Acquisition Announcement: Harbour of Hungry Ghosts by Eliza Chan

Orbit hungry for Hong Kong monster story!

Eliza Chan sells ‘Harbour of Hungry Ghosts’

In this brand-new fantasy from No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author Eliza Chan, a family of demon hunters struggle with unfamiliar monsters, ancestral expectations and the British Empire in Opium War-era Hong Kong.

Alex Cochran at C&W sold World English rights to Editorial Director Jenni Hill at Orbit, in a two-book deal, with Executive Editor Brit Hvide also acquiring for Orbit US.

Eliza’s debut novel, Fathomfolk, was published by Orbit in 2024 and became a number one Sunday Times bestseller. The sequel, Tideborn, will be published in early 2025.

Harbour of Hungry Ghosts is an action-packed historical fantasy set in 19th Century Hong Kong. After her grandmother goes missing, a rookie yaoguai hunter must figure out why foreign monsters are stalking the streets. Babel meets The Witcher in this highly anticipated series where Eastern and Western folklore collide. A thrilling tale of family secrets, testing loyalties and figuring out what really makes a monster. Orbit plans to publish in 2026.

Eliza says: “This book is my love letter to Chinese and British folk beliefs, as well as arse-kicking female leads. I am grateful the team at Orbit believed in this vision and can’t wait to continue my publishing journey with them.”

Jenni says: “I am so thrilled to be publishing Eliza’s new series. She has been such an amazing success with Fathomfolk; we are delighted to be able to bring more of her vibrant and enthralling novels to Orbit readers. It has been a privilege to work with her on her manuscripts and I think fans are going to adore these new characters.”

Alex says: “I’m absolutely delighted that Eliza’s fantastic new series will be published by Jenni, Brit and all the team at Orbit, and can’t wait to see readers devour these wonderful books.”

For more information about Fathomfolk and Harbour of Hungry Ghosts please contact Orbit publicist Nazia Khatun (nazia.khatun@littlebrown.co.uk).

Translation rights enquires for Fathomfolk should go to Jessica Perdue at Little, Brown Book Group (jessica.purdue@hachette.co.uk) and to Alex Cochran for Harbour of Hungry Ghosts.

About the author: Eliza Chan is a Scottish-born Chinese-diaspora author who writes about East Asian mythology, British folklore and reclaiming the dragon lady, but preferably all three at once. Eliza’s Sunday Times bestselling debut novel Fathomfolk was published by Orbit in February 2024. Her short fiction has been published in The Dark, Podcastle, Fantasy Magazine and The Best of British Fantasy, and her non-fiction has appeared on Tor.com. She lives in the North of England with her partner and young child. @elizachanwrites