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Seven-book fantasy series for Bloomsbury

01.01.70 | Katie Allen

Bloomsbury has bought world English rights in the first three books in a seven-book fantasy series by 20-year-old Oxford undergraduate Samantha Shannon.

Editor-in-chief Alexandra Pringle bought The Bone Season and two further books but with the “commitment absolutely to do the seven”, in a six-figure pre-empt through David Godwin.

The Bone Season begins in 2059 and features a 19-year-old girl criminal with clairvoyant powers. Pringle called it an "utterly consuming adventure”, saying it had “echoes of Narnia, fairy tales, and dystopian future". It will be published globally in September 2013.

Pringle said: "I'm not a genre publisher, but I bought Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell and The Song of Achilles—both were fantasy novels, beautifully done, wonderfully written and extraordinary to read. This is the third in my trilogy of fantasy acquisitions. She is fizzing with ideas."

Shannon was discovered by author Ali Smith when giving creative writing classes in Oxford. She had previously done an internship at David Godwin Associates.
 

Photo credit: Mark Pringle
 

• Bloomsbury
• Charlotte Williams
• Rights deal