Archive for April, 2008
- The Orbit Team - April 30th, 2008
Tonight the winner of the 2008 Arthur C Clarke awards will be announced and, while we know who we’re rooting for, we thought what better way to celebrate than to give away a book by the great man himself! Up for grabs is a special hardback edition of 2001: A Space Odyssey* by Arthur C Clarke, complete with a foreword by Stephen Baxter, one of this year’s shortlisted authors.
To enter, send your name with the title line “Arthur C Clarke” to orbit@littlebrown.co.uk. The winner will be chosen at random two weeks from today (May 14th). Good luck!
* This link doesn’t take you to the edition we’re giving away, but to the paperback copy that’s available to buy now.
by The Orbit Team • Post a Comment • Posted in: All posts, Awards, Contents, Contests, Orbit UK
- The Orbit Team - April 29th, 2008
This Saturday’s annual Alt.Fiction event in Derby was a fantastic example of just how vibrant and lively the UK genre scene currently is. A panel-packed day offered readings from some of the UK’s top genre talent – including Orbit’s very own Charles Stross, Mike Carey, Philip Palmer (who has posted his own Alt.Fiction write-up) and Brian Ruckley (who has likewise posted his impressions of the day) – as well as discussion sessions and workshops on a variety of writing and publishing-related topics.
Read the rest of this entry »
by The Orbit Team • Post a Comment • Posted in: Contents, Conventions, Orbit UK, Signings and Events
- The Orbit Team - April 28th, 2008
Orbit in the US is seeking an editor to join its fabulous publishing team, based in New York. All details are here.
by The Orbit Team • Post a Comment • Posted in: Contents, Orbit US
- Alex Lencicki - April 28th, 2008
Over at Wired’s GeekDad blog John Baichtal reviews Matter and writes:
“Of all the books I’ve read of ultrapowerful galactic civilizations, this one does it best. Incredible tech and a huge scope, yet telling a very human story that stands out among the vastness.”
Check out the whole review here.
by Alex Lencicki • Post a Comment • Posted in: Contents, Orbit UK, Orbit US
- Darren Turpin - April 25th, 2008
Here at Orbit Towers we’re all absolutely delighted that Halting State [UK] by Charles Stross has been shortlisted in the ‘SF Novel’ category of this year’s Locus Awards.
In addition, Mr Stross has also been shortlisted in the Novelette category for ‘Trunk and Disorderly’ and Ken MacLeod has been shortlisted in the Best Short Story category for ‘Who’s Afraid of Wolf 359?’
The Awards were voted for via online poll and the winners will already be known to the organisers, but won’t be announced until the Locus Awards Ceremony takes place in Seattle on June 12th. We’ll be keeping our fingers very firmly crossed for Charles and Ken until then!
Best of luck, chaps!
by Darren Turpin • Post a Comment • Posted in: Awards, Orbit UK
- The Orbit Team - April 25th, 2008
Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review has a great piece on Jeff Somers’ The Digital Plague (UK/US) today, where he calls it:
Last year I was lucky enough to get hold of a copy of Jeff Somers’ debut ‘The Electric Church’, a gritty ‘dystopian future’ thriller that (while by no means perfect) I had a lot of fun with and left me eagerly waiting for the sequel. Well, it’s ‘sequel time’! 
) Actually, it isn’t ‘sequel time’, it’s ‘great sequel time’…Highly recommended to anyone who likes their sci-fi mean, streetwise and drenched in bullets!
You can read the full review here.
by The Orbit Team • Post a Comment • Posted in: All posts, Contents, New Titles, Orbit UK, Orbit US, Reviews
- The Orbit Team - April 25th, 2008
Here’s a quick round-up of links of interest featuring Orbit authors, that we’ve found – or have been brought to our attention – this week:
- The new Iain M Banks Culture novel, Matter, has been thoroughly discussed by four of the UK’s top genre bloggers this week.
- Jim Butcher has been posting a series of articles on the art and craft of writing over at his Livejournal. The latest installment offers a few tips on organising your writing.
- Marianne de Pierres was delighted by R.J. Burgess’ insightful review of her current Orbit novel, Dark Space, on StrangeHorizons.com.
- Tom Holt‘s official website has been updated with information about his brand new novel The Better Mousetrap.
- Via Tanya Huff‘s Livejournal, we learn that the Canadian TV adaptation based on her Vicki Nelson books has been nominated for a Constellation Award.
- J.V. Jones has posted a short extract from A Sword From Red Ice, part three of her current fantasy series Sword of Shadows, over at the journal page of her website, JVJ.com.
- Movie news site Slashfilm.com has a profile of the forthcoming movie adaptation of Twilight, which is based on the mega-selling series of novels by Stephenie Meyer, published in the UK by Orbit’s sister imprint, Atom, and in the US by Little, Brown Young Readers. And MSN movies has posted not one, not two, but three set-visit feature items.
- Jeff Somers shares a few observations on the economics of writing for a living and writing as a lifestyle choice, over at his blog, Said Cunning Old Fury.
- Tricia Sullivan talks to editor Jonathan Strahan about her short story ‘Post-Ironic Stress Syndrome’, which appears in the new anthology The Starry Rift.
- Orbit & Atom author Scott Westerfeld has been interviewed by Iain Emsley at Yatterings.com on the subject of his Midnighters series.
- And Scott Westerfeld has posted a piece on his blog about a recent research trip that involved taking a zeppelin ride in Germany.
If you spot an interesting online article featuring an Orbit author, please feel free to drop us a line and let us know!
by The Orbit Team • Post a Comment • Posted in: Link Round-Ups, Orbit UK, Orbit US
- Darren Turpin - April 23rd, 2008
We’re publishing The Digital Plague by Jeff Somers in both the UK and US next month, but in the meantime we’ve teamed up once again with Pat St Denis of Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist to give away two copies of the book in an email sweepstake.
Simply visit the Hotlist and follow the instructions to email in your entry. Good luck!
by Darren Turpin • Post a Comment • Posted in: Contests, Orbit UK, Orbit US
- Darren Turpin - April 23rd, 2008
This Saturday, April 26th, the cream of the UK genre fiction crop will be heading to Derby’s Assembly Rooms for the third annual Alt.Fiction Festival.
Alt.Fiction is a one-day convention that brings together sf/f/h authors, readers and publishers for a series of panel sessions, workshops, readings and more. Think Eastercon or Fantasycon, condensed into a single day and organised to within an inch of its life by Alex Davis and his team of willing and enthusiastic volunteers from Derby City Council, and you’ll get the picture.
This year, several Orbit authors will be in attendance, including Mike Carey, Philip Palmer, Brian Ruckley and Charles Stross. The four of them will be appearing on various panels and reading sessions throughout the day; you can see which ones by checking out the schedule of events.
And yes, that is yours truly on a panel at 12.00 on the topic of ‘Writing and the Internet’, alongside Simon Spurrier and Hub Magazine editor Lee Harris. Hecklers welcome!
Tickets for Alt.Fiction are on-sale now at a very reasonable £20 from the Derby Assembly Rooms website.
by Darren Turpin • Post a Comment • Posted in: Conventions, Orbit UK, Signings and Events
- Alex Lencicki - April 22nd, 2008
To celebrate the launch of Pamela Freeman’s Blood Ties, we’ve put together a stonecasting widget that may just know what the future holds in store for you! (and yes, if you cast more than once you may get a different fortune, but we have it on a stonecaster’s authority that only the first throw counts) You can read an extract from Blood Ties here.
by Alex Lencicki • Post a Comment • Posted in: Contents, New Titles, Orbit UK, Orbit US
