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Titan snaps up debut novel from Ai Jiang in two-book deal
Titan has snapped up An Empire Above Opera, the "beautifully inventive" debut novel from Ai Jiang.
Editor-at-large Cath Trechman acquired world English rights, including audio, in a two-book deal from Lisa Abellera at Kimberley Cameron & Associates. The novel will be published in autumn 2026 with the second book in the deal, An Opera of Salamanders, to follow in autumn 2027. "Ai’s vivid and lyrical storytelling captures an intricate world of politics and power," said Abellera.
An Empire Above Opera is a "riveting" tale set on a "drowning continent of royal siblings striving to survive in a climate of murder and corruption".
Jiang commented: "This book is inspired by the Fuzhounese opera cassettes my grandma and I listened to when I was younger. It’s about stories manipulated and lost, remembered and hidden, of rebellion and reconciliation, of fallen legacies and dynasties—a book I hope will linger in readers’ minds long after its conclusion, one that will survive across generations.”
Trechman added: "We feel incredibly fortunate to have landed Ai Jiang’s extraordinary debut novel: a richly envisioned story of corruption, deception and rebellion. Seamlessly blending science fiction and fantasy, Ai has created a beautiful yet sinister new world that readers will love."
