Cover Reveal: The Witch Who Came in from the Cold

 

About The Witch Who Came In From the Cold:

Through a haze of cigarettes and vodka there lies a version of Prague where spies practice sorcery in their games of intrigue. While the world watches the bitter rivalry between East and West fester along the Iron Curtain, the Consortium of Ice and the Acolytes of Flame continue waging their ancient war of magic. Kept to the shadows, this secret contest crosses the lines of politics and the borders of nations with impunity – the intrigues of spies may know clear sides but the battles of witches spill out over all. Tanya Morozova is a KGB officer and the latest in a long line of Ice witches and sorcerers; Gabe Pritchard is a CIA officer and reluctant Ice recruit. Enemies at one turn, suspicious allies at the next, their relationship is as explosive as the Cold War itself.   

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Launching January 27th, 2016 from Serial Box Publishing is a historical espionage fantasy unlike any seen before. Tones of John le Carre’s beloved thrillers mix with Neil Gaiman-style magical realism in this battle between sorcery and spycraft in Cold War Prague.

 

From the creators of some of today’s most ingenuitive fiction comes this online serial in 13 weekly episodes which can be read or listened to on your device of choice. Lead Writer Lindsay Smith (Sekret and Skandal) brings her experience writing on foreign affairs in DC to bear at the head of the writers’ room comprised of Ian Tregillis (the Milkweed Triptych), Cassandra Rose Clarke (Our Lady of the Ice), Max Gladstone (Bookburners and the Craft Sequence), and Michael Swanwick (Stations of the Tide).

While the world watches the bitter rivalry between East and West fester along the Iron Curtain, the Consortium of Ice and the Acolytes of Flame continue waging their ancient war of magic. Kept to the shadows, this secret contest crosses the lines of politics and the borders of nations with impunity – the intrigues of spies may know clear sides but the battles of witches spill out over all. Tanya Morozova is a KGB officer and the latest in a long line of Ice witches and sorcerers; Gabe Pritchard is a CIA officer and reluctant Ice recruit. Enemies at one turn, suspicious allies at the next, their relationship is as explosive as the Cold War itself. 

 

THE WITCH WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD will be released as weekly episodes in text and audio starting January 27th, 2016, via SerialBox.com, the Serial Box Publishing iOS app, and wherever ebooks and audiobooks are sold. Preorder here.

Episode 1: “A Long Cold Winter” 

When a young Czech student is stalked by an inhuman hunter, KGB agent and Ice operative Tanya Morozova must risk all to protect her, while CIA agent Gabe Pritchard learns that some horrors, once seen, can never be forgotten.  

Episode 2: “A Voice on the Radio”

Tanya and Nadia continue their pursuit of a young Host – drawing the attention of both Flame and CIA agents. Gabe tries to ignore the stirrings of magic around him, to little success.

Episode 3: “Double Blind” 

A high-stakes cat-and-mouse game unfolds across the frozen streets of Prague as Tanya and Nadia employ spycraft and witchcraft alike to elude Flame agents - but Gabe is also on their trail. 

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About Episode 6: "A Week Without Magic"

By Michael Swanwick, releases March 2
 
When an unwanted interloper from Moscow Center intrudes on local KGB operations in Prague, Tanya finds that red tape can strangle as effectively as any garrote. Meanwhile, Gabe must deal with a new arrival from Washington, D.C., sent to command the ANCHISES operation. It seems that bureaucracy is the same on both sides of the Iron Curtain! Where can two enemy spies turn for help...but to each other? 

Art for this serial was provided by Mark Weaver. Each episode of THE WITCH WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD will feature an original piece.

Lindsay Smith is the author of the YA espionage thrillers Sekret, Skandal, and Dreamstrider, all from Macmillan Children's. She lives in Washington, DC, with her husband and dog, where she writes on international issues in cyber security. LindsaySmith.net. @LindsaySmithDC.

Max Gladstone has been thrown from a horse in Mongolia, drank almond milk with monks on Wudang Shan, and wrecked a bicycle in Angkor Wat. Max is also the author of the Craft Sequence of books about undead gods and skeletal law wizards—Full Fathom Five, Three Parts Dead, Two Serpents Rise, and Last First Snow. Max fools everyone by actually writing novels in the coffee shops of Davis Square in Somerville, MA. His dreams are much nicer than you’d expect. MaxGladstone.com. @maxgladstone.
 

Cassandra Rose Clarke grew up in south Texas and currently lives in a suburb of Houston, where she writes and teaches composition at a pair of local colleges. She holds an M.A. in creative writing from The University of Texas at Austin, and in 2010 she attended the Clarion West Writer’s Workshop in Seattle. Her work has been nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award and YALSA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults. Her latest novel is Our Lady of the Ice, out now from Saga Press. CassandraRoseClark.com. @mitochondrial.

Ian Tregillis is the son of a bearded mountebank and a discredited tarot card reader. He is the author of the Milkweed Triptych, Something More than Night, and the Alchemy Wars trilogy. His most current novel is The Rising (Alchemy Wars #2). His short fiction has appeared at numerous venues including Tor.com, Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Popular Science. He lives in New Mexico, where he consorts with writers, scientists, and other disreputable types. the author of the Milkweed Triptych, Something More than Night, and the Alchemy Wars trilogy. His most current novel is The Rising (Alchemy Wars #2). His short fiction has appeared at numerous venues including Tor.com, Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Popular Science. He lives in New Mexico, where he consorts with writers, scientists, and other disreputable types.  IanTregillis.com. @ITregillis. 

Michael Swanwick (guest author) has received the Nebula, Theodore Sturgeon, World Fantasy and Hugo Awards. He has written nine novels, 150 short stories, and countless flash fictions. His latest novel, Chasing the Phoenix, is available from Tor Books. FloggingBabel.

Other Info:

The series launched on January 27th and the first episode is free!

Check out the trailer, as well as the Pinterest, Tumblr, and Facebook pages. Use #ColdWitch to join the conversation.

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