Tor acquires T.L. Huchu’s The Library of The Dead at auction

Bella Pagan, Editorial Director at Pan Macmillan’s Tor imprint has acquired world rights to two books by T. L. Huchu. They were acquired at auction from Jamie Cowen at The Ampersand Agency. Will Hinton, Executive Editor at Tor in the US, has acquired North American rights from Pan Macmillan. The first of the two books, a speculative fiction novel set in Edinburgh, The Library of the Dead, is scheduled for publication in spring 2021.

Ropa dropped out of school to become a ghost talker and now speaks to Edinburgh’s dead, carrying messages to the living. A girl’s gotta earn a living, and it seems harmless enough. Until, that is, the dead whisper that someone’s bewitching children – leaving them husks, empty of joy and life. It’s on Ropa’s patch, so she feels honour-bound to investigate. But what she learns will change her world. She'll dice with death (not part of her life plan . . .), discovering an occult library and a taste for hidden magic. She'll also experience dark times. For Edinburgh hides a wealth of secrets, and Ropa’s gonna hunt them all down.

T. L. Huchu said:
‘This is super-dope; I’m thrilled to be working with Bella and the guys at Tor. I’m a bibliophile, foremost, and Tor publishes a whole bunch of some of my favourite authors working today. So to be a part of that is pretty cool. This book was a labour of love for me and I hope readers will enjoy meeting Ropa Moyo and her upside-down version of Edinburgh.’

Bella Pagan said:
‘I feel I’ve been waiting forever for just this brilliantly inventive book. And now we’ve acquired it, I couldn’t be happier. It’s smart, fast-paced, witty and vividly imagined. Our heroine Ropa Moyo is amazing too, mixing up Zimbabwean magic with her Scottish wit and pragmatism. For those that adore Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series and Netflix’s Stranger Things, this is the book you’ve been waiting for.'

Will Hinton added:
'Within pages I knew I was in the hands of an absolute magician of a storyteller. Huchu takes us to a world as hard-edged as it is enchanting, as unique and believable as its main character. And Ropa Moyo is simply unforgettable, as she carves a path through mysteries and menaces that she’s only just begun to explore.'

The Library of The Dead is scheduled for publication in spring 2021 by Tor in the UK and US. It is T. L. Huchu’s genre fiction debut. His previous books have been translated into multiple languages and his short fiction has won awards. Huchu grew in up Zimbabwe and has lived in Edinburgh for most of his adult life. His Twitter handle is @TendaiHuchu. 

For more information please contact Rosie Wilson at Pan Macmillan:

Rosie.Wilson@macmillan.com / 020 7038 5257