Red Star Rebels: USA and UK launch edition
Plus something for the Aussies, too!
Hi there! I’m Amie Kaufman, NYT and internationally bestselling author of Red Star Rebels, The Isles of the Gods, Lady’s Knight, and many more. This newsletter is the place to learn about my latest releases or events, and to follow along behind the scenes as I find my way through writing, and through life.
Hi, my friends.
Just a quick email today, because it’s the USA and UK launch day for Red Star Rebels, and I couldn’t let that go by without celebrating. I’ll be back at the start of March with a regular newsletter (and all the usual philosophy and storytelling that goes with it) — I have something really exciting to share when I write to you next.
I’ve spent the last two days visiting over 20 bookshops in my hometown of Melbourne, chatting with booksellers and enjoying the celebration. I’ve had tour events in Adelaide and Melbourne, with Brisbane coming up on Thursday.
And finally, it’s my overseas readers’ turn to join the party! (But scroll down, Aussies, there’s something here for you, too, look for the heading that says so.)
Red Star Rebels is out today…
And I couldn’t be happier. This book is my love letter to sci-fi. It’s my return to space. It’s me quite simply having the time of my life, and I think you will too. If you enjoyed Illuminae, Aurora Rising, Unearthed or These Broken Stars, then this one is for you. (And really, if you enjoyed Selly and Leander in The Isles of the Gods, get in here, you’ll have a ball.)
The whole book takes place over the course of eight hours, and I never take my foot off the pedal.
It’s a sci-fi novel, so of course there’s a deep, thoughtful question in there (and one that’s more timely than ever) but mostly it’s just fun. There’s banter. Traps. Sass over a loudspeaker. I wrote (read: nerded out) in my last letter about the inherent pleasures of a genre, and that’s exactly what I indulged in.
It’s also a quick read. You know I love a brick-sized novel, and I’ve written plenty of them, but I wanted this book to be a treat that you can pick up, race through in a day or two, and really enjoy.
I thought a lot about movies, writing Red Star Rebels.
Speed was really formative for me, and is one of the earliest movies I remember falling in love with. I loved the breakneck pacing, the heroes on a time limit, and the heady thrill of romance under fire.
The Martian was… well. I skipped a meal to finish this book, and that’s never happened before. I thought the movie was just as great. I loved the extreme DIY, the isolation of being trapped on Mars, and of course the frequent and unexpected explosions.
Die Hard is one of my all-time favourite movies. I love the sass, the snark, and the ingenuity required to take a team of mercenaries out one by one.
And though it may seem like the odd one out, I also looked to Home Alone. Turns out it takes a lot of thinking to come up with clever booby traps, and the oh, you come into MY house and think you’re gonna… vibe of it all delights me.
I wanted Red Star Rebels to feel like a fast-paced action film, full of romance — to be a read you didn’t want to put down — and having these stories in mind as I wrote really helped act as a compass. What I love about them is what I folded into my own story, in my own way.
The book is finally out in the world!
I’d just love it if you grabbed a copy. All the links are here — and let me add as well that the audiobook is a full cast performance with sound effects and the works, from one of the producers of the Illuminae audiobooks. It sounds incredible!
🇺🇸 If you’re in the US, you can find all your links right here.
🇬🇧 If you’re in the UK, you can purchase from Waterstones, Amazon, Blackwell’s, Bookshop, Foyle’s, Hive, or WH Smith.
🇦🇺 If you’re in Australia, you can buy from Dymocks, Booktopia, Readings, Amazon or QBD.
And wherever you live, you can add it as to-read on Goodreads.
If you’ve already read Red Star Rebels, I’d be so grateful if you’d leave a review on the retail sites in your country. I can’t tell you what a difference it makes.
And that’s it on the Red Star Rebels front. I hope you love it!
This part is for the Australians!
Are you in Brisbane? I’d love to see you on Thursday night at Where The Wild Things Are — or you can arrange a signed copy by contacting the bookshop.
Are you a writer aged 18 - 25? You’ve got until the end of the month to enter the Steph Bowe Prize.
Are you in Melbourne or attending Book Fair Australia? I’ll be appearing at the Book Addiction stand, and will have a limited number of hardcovers for sale. I believe they’re all first editions — if this is important to you, we can check. These are the last of my stock.
If you’d like to reserve books in advance (you can pay on pick up) then please email assistant.kaufman -@- gmail.com for prices and to preorder. A response may take a few days, as my assistant isn’t full time, but we’ll deal with emails in order of receipt. We have available (all in hardcover, except Memento):
Red Star Rebels
Lady’s Knight
Illuminae: complete trilogy (only sold as a set)
Memento (paperback)
Aurora Rising: complete trilogy (only sold as a set)
The Isles of the Gods: complete duology (only sold as a set)
Ice Wolves: complete trilogy (only sold as a set)
Unearthed: complete duology (only sold as a set)
The Other Side of the Sky: book one only
And that’s it from me! I’ll be back in March, when I’ll be sharing a new project I’m working on — it might of interest to those of you who are creatives, or would like to be.
Until then, happy reading!
i am on my toes till i go back to the uk & purchase it!
I have a copy already. Will need try and read soon 🥰 Happy launch day!