Author Archive

Henry Marco can help you with that zombie problem

The situation is grim following the outbreak, and the United States has been split in two. Grieving families must not only deal the loss of their loved ones, but also the knowledge that those bodies may not be resting peacefully. Henry Macro is a man that brings peace…for a price.

It’s not easy to breathe life into undead, but in April we’re releasing a book in the US that does just that. Check out this new video for THE RETURN MAN, and take your first steps into the Evacuated States. (Just be sure to bring your shotgun!)

To find out more and connect with other zombie fans visit The Return Man on Facebook.

Praise for THE RETURN MAN

“Hands down one of the best zombie novels I’ve read in a long, long time. From first page to last, THE RETURN MAN is an astonishing read. With characters you genuinely give a damn about and a story that’ll keep you turning page after page, this is an outstanding debut.” — David Moody, author of Autumn

“Thrilling, melancholy, and stomach-churningly gory… This is a sturdy and crowd-pleasing novel that squarely hits its target.” — Publishers Weekly

“A hair-raising quest … Zito expertly piles on thrills, cliffhangers and numerous twists …”  — The Guardian (UK)

THE RETURN MAN will be available in stores April 1, 2012.

Read an Excerpt from EXOGENE

In GERMLINE journalist Oscar Wendell introduced us to a new breed of special forces and the surprising humanity these elite and deadly soldiers are capable of. Now read the first chapter of EXOGENE (US | UK| AZ) – a story of war from the perspective of one of these genetically engineered soldiers.

Live forever. The thought lingered like an annoying dog, to which I had handed a few scraps.

I felt Megan’s fingers against my skin, and smelled the paste—breathed the fumes gratefully for it reminded me that I wouldn’t have to wear my helmet. Soon, but not now. The lessons taught this, described the first symptom of spoiling: When the helmet no longer felt safe, a sign of claustrophobia. As my troop train rumbled northward, I couldn’t tell if I shook from eagerness or from the railcar’s jolting, and gave up trying to distinguish between the two possibilities. It was not an either‑or day; it was a day of simultaneity.

Deliver me from myself, I prayed, and help me to accept tomorrow’s end.

Click to read more

Also check out The Subterrene War Clips – an in-world introduction to the destruction and political intrigue tearing the front-lines apart. Welcome to hell. Welcome to Kazakhstan.

The Troupe Released Today!

Releasing today is Robert J. Bennett’s third novel, THE TROUPE (US | UK | ANZ), set during the Vaudeville era –  a surreal and defining period in the history of American entertainment.

Sixteen-year-old pianist George Carole has joined vaudeville for one reason only: to find the man he suspects to be his father, the great Heironomo Silenus. Yet as he chases down his father’s troupe, he begins to understand that their performances are strange even for vaudeville: for wherever they happen to tour, the very nature of the world seems to change.

Already THE TROUPE has received wonderful support from reviewers and bloggers.

“Narrated perfectly by a baffled young man whose zealous pursuit of a father’s love is often outpaced by his alternately endearing and dangerous vanity, Bennett’s finely crafted novel rises on a wave of suspense to a place of beauty and hope.” – Publishers Weekly

“The Troupe is a fairytale for grown-ups about love and betrayal and redemption…” (starred) – Booklist

“Haunting, terrifying, and achingly beautiful, The Troupe is a book to be savored, and it will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading. Very highly recommended.” – My Bookish Ways

“A beautiful novel that resonates as a mystery, historical look-in, thriller, and family drama. … Like a sepia photograph manipulated in photoshop, Bennett adds his dashes of color, bringing things to the foreground for brilliant moments all the more intense for the contrasted palette behind it.” – Staffers Musings

Read an excerpt from THE TROUPE here or find out more about the book and the Vaudeville era at www.silenustroupe.com.

Recently we were also pleased to announce that Robert’s second novel, THE COMPANY MAN, was nominated for an Edgar Award.

 

 

Book Trailer: The Sworn & The Dread by Gail Z. Martin

New from Orbit this month is THE DREAD, the thrilling conclusion to the Fallen Kings Cycle by Gail Z. Martin. Watch the trailer for THE SWORN and THE DREAD below.  Both are available in stores now!

To find out more visit Gail’s website for information on the Fallen Kings Cycle and other books by Gail.  Or connect with other fans of the series on Facebook and enter for the chance to win one of several fabulous prizes.

Turn The Wheel of Time

The Wheel of Time turns and ages come and go . . .

As we celebrate the October paperback publication of TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT, the penultimate volume of one of the greatest fantasy series of all time, the Wheel revolves towards its final chapter – A MEMORY OF LIGHT – in November 2012.

Join The Wheel of Time in its revolution and read the series in time for the final book. 13 books. 13 months.

To win an exclusive Wheel of Time cotton bag, be one of the first 500 people to ‘like’ our Turn The Wheel of Time Facebook page and complete the entry form. We’ll be doing lots of promotion throughout the year on this page, like breaking WoT news and exclusive content, so it’ll be a very exciting countdown to Robert Jordan’s legendary series. (Please note that this page is not available for US and Canada Wheel of Time fans as we don’t have the legal right to publish or promote in those markets).

A big thanks goes to the band Blind Guardian for letting us use their majestic Wheel of Time song for our trailer.

The Truth behind Theft of Swords and Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser

I’m honored and incredibly excited that Orbit’s release of the first book in my Riyria Revelations, Theft of Swords, has been selected as Library Journal’s Fantasy Debut of the Month for September.

In the conclusion of LJ’s review they said, “VERDICT: Fans of Fritz Leiber’s classic “Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser” novels should welcome the adventures of Hadrian and Royce. A winning debut for fantasy lovers.” This is not the first, and probably won’t be the last, time that my series has been compared to Fritz  Leiber’s classics that were mainly published between 1940 and the mid 1970’s. As my series features two unlikely heroes, a larger fighter and a smaller thief, there are valid reasons to make correlations between the two.

But here’s my dirty, little secret…I’ve never read Leiber’s works, so any similarities are completely coincidental. I know. I know. You’ve just met me and already I’m admitting to what could be a fatal fantasy faux pas. Yes, I admit that I’m not an expert in all the classic fantasy that has come before I showed up. But my shame goes even deeper…I didn’t even know that F&GM even existed! Let me explain how I found out about them. (more…)

Spell Bound is here

When Kelley Armstrong began writing her Women of the Otherworld series in 1999, there wasn’t even a widely accepted name for the genre she helped to create – the genre that would explode in popularity over the next decade and beyond – urban fantasy.

Now, on the day of the official release of Spell Bound (Women of the Otherworld Book 12), Kelley Armstrong looks back on her original and bestselling series, and explains why she chose now to bring all our favourite characters together for the first time.

Kelley also shares another exciting piece of news: Spell Bound (UK | ANZ) will be the penultimate book in the Women of the Otherworld series, and the final book will be called, fittingly, 13.

13 will be published during the summer of 2012.

You can read Kelley’s full piece here.

Wallpapers: ECHO CITY by Tim Lebbon

We’ve got a visual treat for you heading into the weekend: beautiful atmospheric Echo City wallpapers for your device of choice.

The imaginative Lee Gibbons has done the illustration, and Peter Cotton has designed this fantastic dark fantasy cover.

Tim Lebbon posted about Echo City earlier this week, so definitely check it out if you haven’t already.

Wallpaper download links are below. Enjoy!

iPad | iPhone/iPod | NETbook | 1024 x 768 | 1280 x 800 | 1440 x 900 | 1680 x 1050 | 1920 x 1200

 

Does size REALLY matter?

We thought we were more opened-minded than this, but lately here at Orbit when we’ve asked ourselves the timeless question– does size really matter? – we’ve found ourselves answering with a shocking ‘yes’.

We didn’t want to be swayed by the spine width of any given book. ‘Why should it matter how wide the spine is?’ we’d say. ‘All books should be treated equally, regardless of spine width’ had always been our mantra.  But we’ve recently found ourselves paying a bit more attention to these chunky titles and omnibuses.  We even went so far as to measure them:


(For those of you keeping score, it’s Pamela Freeman’s The Casting Trilogy for the win!)

Now that we’ve acknowledged our bias we’re hoping we can move past it, though we do wonder if readers are swayed by book width as well.

So what do you think? When it comes to buying books, does size matter?