Who Wants to Read a Mashup of Harry Potter and The Terminator?
The easiest way to sell a book is to suggest other books or movies it may remind you of. In the storied tradition of “X meets Y” marketing copy, we don’t think we’ve encountered anything that whet our appetite for a good read quite like the latest pitch from Saga Press: the publisher describes its latest acquisition as “Harry Potter meets The Terminator,” unnecessarily adding that it is “kickass” and “action-packed.” We say “unnecessarily” because at that point we’d already heard the title, which sells itself. It is…
Wait for it…
Mage Against the Machine. Can’t wait to read it? Neither can we. The debut novel from newcomer Shaun Barger, it publishes in June 2018. Here’s the full blurb:
Nikolai is a mage. Not just any mage, but a cadet of the Edge Guard, a secret order within mage society dedicated to guarding the veils—the magical barriers that conceal mage-kind from the wasteland created by humanity’s self-immolation a hundred years ago.
Jem is a runner. An enhanced human with cybernetic mods that make her faster, stronger, smarter, and are the only things that give her a fighting chance against the synthetic intelligences bent on humanity’s eradication. She is one of the few remaining agents of a failing human resistance.
Now…
A chance encounter with a man he once considered a mentor sends Nikolai down a twisting path to uncover the greatest secret in mage history: the humans aren’t dead. The mages have sealed themselves off from the world, content to let humans die their slow, violent deaths at the hands of the machines.
Jem’s been entrusted with precious cargo: a cure for the plague the synths are using to eradicate the last of humanity. But this mission will put her at the heart of the resistance, and she will have to question whether the Resistance leadership has the same goals as she does.
When Nik escapes the veil, his greatest wish is fulfilled—humans are alive, but their world is a nightmare. Facing terrifying foes, Nik and Jem must learn to trust each other to survive. More than that, Nik faces an impossible decision: side with the mages and let humanity die out? Or take a stand as just one Mage Against the Machine.
“I fell in love with the idea of this book the moment I heard the title—and I was thrilled that the book lived up to the high concept pitch,” said Navah Wolfe, acquiring editor for Saga. “Mage Against the Machine has everything I love in a book—action, humor, great characters, and an awesome genre mashup. I’m so happy to be publishing it at Saga Press.”
For his part, Barger feels he’s found the perfect publisher.
“To say I’m beyond thrilled that Saga Press is taking me on for my debut novel is an incredible understatement,” he said. “Saga is edgy, literary, and, well, kind of punk rock. They’re the effortlessly cool new kid wearing shredded black jeans, smirking around their cigarette while they lead the charge of fresh, millennial voices in sci-fi and fantasy. I seriously can’t imagine a more perfect press for Mage Against the Machine.”
Like we said, you’re going to have to wait a while for this one, but we’ve got a feeling it’s going to be worth it. See you back here in June 2018.