In the mountains the Wall of Night protects them from an ancient enemy, but who will protect them from each other?
Read a sample
They killed a king. They pinned it on two men. They chose poorly.
Read a sample
- - April 24th, 2009
Charles Stross will be down on London on May 1st signing copies of Saturn’s Children and his Merchant Princes series and many, many others.
The signing will be taking place at Forbidden Planet on Shaftesbury Avenue from 1pm-2pm. Hope to see you all there!
- - April 20th, 2009
We’re happy to announce that Orbit US has just hired Jack Womack as Publicity Manager, working on both Orbit and Yen books. You may know Jack from his work as a novelist (with 6 books in the SF/F area, including Random Acts of Senseless Violence) or from his guest stints on William Gibson’s blog (check out photos from his recent trip to Barcelona) but he’s also a well known publicist in the S/FF field. He starts today, and we’re hoping soon he’ll be sharing some gems from his book collection at orbitbooks.net.
- - April 17th, 2009
Over at Grasping for the Wind John has posted a new extract from Kate Griffin’s A Madness of Angels. In this extract, Matthew Swift battles a very big — and very dangerous — litterbug. And if you haven’t yet, make sure to check out the trailer for the book.
- - April 13th, 2009
So, how did you spend your Saturday evening? I spent mine at LX 2009, the 60th Eastercon, watching multiple World Fantasy Award-winning author, Tim Powers, present Ken MacLeod with a well-deserved BSFA Award for Best Novel for his latest book, The Night Sessions. A gripping hybrid of SF thriller and police procedural, The Night Sessions is set in the future of The Second Enlightenment, where religion has finally been crushed and removed from political life:
A priest is dead. Picking through the rubble of the demolished Edinburgh tenement, Detective Inspector Adam Ferguson discovers that the explosion wasn’t an accident. When a bishop is assassinated soon afterwards, it becomes clear that a targeted campaign of killings is underway. No one has seen anything like this since the Faith Wars.
After the Middle East wars and the rising sea levels – after Armageddon and the Flood – came the Great Rejection. The first Enlightenment separated church from state. The Second Enlightenment has separated religion from politics. In this enlightened age there’s no religious persecution, but believers are a marginal and mistrusted minority. And now someone is killing them. But who? And – perhaps more importantly – why?
The more his team learns, the more the suspicion grows that they may have stumbled upon a conspiracy way outside their remit. Nobody believes them, but if Ferguson and his people fail, there will be many more killings – and disaster on a literally biblical scale . . .
It’s a terrific book with a mystery to unravel and a future world to explore, told with the characteristic dry wit and insight that makes Ken MacLeod one of British science fiction’s most consistently interesting and acclaimed voices. But don’t take my word for it – you can read an extract of The Night Sessions, here, and if that whets your appetite, you’ll be delighted to learn that it’s out now in paperback from all good booksellers. Or you could always buy it in hardback if you wish – it is an award-winning novel, after all!
Congratulations, Ken, from all at Orbit!
- - April 13th, 2009
We’ve just heard the fantastic news that two Orbit titles, Brent Weeks’ THE WAY OF SHADOWS (US, UK, AUS) and Andrzej Sapkowski’s BLOOD OF ELVES (US), have been shortlisted for the inaugural David Gemmell Legend Award. The Legend Award is unusual in that both the shortlist and the winner are decided by popular vote, rather than committee or convention-goers. We think it’s a great idea. It’s an award that gives general readers and fans everywhere the chance to support the books that they’re actually reading and enjoying. We’re also delighted to see a debut novel such as THE WAY OF SHADOWS on the shortlist. The Legend Award is named after David Gemmell’s own first novel, LEGEND, a modern classic of the fantasy genre.
It’s rare for a publisher to release all three books of a series in three consecutive months. But not as rare as it is for a new author to become the bestselling new Fantasy author in all three of the world’s largest English language markets (the US, UK, and Australia). That’s exactly what’s happened with Brent Weeks’ remarkable Night Angel Trilogy.
Orbit published THE WAY OF SHADOWS, SHADOW’S EDGE, and BEYOND THE SHADOWS in October, November and December last year, and with all three books out in rapid succession the Night Angel Trilogy quickly became a huge success wherever it was available. Brent’s writing has clearly struck a chord with fantasy readers around the globe. As recently reported, THE WAY OF SHADOWS has even debuted on the New York Times extended bestseller list, a full 6 months after its initial publication, proving that word of mouth is continuing to drive new readers to the series all the time.
We’re always thrilled to see one of our authors become a bestseller – but it’s particularly exciting when it’s a new author. Congratulations from all at Orbit to Brent on his remarkable success.
Andrzej Sapkowski is one of Poland’s bestselling authors, but another author only recently launched in the US. BLOOD OF ELVES is based on his character the Witcher — who inspired the critically acclaimed video game of the same name. His first book to be translated into English was THE LAST WISH, which we published last year, and BLOOD OF ELVES will be released in the US next month.
A special Orbit hurrah too for Joe Abercrombie, who has also found his way onto the shortlist with THE LAST ARGUMENT OF KINGS. Orbit is publishing Joe’s new novel, BEST SERVED COLD, in the US in July. And it’s bloody marvelous.
Don’t forget to vote for your favorite book on the DGLA shortlist, which can be found here.
- - April 9th, 2009
A Madness of Angels
In all good bookstores now! [UK|US]
Click here to find out more about the author and don’t forget check out our full book trailer below!
- - April 8th, 2009
It’s all coming to a head on the Orbit YouTube channel.
- - April 6th, 2009
A big congrats to Nicole, James and Melissa winners of our competition for signed copies of Thicker Than Water and A Madness of Angels. Thanks to everyone who entered!
- - April 3rd, 2009
It’s got vampires, it’s got mages, it’s got assassins . . . and it’s got feisty vamp-mage-assassins! That’s right, it’s Red-Headed Stepchild (UK/US), Jaye Wells’ fantastic debut, and it’s out this week. Here are some of the great reviews it’s been getting:
Kat Richardson calls it ‘Brassy, sassy and hip’.
Karen Chance thinks it’s ‘Fast-paced and funny . . . very enjoyable!’
And SciFi Chick says ‘Red-Headed Stepchild is action-packed suspense at its best. And urban fantasy doesn’t get much better than this. Steeped in mystery, intrigue, and magic, this debut is one of the best I’ve read in months. Jaye Wells is a promising new talent.’
Here’s what’s in store for you lucky readers: Read the rest of this entry »
- - April 3rd, 2009
Orbit’s very own Charles Stross, along with Boing! Boing! founder-member Cory Doctorow, will be taking part in a discussion entitled Resisting the All-Seeing Eye on behalf of the Open Rights Group on Friday May 1st at Crypt on the Green, St James’ Church, Clerkenwell, London.
The panel will discuss the growing need need to “resist surveillance and ensure the integrity of your digital personality”. Entry is by Open Rights Group membership or £10 donation-on-the-door. Visit www.openrightsgroup.org for more information.
You are currently browsing the Orbit Books | Science Fiction, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy blog archives for April, 2009.
Please note that though we make every effort to ensure the suitability of links, Orbit cannot be held responsible for the content of external sites.
