Hodderscape swoops for YA dystopian trilogy from Chloe Gong

Hodderscape has acquired a new YA dystopian trilogy from These Violent Delights (Headline) author Chloe Gong. The science fiction and fantasy imprint of Hodder & Stoughton and Margaret K McElderry Books will simultaneously publish the first in the Coldwire trilogy in autumn 2025. Publishing director Molly Powell acquired UK and Commonwealth rights in a three-book deal from Laura Crockett at Triada US Literary Agency.

Coldwire is the first in a new trilogy set in the near future, where life has moved to virtual reality, and following an ousted corporate soldier racing to clear her name of treason alongside the enemy who is truly guilty.

Gong said: "I adore working with the brilliant Hodderscape team and I’m so excited to launch this brand-new YA series for my UK readers. Coldwire has been a project in the making for years, combining everything I love about the dystopian genre with the intensity of futuristic cyberpunk. I’m incredibly grateful for the support—and can’t wait for everyone to discover what’s lurking upcountry."

Powell said: "Chloe Gong is an absolute powerhouse of the genre. Her writing leaps off the page with vivid, immersive prose, and she is an expert at action-packed stories and aching romances that break her readers’ hearts again and again. Coldwire shows her genre-defying range: prepare to fall in love with dystopia again!"

Crockett said: "Chloe knows how to capture readers’ hearts in the gripping opening lines of every book, and it’s no different in Coldwire. She can turn even the most hesitant-of-genre-fiction reader into a fan. Coldwire’s propulsive plot, electrifying characters and compelling questions of capitalism, technology and society kept me attentive to every mind-blowing twist and gasp-out-loud moment. There is no better UK home than with Molly and the team at Hodderscape to champion this dystopian series for a new generation!”

Coldwire will publish in hardback, eBook and audio in autumn 2025.