Fantasy-Faction were heart-broken when we heard that publishing imprint Strange Chemistry would be folding. Authors such as Laura Lam, who had written books like Pantomime that scored 9 & 10 out of 10 scores, were left out of contract. Equally hard to swallow was that series like Laura’s would be left mid-way through without a publisher to deliver the next sequence of events to fans. As any fantasy reader will tell you: we can’t live without closure!
Today though we’ve heard some fantastic news. News that will make Laura Lam and Dark Circus fans punch the air: Pan Macmillan has acquired world rights for PANTOMIME, SHADOWPLAY and MASQUERADE. Yep! That’s right – the complete trilogy is set to be re-released and finished by Tor Books!
For those unfamiliar with the series (poor you – and here’s your reason to check it out!) they are are set within a circus in a world somewhat like our own – but where wonders and magic really exist. A young runaway seeks escape from a life of injustice and secrets, and the circus promises freedom. There, Micah will become who she was meant to be, yet the future also holds conflict and dangerous mysteries. As we say in our review, these are well-written and intelligent fantasy books with characters your will love.
We were curious about how Laura felt about her fans finally being able to get their hands on the final book of the series. She said: “I was so relieved and absolutely ecstatic. It’s been an interesting journey for Micah, and I’m extremely honoured and grateful to have the support of everyone at Macmillan for both my fantasy and my near-future thrillers.”
That near future thriller is, of course, False Hearts. The deal for which was announced earlier this year when she was announced as the first Strange Chemistry author to find a deal outside of the label following its collapse.
Senior Commissioning editor Bella Pagan commented: “I absolutely adored Laura’s False Hearts and am so delighted we’ll also be publishing her captivating first series too. These books also show off Laura’s huge talent and I just can’t wait for a new army of readers to discover this for themselves.”
Pan Macmillan will release PANTOMIME AND SHADOWPLAY in ebook this autumn. Physical reissues will follow from summer 2016, ending with MASQUERADE, the new book. We can’t wait and congrats to Laura – this is great news for you and for us too!
Jennie Ivins