Alaya Dawn Johnson – Jill Grinberg Literary Management

Alaya Dawn Johnson

Alaya Dawn Johnson is an award-winning author of fiction for adults and young readers. Her debut literary adult novel, Trouble the Saints, won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel. Her latest young adult novel, The Library of Broken Worlds, was published by Scholastic and Harper UK in 2023 and won the British Science Fiction Association Award for Young Readers. Her previous titles include The Summer Prince, which was longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, and Love is the Drug, which won the Andre Norton Award for YA Science Fiction and Fantasy. She has also contributed to numerous young adult anthologies, including Zombies vs Unicorns, Three Sides of a Heart, Feral Youth, and Come On In. Her novelette, “A Guide to the Fruits of Hawai’i” won the Nebula Award and appeared in The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy, guest edited by Joe Hill. Her first collection of short fiction, Reconstruction, was published by Small Beer Press. She is one of five authors who collaborated with singer Janelle Monáe on her New York Times bestselling collection of short fiction, The Memory Librarian. She lives in Mexico, where she attained her Masters in Mesoamerican Studies.

Agent

Jill Grinberg

The Library of Broken Worlds

A girl matches wits with a war god in this kaleidoscopic, thought-provoking tale of oppression and the cost of peace, where stories hide within other stories, and narrative has the power to heal — or to burn everything in its path — from World Fantasy Award–winning author Alaya Dawn Johnson.

A girl and a god, alone in communion …

In the winding underground tunnels of the Library, the great peacekeeper of the three systems, a heinous secret lies buried — and Freida is the only one who can uncover it. As the daughter of a Library god, Freida has spent her whole life exploring the Library’s ever-changing tunnels and communing with the gods. Her unparalleled access makes her unique — and dangerous.

When Freida meets Joshua, a Tierran boy desperate to save his people, and Nergüi, a disciple from a persecuted religious minority, Freida is compelled to help them. But in order to do so, she will have to venture deeper into the Library than she has ever known. There she will discover the atrocities of the past, the truth of her origins, and the impossibility of her future.

With the world at the brink of war, Freida embarks on a journey to fulfill her destiny, one that pits her against an ancient war god. Her mission is straightforward: Destroy the god before he can rain hellfire upon thousands of innocent lives — if he doesn’t destroy her first.

Praise for The Library of Broken Worlds

“Rich storytelling that ranges from the practical (every food detail is a delight) to the explosive… [THE LIBRARY OF BROKEN WORLDS] is a feast, artful, imaginative, and unmatched.” –Tor.com

“One of the most haunting and lovely tales I’ve ever read. Modern epic poetry. Wow.” –N.K. Jemisin, award-winning author of The Broken Earth trilogy

“Mysterious, sweeping, wholly original, and anchored by an extraordinary heroine as wily as she is vulnerable. Johnson has crafted a story so immersive it will leave you drunk with visions of strange worlds and new gods, so compelling you’ll be happy to drown in this dizzying, bloody brew of technology, lore, and world-shaking conflict.” –Leigh Bardugo, New York Times bestselling author of Shadow & Bone

“An ambitious, multilayered, multidimensional exploration of power, selfhood, freedom, and love. Alaya Dawn Johnson writes with fluidity and precision about mind-bending ideas and gorgeously imagined worlds, but also with tactile specificity about food and ritual. This novel rewired my brain.” –Malinda Lo, New York Times bestselling and National Book Award–winning author of Last Night at the Telegraph Club

“Alaya Dawn Johnson immerses us in a genderqueer-friendly universe filled with space travel, gods, and AI that we want to cheer for. Readers will be transported into a wholly unfamiliar and completely fascinating new spacetime.” –Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, author of The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred

Publisher

Scholastic

Publication Date

June 6, 2023

Age Category

Young Adult

Genre

Fantasy

Rights

JGLM

Reconstruction: Stories

An immersive, rich collection from an author whose work reaches across time and continents to explore unexpected and untold stories.

In Reconstruction, award-winning writer and musician Johnson digs into the lives of those trodden underfoot by the powers that be: from the lives of vampires and those caught in their circle in Hawai’i to a taxonomy of anger put together by Union soldiers in the American Civil War, these stories will grab you and not let you go.

Praise for Reconstruction

“Unified by Johnson’s sensuous prose, these stories will delight existing fans and serve as an excellent introduction for those new to Johnson’s work.” –Publishers Weekly

“Johnson pulls from folklore, myth, and scientific discovery to create rich stories of complicated relationships and love amidst strange, uncanny circumstances. While the worlds are themselves fascinating, the true success of Johnson’s stories lies in the careful crafting of their vibrant emotional cores.” –Booklist

“Johnson is one of the few writers in the genre who handles high emotion without preciousness, and she brings an almost unbearable pathos to many of these stories.” –The Times

Publisher

Small Beer Press

Publication Date

January 5, 2021

Age Category

Adult

Genre

Short Fiction

Rights

Small Beer Press

Trouble the Saints

Winner of the World Fantasy Award

The dangerous magic of The Night Circus meets the powerful historical exploration of The Underground Railroad in this timely and unsettling novel, set against the darkly glamorous backdrop of New York City at the dawn of WWII.

Amidst the whir of city life, a girl from Harlem is drawn into the glittering underworld of Manhattan, where she’s hired to use her knives to strike fear amongst its most dangerous denizens.

But the ghosts from her past are always by her side―and history has appeared on her doorstep to threaten the people she loves most.

Can one woman ever sacrifice enough to save an entire community?

Trouble the Saints is a dazzling, daring novel―a magical love story, a compelling chronicle of interracial tension, and an altogether brilliant and deeply American saga.

Praise for Trouble the Saints

“A sad, lovely, and blood-soaked song of a book.” –Kirkus, starred review

“Fans of challenging, diverse fantasy will enjoy this literary firecracker.” –Publishers Weekly

“Johnson skillfully hammers home how little uncanny power does in the face of systemic oppression….That’s not to say this an entirely grim novel; there includes hope, fierce passion, and a powerful romance.” –Booklist

“Beautiful prose and an omnipresent sense of regret build an intense, dark mood throughout the whole book. Johnson explores the intersection of race, violence and personal identity in this powerful, passionate story.” –BookPage

Publisher

Tor Books

Publication Date

July 21, 2020

Age Category

Adult

Genre

Historical Fantasy

Rights

Macmillan

Love is the Drug

From the award-winning author of The Summer Prince comes a novel that blends John Grisham’s The Pelican Brief and Michael Crichton’s The Andromeda Strain set at an elite Washington D.C. prep school.

Emily Bird was raised not to ask questions. She has perfect hair, the perfect boyfriend, and a perfect Ivy-League future. But a chance meeting with Roosevelt David, a homeland security agent, at a party for Washington D.C.’s elite leads to Bird waking up in a hospital, days later, with no memory of the end of the night.

Meanwhile, the world has fallen apart: A deadly flu virus is sweeping the nation, forcing quarantines, curfews, even martial law. And Roosevelt is certain that Bird knows something. Something about the virus — something about her parents’ top secret scientific work — something she shouldn’t know.

The only one Bird can trust is Coffee, a quiet, outsider genius who deals drugs to their classmates and is a firm believer in conspiracy theories. And he believes in Bird. But as Bird and Coffee dig deeper into what really happened that night, Bird finds that she might know more than she remembers. And what she knows could unleash the biggest government scandal in US history.

Praise for Love is the Drug

“Johnson, who astounded with her cyberpunk teen debut, The Summer Prince (2013), immerses readers in the complexities of Bird’s world, especially her fraught relationship with her parents and the intersections of race and class at her elite prep school. The often lyrical third-person, present-tense narration, the compelling romance and the richly developed cast of characters elevate this novel far above more formulaic suspense fare. Utterly absorbing.” –Kirkus, starred review

“Johnson blends high school drama, cloak-and-dagger intrigue, race and class inequities, coming of age, and a passionate love story, blending these disparate elements into a narrative that both requires and repays attention.” –Publishers Weekly

“Teens looking for a fast-paced tale with diverse characters will find it with Johnson’s latest offering.” –School Library Journal

“Riveting in both its pacing and plausibility.” –Booklist

Publisher

Scholastic

Publication Date

September 30, 2014

Age Category

Young Adult

Genre

Science Fiction

Rights

JGLM

The Summer Prince

Longlisted for the National Book Award

The lush city of Palmares Tres shimmers with tech and tradition, with screaming gossip casters and practiced politicians. In the midst of this vibrant metropolis, June Costa creates art that’s sure to make her legendary. But her dreams of fame become something more when she meets Enki, the bold new Summer King. The whole city falls in love with him (including June’s best friend, Gil). But June sees more to Enki than amber eyes and a lethal samba. She sees a fellow artist.

Together, June and Enki will stage explosive, dramatic projects that Palmares Tres will never forget. They will add fuel to a growing rebellion against the government’s strict limits on new tech. And June will fall deeply, unfortunately in love with Enki. Because like all Summer Kings before him, Enki is destined to die.

Pulsing with the beat of futuristic Brazil, burning with the passions of its characters, and overflowing with ideas, this fiery novel will leave you eager for more from Alaya Dawn Johnson.

Praise for The Summer Prince

“In her YA debut, Johnson (the Spirit Binders series) depicts a future that’s recognizably Brazilian and human…With its complicated history, founding myth, and political structure, Palmares Três is compelling, as is the triple bond between June, Enki, and Gil as they challenge their world’s injustices.” –Publishers Weekly, starred review

“There’s a great, fresh audacity to Johnson’s YA debut.” –Entertainment Weekly

Publisher

Scholastic

Publication Date

March 1, 2013

Age Category

Young Adult

Genre

Fantasy

Rights

JGLM