Gollancz lands Cameron sci-fi debut

Gollancz has landed a sci-fi debut by fantasy novelist Miles Cameron, who also writes historical fiction as Christian Cameron.

Gillian Redfearn, deputy publisher, acquired world rights from Shelly Power of the Shelly Power Literary Agency. For publication in June 2021, Artifact Space is billed as “a perfect starfaring novel, blending space opera with grounded military SF in a wholly original and compelling way”.

The synopsis states: “Midshipper Marca Nbaro has achieved the near-impossible. She’s made it from an orphanage to the Athens—one of the incomparable Greatships—escaping her upbringing and seizing a new life for herself among the stars. All it took was thousands of hours in simulators, dedication, and pawning or selling every scrap of her old life in order to forge a new one. But though she’s made her way onboard with faked papers, leaving her old life—and scandals—behind isn’t so easy. She may have just combined all the dangers of her former life, with all the perils of the new...”

Cameron is a fantasy novelist who lives in Toronto, Canada. He is a military veteran with a degree in Medieval History. His debut novel The Red Knight (Gollancz), first in The Traitor Son series, was nominated for the David Gemmell Morningstar award. It was followed by the Masters and Mages series, which begins with Bright Steel (Gollancz).

He explained: “Right at the start of Covid-19 I had an idea that took over my brain. It had three roots; years ago, during a Gollancz Festival, Alistair Reynolds suggested I base a novel on my experience of aircraft carriers, being the closest experience on Earth to living in Space. At the beginning of this year, I read a brilliant piece of non-fiction on the Great Galleys of Venice and the long-distance carrying trade. And finally, while I was reading that, I went to see 'Little Women' with my family. It must have been the night before theatres closed. And there it was: the character of Amy came together with the vibe and vitality of Ventian trade, plus aircraft carriers. I started writing that night, and finished Artifact Space in... 48 days? I hope you enjoy it, because it absolutely poured out of me.”

Redfearn added: "When an author is so excited about a new project, you know you have to pay attention, and Artifact Space is epic science fiction at its best. An SF adventure which is absolutely grounded in military reality is a rare and wonderful thing—special in the same way The Martian is powerful for feeling real, so Miles Cameron had my attention the moment he mentioned this idea. But the clincher for me was Marca Nbaro: she’s exceptional, self-taught, always fighting imposter syndrome, and sharing her adventure is a joy. This release will be a highlight of 2021."