fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures.
The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
Penguin Group
Penguin Group is a British trade book publisher and part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by the German media company, media Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Bertelsmann. The new company was created by a Mergers and acquisitions, mer ...
, as part of its
New American Library
The New American Library (also known as NAL) is an American publisher based in New York, founded in 1948. Its initial focus was affordable paperback reprints of classics and scholarly works as well as popular and pulp fiction, but it now publi ...
. It was launched in April 1990 after Penguin Chairman Peter Mayer asked John Silbersack, the editor in chief of New American Library's science fiction (SF) program, to launch a new imprint that would draw more attention to Penguin's SF presence. The name Roc Books was chosen as a homage to Penguin's many famous bird-named publishing imprints. Roc was named after the enormous predatory bird of the ''
Arabian Nights
''One Thousand and One Nights'' (, ), is a collection of Middle Eastern folktales compiled in the Arabic language during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights'', from the first English-language edition () ...
''. After Penguin's merger with G.P. Putnam's Sons the imprint was aligned with Ace books and the current editorial team at Roc is the same team that edits the
Ace
An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or a club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the ...
imprint, although the two imprints maintain a separate identity.
Inaugural list
The first monthly list at Roc was:
* ''Robot Visions'': Isaac Asimov
* ''The Warrior Lives'': Joel Rosenberg
* ''Project Solar Sail'': Arthur C. Clarke
* ''Among Madmen'': Jim Starlin & Daina Grazuinas
* ''Barrow'': John Deakins
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov ( ; – April 6, 1992) was an Russian-born American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. During his lifetime, Asimov was considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers, along with Robert A. H ...
Carol Berg
Carol Berg (born 1948) is the author of fantasy novels, including the books from the ''Rai-Kirah'' series, ''Song of the Beast'', the books from ''The Bridge of D'Arnath'' series, the ''Lighthouse'' novels, and ''Collegia Magica''. She also writ ...
*
Anne Bishop
Anne Bishop is an American fantasy writer. Her most noted work is the Black Jewels series. She won the Crawford Award
The IAFA William L. Crawford Fantasy Award (short: Crawford Award) is a literary award given to a writer whose first fantas ...
* M. L. Brennan
*
Jim Butcher
Jim Butcher (born October 26, 1971) is an American author., He has written the contemporary Fantasy literature, fantasy ''The Dresden Files'', ''Codex Alera'', and ''Cinder Spires'' book series.
Personal life
Butcher was born in Independence, M ...
J. Kathleen Cheney
J. Kathleen Cheney is an American school teacher and author of speculative fiction, active in the field since 2005 and professionally published since 2007.
Biography
Cheney was born and raised in El Paso, Texas, the daughter of two rocket scienti ...
Guy Gavriel Kay
Guy Gavriel Kay (born November 7, 1954) is a Canadian writer of fantasy fiction. The majority of his novels take place in fictional settings that resemble real places during real historical periods, such as Constantinople during the reign of Ju ...
Patricia Kennealy-Morrison
Patricia Kennealy-Morrison (born Patricia Kennely; March 4, 1946 – July 21, 2021) was an American author and journalist. Her published works include rock criticism, a memoir, and two series of science fiction/fantasy and murder mystery novel ...
Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula Kroeber Le Guin ( ; Kroeber; October 21, 1929 – January 22, 2018) was an American author. She is best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science fiction works set in her Hainish universe, and the ''Earthsea'' fantas ...
Andre Norton
Andre Alice Norton (born Alice Mary Norton, February 17, 1912 – March 17, 2005) was an American writer of science fiction and fantasy, who also wrote works of historical and contemporary fiction. She wrote primarily under the pen na ...
*
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English author, humorist, and Satire, satirist, best known for the ''Discworld'' series of 41 comic fantasy novels published between 1983 and 2015, and for the Apocalyp ...
Jim Starlin
James P. Starlin (born October 9, 1949) is an American comics artist and writer. Beginning his career in the early 1970s, he is best known for space opera stories, for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock, an ...
Harry Turtledove
Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14, 1949) is an American author who is best known for his work in the genres of alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and mystery fiction. He is a student of history and completed his ...
*
Anne Bishop
Anne Bishop is an American fantasy writer. Her most noted work is the Black Jewels series. She won the Crawford Award
The IAFA William L. Crawford Fantasy Award (short: Crawford Award) is a literary award given to a writer whose first fantas ...
Boris Vallejo
Boris Vallejo (born January 8, 1941) is a Peruvian-American painter who works in the science fiction, fantasy, and erotica genres. His hyper-representational paintings have appeared on the covers of numerous novels in the science fiction, sword ...
* Django Wexler
Roc was publisher of FASA's game-related ''Battletech'' and ''Shadowrun'' novels beginning with ''Shadowrun: The Secrets of Power #2: Choose Your Enemies Carefully'' by Robert N. Charette in February 1991.