Archive for June, 2008
- The Orbit Team - June 17th, 2008
This week’s official stats are in and we’re delighted to announce that Blood Noir [UK], the latest instalment in Laurell K. Hamilton‘s legendary Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series, has just spent its third week at the top of the UK Hardback SF/Fantasy best-seller charts, according to figures produced by Nielsen Bookdata.
Hearty congratulations to Laurell on topping the UK SF&F charts yet again and proving that, when it comes to urban fantasy, Anita Blake – the original kick-ass heroine – is still number one!
For more information on Blood Noir, visit the catalogue page of the Little, Brown website. For more on Laurell K Hamilton, visit her official homepage at www.laurellkhamilton.org.
by The Orbit Team • 1 Comment • Posted in: News, Orbit UK
- The Orbit Team - June 16th, 2008
The dice-of-randomness have spoken again and we’ve drawn weekly winner #2 in our Brian Ruckley Facebook competition. This week’s lucky winner is – Jan Ove B from Norway – who will be receiving a signed, personalised copy of Brian’s brand new novel, Bloodheir [UK/US] in the near future.
There are now just two more chances to win during June, folks. To be in with a shout, you’ll need to sign up as a Fan of Brian’s Winterbirth Facebook Page in time for the remaining draws at lunchtime on June 20 and 27.
by The Orbit Team • Post a Comment • Posted in: Contests, Orbit UK, Orbit US
- The Orbit Team - June 13th, 2008
Here’s another quick round-up of links of interest featuring Orbit authors that we’ve spotted (or have been pointed in the direction of) online this week:
- Fantasy Book Critic interviews Jacqueline Carey (we’ll be publishing our first book from her this August).
- Russell Kirkpatrick dispels a glamour-myth or two in a blog piece entitled ‘What’s it Like to be a Writer?’
- Elizabeth de Jager, guest-posting at The Book Swede’s blog, was very impressed by Stephenie Meyer‘s new novel, The Host.
- Karen Miller will be attending Denvention, this year’s Worldcon, and will be appearing on no fewer than three panels, to boot.
- Philip Palmer ponders the future of batteries and concludes that he’s “essentially an optimist about the possibilities of scientific progress”, even if the universe he describes in Debatable Space is far from utopian…
- Brian Ruckley has been musing the possibilities of product placement in fantasy fiction (I do believe he might be serious… we’d best alert his editor).
- More how-to writing advice from Lilith Saintcrow; this week it’s a selection of ‘Quick and Dirty Ways to Write Better’.
- Jeff Somers spotted a copy of The Digital Plague on the Hachette USA stand at BEA this week (Hachette Book Group is Orbit’s parent company in the US).
- Charles Stross debunks the Singularity, or at least, some of the myths that have grown up around the concept as widely portrayed in science fiction.
- Scott Westerfeld has posted a clip from his recent TV news appearance.
- Sean Williams is delighted to announce that he’s had a novella accepted for inclusion in a Jonathan Strahan-edited anthology entitled Godlike Machines.
If you see any online articles, reviews or interviews that feature an Orbit author, please feel free to drop us a line and let us know!
by The Orbit Team • 1 Comment • Posted in: Orbit UK, Orbit US
- The Orbit Team - June 13th, 2008
The third of six cryptic clues linked to the world of Marie Brennan‘s Midnight Never Come [UK/US] has been revealed today, over at the Competition Gallery page of www.midnightnevercome.com.
Remember, correctly answering all three questions gives you a triple chance of winning the first prize of £250 / $500 of vouchers from your favourite book retailer. And with another three conundrums to come next week, that will give you a half-dozen chances to win… tell me, what could you possibly be waiting for?
Oh, and have you made your way to Invidiana’s court yet? You haven’t? Well then, perhaps you should look to the night sky..?
by The Orbit Team • Post a Comment • Posted in: Contests, Orbit UK, Orbit US
- Alex Lencicki - June 11th, 2008
Over at Jackie Kessler’s blog the faerie Lune from Midnight Never Come answered questions from Jezebel, a former demon. It’s surprisingly civil, all things considered. Check it out here.
by Alex Lencicki • Post a Comment • Posted in: Contents, Interviews, Orbit UK, Orbit US
- The Orbit Team - June 11th, 2008
Sean says:
I’ve always conceived Astropolis as three fairly different books. Saturn Returns is a complicated psychological piece (with lots of explosions) in which Imre Bergamasc puts his mind back together and decides that he’s going to do the same thing for the galaxy. Earth Ascendant is what he tries to do with the pieces. How does one go about managing an empire that large? At what cost success? (The third book is, naturally, a car-chase.)
The time-scales in Astropolis are huge. Every now and again I’d stop myself and think, “Did really send those guys on a journey that will last fifty thousand years?” It seems so wrong, and yet so right. In order to realistically manage a galactic civilisation, with no ftl technology at all, people will have to think this way.
And they’d better have a good knowledge of Edgar Allen Poe too, if Imre’s version of the future is anything to go by.
Saturn Returns, book one of the Astropolis sequence, is out now in the UK.
You can find our more about Sean’s writing over at his official website, www.seanwilliams.com and keep up to date with the latest developments via his LiveJournal page.
by The Orbit Team • Post a Comment • Posted in: Orbit UK
- The Orbit Team - June 11th, 2008
Brian says:
My new book – Bloodheir – is book two in my Godless World trilogy. It’s been entertaining to write, and will hopefully be entertaining to read, in part because it tracks the rise to power of the main villain in my story, and everyone likes writing and reading about the bad guys, right?
Bloodheir is where we get to see just how much trouble my invented world might be in. The battles are bigger, the stakes are getting higher, pretty much all the characters are learning just how easily things can run out of control, and I’m afraid one or two of them are heading for an untimely end…
In other words: all good, clean, honest fun.
Bloodheir is the second volume of Brian’s epic fantasy saga The Godless World and is out now in the UK and US. You can read the whole story so far by picking up a copy of Winterbirth [UK / US] and starting your journey there.
Find out more about Brian and his writing over at his official website, www.brianruckley.com, where he also writes a regularly-updated blog.
by The Orbit Team • Post a Comment • Posted in: Orbit UK, Orbit US
- The Orbit Team - June 11th, 2008
Fiona says:
Goddess is the final ‘movement’ to the Percheron symphony. And if I continue with the orchestral reference then this is the book where the drums are rolling, the cymbals clashing and every musician is blowing, or strumming, or bowing, or banging. All the characters are on the move and we enjoy resolution to the myriad of storylines, especially who the Goddess is…
Always a high body count in my books and be assured that those that deserve it usually get their come uppance. Read it and see who survives – you may be surprised . Thanks to all who have read the story so far. Enjoy Goddess.
Goddess is out now in the UK and is, as Fiona says, the final part of the Percheron series, which began with Odalisque [UK] and continued in Emissary [UK].
You can find out more about Fiona and her work by visiting her official website: www.fionamcintosh.com.
by The Orbit Team • Post a Comment • Posted in: Orbit UK
- The Orbit Team - June 11th, 2008
Pamela says:
Blood Ties is the first volume of an epic fantasy about dispossession, trust, enchantment, revenge and the unreliability of history. It’s also about the Eleven Domains – created by invasion, ruled by warlords – where it is possible to foretell the future… accurately.
An unusual element in Blood Ties is that, interspersed in the larger adventure, you’ll find minor characters’ own stories, told in their own words, and will learn about daily life in the Domains, which is mixed with magic and love and sorrow and joy and death.
I hope you’ll like the book because of its characters, especially Bramble and Ash, and because the world of the Eleven Domains has more surprises in store with each turn in the Road…
Blood Ties is the first book of the Castings trilogy and is available now in the US and UK.
You can find out more about Pamela Freeman and the Castings trilogy at www.castingstrilogy.com.
by The Orbit Team • Post a Comment • Posted in: Orbit UK, Orbit US
- The Orbit Team - June 11th, 2008
We’re delighted to announce the launch of a new feature series for OrbitBooks.net – ‘In Their Own Words’ – in which we’ll be presenting a selection of short guest blog pieces by Orbit authors, introducing their brand new Orbit titles in (you guessed it) their own words.
We’ll be kicking off shortly with posts from Pamela Freeman (Blood Ties), Fiona McIntosh (Goddess), Brian Ruckley (Bloodheir) and Sean Williams (Saturn Returns).
We’re hoping that this will become a regular feature, and we invite you to leave your own feedback in the comments section of the individual articles.
by The Orbit Team • 3 Comments • Posted in: Orbit UK, Orbit US
