Zoe’s Tale UK Edition Officially Out
Posted on June 9, 2009 Posted by John Scalzi 33 Comments
This actually happened last Friday but I was busy fighting zombies or picking my nose or something, so:
Hey, if you live in the United Kingdom and you wanted your very own Tor UK edition of Zoe’s Tale, it is now officially out and available at your favorite bookstore. And if it’s not available at your favorite bookstore, then I suggest to you it doesn’t deserve to be your favorite bookstore anymore, now, does it? No, it does not. I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it is.
In any event, I hope you all enjoy it over there in the UK. I’m very fond of this book and its main character. I’m sure if you visit the site here with any frequency you’ve figured that out by now.
(North Americans: It’s in your bookstores too. Hint, hint.)
Is there a significant difference between the UK English version and the US English version?
North American here who just got it (having waited for the paperback). Read it, loved it. But curse you, Scalzi, for making me cry all over again at something that I knew was going to happen! I mean, who do you think you are, James Cameron?
Much better than that, Amazon started sending them out on 28 May, so life is good.
And the significant difference of the UK edition is that you can buy it in the UK. That’s a pretty critical difference for some of us.
It’s also in this North American’s local grocery store. Right next to the romance novels. I’m sort of afraid to read it now.
It’s OK, JeffB. ZT is uplifting the romance novels, not being dragged down by them.
Of course, it does have some romance. How could it have teenage female protagonist but not contain any romance?
It’s only just out??? (goes and checks copy). Then thank you Forbidden Planet who obviously imported the US copy as it has a $ price on the dust cover, translated to £ by a sticker. I never noticed that before, I just saw it and bought it.
Been there, bought that, read it already.
So what have you done for me LATELY?
JohnH, why yes, yes there is! We changed “fenders” to “mud guards”, color to colour, apartment to “flat”, and “2nd floor” to “first floor”, “first floor” to “zeroth floor” for consistency, and all that stuff that you guys persist in believing makes English, ENGLISH! We even hired a consultant that advised us to change “hood” to “bonnet”, though we could not see the value in calling some cheap punk a ‘bonnet’. We did it ANYWAY, because we are just NICE GUYS!
WOW! a lot of work! Oh and $8.00 to £5, too, to cover the cost of all that laborious labor. No don’t thank us for translating a book into your native tongue, it’s difficult and demanding work but SO rewarding. We are confident we have captured the essence of this story, so that all you fine people will enjoy it for entire minutes at a time.
I really wish that we could just get on the same page for release dates. For every book that gets released early in the US, there is one that gets released earlier in the UK.
Joe Abercrombie, Mike Carey, Paul McAuley, Richard Morgan, the list goes on.
But when is it going to be in our *Subterranean* store? That is the question…
For that matter, where has that fancy-pants copy of The Last Colony gone off to? :-)
Shouldn’t that be “favourite”?
I’m in the US.
I’ll go and look in Books Etc at Broadgate Circle tomorrow. I’m not declaring it to be any kind of favourite, mind you (that would probably be the big Waterstones in Gower St) but it’s only a hundred or so yards from my office.
Got, read it twice in two weeks, loved it! Go go go if you don’t have it yet.
I did read that there were changes made to the book to make it fit for GB audience. But… why does it take so long for release? Does it get proofread that many times? Or is there more to it that the normal person doesn’t know. Please don’t be offended I’m just curious about the industry.
There were no changes made to the book. The reason for the difference in release schedules is because Tor UK bought it later than Tor in the US, and had to fit it into their existing schedule.
“Officially out” as opposed to unofficially out. Oh, internet pirates have you been stealing Scalzi again.
Don’t make him send his sheep after you.
Hi John, I’ve got a question for you :
I just began “Zoe’s Tale” this morning and after 1 page I thought “eh! that story rings a bell to me”. (I have to confess that I read “Old’man war”, “Ghost Brigade” and “Last colony” some month ago.) So, I’m a bit puzzled. Shall re-read the same story developped in Last Col., or shall I close the book and wait for you to write a new one (Yes, I already read Android Dream end Agent to the star, too. So I’ve nothing more from you to read !).
thx.
PS :Don’t worry, I’m not a monomaniac and have other Sci-Fi books to read, but… ;-)
PS2: Why that strange and gloomy screen Background with storm clouds ?
Mine arrived last week, but I’m saving it for a business trip at the weekend. (Also I’m finishing the latest Peter F Hamilton first). Should liven up my 3 hour train journey though – thanks.
Hmm. does it still count, given that while I have it, I didn’t buy it from my favourite bookshop?
My royalties say yes!
OK, so slightly to my surprise there were three copies in Books Etc at Broadgate this morning. Only two left now…
estelle@17: ZT takes place during the same time and amid the same events as TLC, but it is nevertheless a wholly new story, told as it is from an entirely different perspective, with a different focus. The main plot of TLC is really just the backdrop against which ZT is set.
estelle @17: Indeed, Zoe’s Tale is a retelling of The Last Colony from the title character’s POV. But this was explained by Scalzi early on (before the book was published)…
Any words on translations? (I’m pretty interested in the Spanish one, actually)
The UK edition arrived a couple of days early from Amazon, and immediately moved to the top of my ‘to be read’ pile.
I do like to buy from the UK publisher rather than buy imports, in the hope that this will encourage future books to be published here too, even if it does mean waiting a few months longer.
I’ve also noticed that, comparatively speaking, US paperbacks tend to be printed on very poor quality paper.
Alex:
It’s already out in Germany and the French version is coming out later this month. I’m pretty sure we’ve sold it in Russian as well. Not sure about Spanish; I’d have to check.
Picked up one of the three copies at my local Waterstones. Thanks for the heads up.
And when will we get this to scandinavia and more precisly in FINLAND. It amazes me that none of your books is not even translated in finnish language, thats ok for me, because all the jokes and stuff go like they should only in the original language… But do you know, when I can go to my favourite bookshop and get Zoe’s Tale, on either language?
It’s also out in Singapore actually… my girlfriend picked it up for me a few weeks ago at a Japanese chain over there…. not sure what version that makes it though… I’m guessing it can’t be UK edition, but if it’s from Kinokuniya in Singapore might it be the US ed? Just curious… It’s not at any bookstore I’ve found in Bangkok but I have found your other three books from the OMW universe.
Got it, read it, loved it, reviewed it!
Now reading The Last Colony then i’m all caught up with Perry and co.
Estelle @17:
When I read the pre-release blurbs about Zoe, I thought the exact same thing. However I gave Mr. S the benefit of the doubt and bought Zoe anyway.
Trust me, it is neither redundant nor repetitive, and as Mr. S has indicated, fills in some holes in TLC that may not have /needed/ filling but nonetheless make for great reading. Tip: keep a box of tissues handy.
Mark@31 : Thx for your advise. I’m gonna read it anyway. And you teased me with that thing of having a full box of kleenex ready to use ! (is that really so sad ? Nevermind, I’m gonna read it).
;-)
does anybody have any suggestions for something that sounds like “Delhi Morning”?