As we announced last October, Simon & Schuster is launching a new, dedicated sf/f imprint. Now comes word that the imprint will be named Saga, which “derives its name from the Norse goddess of storytelling. Taking our cue from the myth, Saga Press is an all-inclusive fantasy and science fiction imprint publishing the best of speculative fiction from literary to commercial appeal, with a special emphasis on works that speak to a broad readership. First announced in October 2013, the imprint will be led by executive editor Joe Monti, editor Navah Wolfe, and publisher Justin Chanda. The imprint will be housed within the Simon & Schuster Children’s Division, while publishing a list of titles that will appeal primarily to adults and teens. The SAGA team’s initial acquisitions reflect the imprint’s wide range and passion for storytelling.”

Among the first titles to be published, in Spring 2015, will be:

A Tempest of Gold, the debut fantasy epic by Ken Liu, one of the most lauded fantasy and science fiction short story writers of this generation. This grand fantasy begins with the tale of two men who lead a rebellion against a tyrannical emperor and then find themselves, once brothers in arms, bitter and tragic rivals for power. North American and audio rights via Russell Galen of Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency.

Persona by Genevieve Valentine. A near-future political thriller in which diplomacy has turned celebrity, and a young ambassador survives an assassination attempt and must join with an undercover paparazzo in a race to save her life, spin the story, and secure the future of her young country. World translation rights via Barry Goldblatt of Barry Goldblatt Literary.

The Dark Side War by Zachary Brown. The first in a fast-paced sci-fi series featuring a band of unlikely soldiers fending off an invasion alongside their allies, the recent conquerors of Earth.

City of Savages by Lee Kelly. Debut novel, a taut drama set in a post-World War III POW-camp Manhattan, in which two sisters must learn the truth about the city’s past in order to take hold of their own future. World English and audio rights via Adriann Ranta of Wolf Literary Services.

Laura Anne Gilman also announces Saga will be publishing her novel Silver on the Road, the first novel in her The Devil’s West series, which will tell the story of a sixteen-year-old growing up in the Devil’s Territory, west of the newly-formed United States, who makes a fateful decision when she signs a contract with the Master of the Territory, and is sent, unprepared, with only a stranger as her companion, into a land where natives and newcomers have an uneasy truce, demons and magicians battle in the crossroads, and only the most desperate settlers try to make a home.

The new imprint also announces they’ll be republishing new mass market editions of:

The Harper Hall Trilogy by Anne McCaffrey. This beloved trilogy of early Pern novels comprised of Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, and Dragondrums introduces us to Menolly and Piemur, adepts of the main craft-hall of the harpers of Pern.

The Monstrumologist Quartet by Rick Yancey. A quartet of supernatural suspense novels following the adventures of Dr. Pellinore Warthrop and his assistant Will Henry, detectives of the macabre who are out to prove the existence of the unknown. The quartet is comprised of The Monstrumologist, The Curse of the Wendigo, The Isle of Blood, and The Final Descent.

As yet, S&S hasn’t launched a dedicated web site for the new imprint.