Hodder snaps up new 'high-concept' Max Barry novel

Hodder & Stoughton and Hachette Australia have announced the joint acquisition of the new “high-concept” novel by Max Barry.

Oliver Johnson, Hodder & Stoughton associate publisher, and Fiona Hazard, group publishing director of Hachette Australia, struck a deal for British Commonwealth rights with Tom Dussel at Putnam and Luke Janklow of Janklow & Nesbit. The book, which has the working title Providence, will be published in April 2020.

Australian writer Barry is the author of two previous novels, the acclaimed Lexicon (Mulholland Books) and Jennifer Government (Abacus).

Johnson said: “Publishing Lexicon was a Hodder highlight, and since 2013 everyone in the company has been eagerly chasing news about what Max was writing – as have his many fans. I’m delighted that we will be publishing his new novel in spring 2020.

“Like all of his books, it is a high-concept, cross-genre story that combines pulse- pounding action with profound questions about where the hell our species is going, and what it means to give up so much autonomy to algorithms we barely understand. Also, it is set on a fascinating, godlike spaceship and there are aliens who spit black holes.”