that works both as mesmerising thriller and exploration of what it means, at the most profound level, to be human’ Alex Marwood, author of THE WICKED GIRLS

‘Touch is fast, smart, cinematic and with a cracking central idea. This is absolutely destined to be one of the biggest thrillers of 2015’ Rick O’Shea, radio presenter

‘I was totally and utterly gripped, it’s just extraordinary. Absolutely mesmerising’ Clare Mackintosh, author, feature writer and columnist

‘The writing is gorgeous. As I read, my fingers were itching to underline quotes on virtually every page. The characters are richly drawn and compelling. The plot is utterly riveting. The book is pretty much perfect, is what I’m saying’ BOOKTOPIA

‘Fast-paced, imaginative . . . There is plenty of conspiracy and intrigue in this deftly paced novel, but North also poses subtle questions about identity and love’ WASHINGTON POST

‘Absolutely phenomenal. It is an intricate, edge-of-your-seat book that is unforgettable. It is thought provoking in ways that I never really expected or anticipated, and toys with that moral grey area that I love so much . . . My final thoughts: Read this book. Read it now’ BOOKWORM BLUES

Intrigued?

TOUCH is out now from Orbit in the UK and Redhook in the US.

Follow Claire North on Twitter as @ClaireNorth42

Presenting the book trailer for TOUCH by Claire North

The electrifying new thriller from the author of THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST has nearly arrived.

Today, we’re excited to present you with the chilling book trailer for TOUCH (UK|US|ANZ) – Claire North’s latest novel.

TOUCH will be released worldwide next week.

If you love Claire North’s books, show your support by spreading the word about TOUCH to your friends via our Thunderclap campaign. You can also now read the first six chapters online.

 

About the book:

He tried to take my life. Instead I took his.

It was a long time ago. I remember it was dark, and I didn’t see my killer until it was too late. As I died, my hand touched his. That’s when the first switch took place.

Suddenly, I was looking through the eyes of my killer, and I was watching myself die.

Now switching is easy. I can jump from body to body, have any life, be anyone.

Some people touch lives. Others take them. I do both.

 

Early reviews of TOUCH:

‘One of the cleverest, most compelling books I’ve read in a long time. TOUCH has bestseller written all over it and Claire North is one hell of a writer’ C. L. Taylor, author of The Accident

‘A work of sparkling originality’ Alex Marwood, author of The Wicked Girls

‘The high stakes and breakneck pace of the plot will draw readers in, and the meditations on what it means to be human and to be loved will linger long after the last shot is fired.’ Kirkus, (February Hottest New Release)

‘This will be one of THE books of 2015. Mark my words’ Bite The Book

‘I was totally and utterly gripped, it’s just extraordinary. Absolutely mesmerising’ Clare Mackintosh, author of I Let You Go

‘Absolutely destined to be one of the biggest thrillers of 2015’ Rick O’shea, Irish radio presenter

‘As intriguing and breathless as it is brilliantly original, constantly defying expectations . . . Agile, unpredictable, this one will keep you awake at night in the search for answers’ Love Reading

‘The writing is stunning; the action . . . exhilarating; the depth and emotion – always – thought-provoking and touching’ The Literary Tree