Archive for Orbit Australia

The Spirit Thief & Exceptional Eyebrow Elevation

Has anyone else noticed that the raised eyebrow has truly become one of the staples of science fiction and fantasy entertainment?

The Spirit Thief (UK/US /ANZ) by Rachel Aaron is out this month – and since its protagonst is a scheming, devious and devastatingly charming rogue, we felt that only the most superb demonstration of singular suspension of the supercilium (yes, that’s ‘eyebrow’ in Latin) would do . . .

By being represented in this way, Eli Monpress is truly joining the ranks of heroes from science fiction and fantasy history who have excelled at exhibiting this particular brand of facial gymnastics. See the following examples for reference:

Exhibit A – Spock (though we must admit, he has a natural advantage over his human counterparts owing to his Vulcan genes)

Exhibit B – Wolverine (the classic ‘Don’t mess with me, even if my hair is a bit silly‘ eyebrow)

Exhibit C – David Tennant as Doctor Who (In fact, no one is allowed to play Doctor Who unless they can display an ability to get some impressive eyebrow height)

And Exhibit D – The Rock (only vaguely fantastical – for The Scorpion King perhaps? – but there was no way we weren’t including this picture) (more…)

Cover Launch: EQUATIONS OF LIFE by Simon Morden

We are exceptionally proud to present the covers for an explosive trilogy of near-future thrillers that will be storming onto the scene next year. Equations of Life, Theories of Flight and Degrees Freedom make up this bold, fast-paced and highly intelligent new series that is a real breath of fresh air. It’s unlike anything else on the market at the moment and we wanted a striking new cover style that would convey that very fact – so here they are for your viewing pleasure.

Simon Morden has impeccable SF credentials, having edited the BSFA’s Focus magazine and served as a judge for the Arthur C. Clarke Award. He’s also a bona fide rocket scientist, having degrees in geology and planetary geophysics . . . so we were obviously expecting great things! I’m very glad to say that when we first read his series we were all astonishingly impressed – totally blown away. And since we don’t think you should have to wait for the future, we’ve decided to publish three books in three months – April, May and June 2011.

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Memorial Mandelbrot Wallpapers: Surface Detail

As some sharp mathematical eyes have pointed out, There’s more to the design incorporated in the Surface Detail cover than just a random pattern—it’s a visualization of a Mandelbrot Set. For those of you who have been lucky enough to already read Iain M. Banks’ latest Culture Novel, you’ll know this kind of pattern of infinite intricacy is very important to the story. So important that we called out the pattern more clearly in fancy bonus endpapers in the hardcover edition. (For those of you who haven’t picked up Surface Detail yet, here’s the first chapter.)

The Mandelbrot Set is named for the mathematician Benoît Mandelbrot, who published his studies on mathematical objects like this in “The Fractal Nature of Geometry”,  and for those of us who aren’t up on our mathematical studies, the simple explanation is that Mandelbrot’s research helped predict natural phenomena like jagged coastlines and the formation of clouds. At the age of 85, he passed away this Thursday in Cambridge, Massachusetts. And in his honor I’ve designed up some cover wallpapers, with some bonus Mandelbrot Set action.

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A shining example of a science fiction novel…

We’re very proud to announce that Lightborn (UK / ANZ) has arrived in stores in all its shining glory. Tricia Sullivan, a former Arthur C. Clarke Award-winner, has been widely acknowledged as an audacious, original and exceptionally talented author – here are just a few of the quotes she has received:

‘A challenging, disturbing, often compulsive read’ Time Out

‘Tricia Sullivan returns to science fiction not a second too soon . . . I haven’t enjoyed a book so much in a long time’ Guardian

‘Painfully gripping throughout – read it if you dare’ The Times

So if you do dare . . . dip into the world of Lightborn and you shall be greatly rewarded. You’ll find a fantastic premise that revolves around ‘shine’ – a mind-altering technology that has revolutionised the modern world. It’s the ultimate in education, self-improvement and entertainment – beamed directly into the brain of anyone who can meet the asking price. But what happens when that ‘shine’ goes renegade and develops a mind of its own?

With its striking cover, this really has turned out to be a very exciting package – and you can take a sneaky peek at what’s inside by reading a free extract here.

“The Heir of Night”: Keeping It Real with Armour and Weapons

As a kid, I always loved armour and weapons. We lived in Singapore for some years, too, so in addition to western traditions including medieval armour, then cuirassiers, and later the long rifle, I was also aware of oriental armour and weaponry. I even had a Chinese sword—imitation, of course—and horse rider’s composite bow. From endless childhood games in which wars and battles were re-enacted, it is perhaps not surprising that I graduated to fencing during my high school and university years. As an adult, I trained first in tai chi and kung fu, and then the Japanese martial art aikido, which involves both “empty hand” training and weapons, including the Japanese sword, knife, and staff. (more…)

Version 43 is here

You’ve seen the new wallpaper and the dueling videos.

You’ve probably read the extract.

You may have seen the brand new and exclusive Amazon interview and article.

And you might even have heard when SFREVU called Philip Palmer’s work ‘relentlessly energetic, inventive and shamelessly ambitious.’

But if you don’t pick up a copy of Version 43 for yourself this month, or do any of the above actions for that matter, then… well, you should.  Or the cyborg will know.

The day’s arrived for The Heir of Night

If you’re in Australia and New Zealand, you’re definitely in the right place to get your hands on some exciting new fantasy as Helen Lowe’s Orbit debut, The Heir of Night, hits bookshelves today in all of its beautifully plotted and blazing red glory!

In case you missed it, the author has explained the world of The Heir of Night for us here, and the blogosphere has already weighed in favourably on this start to a new series:

‘The Heir of Night is a carefully plotted story in a complex world’ – fantasyliterature.com

‘Very promising and fast-paced new epic fantasy.’ – bookloons.com

‘A very rich and complex story with a perfect balance between action and character development that got me hooked from the first page.’ – fictionkingdom.blogspot.com

‘Helen Lowe’s prose flows effortlessly from the first pages to the last page and she uses magic in a good way.’ – risingshadow.net (more…)

The exclusive first chapter of Towers of Midnight

The wheel has been turning and now it’s almost time to release Towers of Midnight in hardback, the extraordinary penultimate volume of the Wheel of Time. It will be available from 2nd November, but we want to give you a taste of what is to come …

Click here for an exclusive free extract of chapter one!

And in taking on the mantle of genre grandmaster Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson has done some fantastic Wheel of Time re-reads. For a quick catch up on the previous Wheel of Time books please click here.

So what more can be said than the Wheel of Time turns, and ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the age that gave it birth comes again. But now, the end draws near. It’s time to roll the dice.