Category: Orbit UK
- The Orbit Team - April 27th, 2012
Last night Robert Jackson Bennett took home the Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original for his novel The Company Man (US |
UK | ANZ). You can see the MWA‘s press release here. Earlier this month, The Company Man also received the Special Citation of Excellence from the Philip K. Dick Award. Congratulations, Robert!
Don’t miss Robert’s most recent novel, The Troupe (US | UK | ANZ), which came out in February. And if you didn’t watch it yesterday, now’s a good time to check out the book trailer for Robert’s… next project.
by The Orbit Team • Post a Comment • Posted in: Awards, Orbit Australia, Orbit UK, Orbit US, Uncategorized
- The Orbit Team - April 26th, 2012
Robert Jackson Bennett, author of The Troupe (US | UK | ANZ), recently took some time out of his busy writing schedule to introduce us to his new project.
When someone asked me what I would title my autobiography, I immediately said, A Sexual Experience: The Robert Jackson Bennett Story. This produced a sprinkling of light applause in the room, and I decided it’d be cruel of me to limit my sexual charisma to a story all about myself. It’d be like clipping the wings of a beautiful parrot, or setting a whale on fire, or something.
So I knew it would have to be a novel.
Now, Orbit does not publish such sublimely graphic material – and nor does any publishing house catering to the North American market – but they have kindly given me the opportunity of pitching my novel directly to you, the reader.
So, please enjoy. And you may want to wear oven mitts while you watch this – it often inspires people to… massage themselves.
Robert’s The Company Man (US | UK | ANZ) received a Special Citation of Excellence from the Philip K. Dick Award earlier this month, and is up for an Edgar Award for Best Original Paperback tonight, April 26th!
by The Orbit Team • Post a Comment • Posted in: Orbit Australia, Orbit UK, Orbit US, Videos
- The Orbit Team - April 25th, 2012
Chapter one of Mira Grant’s Blackout, the final book in her Newsflesh trilogy, is now available on io9! WARNING: this excerpt contains HUGE spoilers for the first two books. Proceed with caution.
Today, an intrepid Newsie hacked into the CDC computer system and liberated another file. For this one, though, you’ll have to do a little digging…
Each of these five blogs has part of the code you’ll need to access this second, top-secret document:
Rose-Owls and Pumpkin Girls (The Journal of Seanan McGuire)
The Mary Sue
Sword & Laser
SF Signal
Fantasy Café
Once you’ve gathered all five codes, you can access the encrypted document here on the Orbit site.
by The Orbit Team • Post a Comment • Posted in: Extracts, Orbit UK, Orbit US
author post
I wish I knew everything I know now, because when I began writing fantasy, I didn’t have a clue about the art of storytelling.
How I began
I devoured books from the age of four, I was good at English, and I wrote all the time in my work (I’m a marine scientist). Yet when I started writing my first book 25 years ago (A Shadow on the Glass), I discovered that I didn’t truly understand how fiction worked, and the books I read on writing, worthy though they were, weren’t much help. I understood their messages but couldn’t see how to apply them to my story.
My first novel had a long gestation, because I’d been world-building for ten years before I started writing. I’d created maps the size of doors (small versions can be seen here) designed a whole world of nations and ecosystems, and worked out 10,000 years of history, as one does. I’d also spent a lot of time planning the book. At least, trying to.
But the story plan didn’t seem real. I had no idea where it was going and every idea seemed dumb and derivative. In despair, and sure the book wasn’t going to work, I started to write ‘organically’ – that’s the technical term for ‘making it up as you go along’.
Read the rest of this entry »
by Ian Irvine •11 Comments • Categories: Guest Post, Orbit Australia, Orbit UK, Orbit US • Tags: fantasy, Ian Irvine, The Tainted Realms, Vengeance, writing advice
- Anna Gregson - April 20th, 2012
Announcing the winning entries to our very special Gail Carriger UK Tour competition! Gail has now perused all the photos at length and wants to emphasise that picking the winners has been very tough indeed – as every photo has been delightful in its own special way. But a decision must be made. So . . . In first place, winning this darling teapot, is:
The Heroic Valerie Hernandez!
1st prize: Valerie Hernandez
And the two runners-up prizes, each winning a twee tea strainer, go to:
Maria Diana Broughton’s photo of the darling Ane Victoria and Eirin
Runner up: Maria Diana Broughton
And Terry Kroenung’s capturing of a feisty low-kick
Runner up: Terry Kroenung
Well done everyone, and your prizes, which Gail signed for us when she visited the UK offices, will be with you shortly.
You can follow the progress of the rest of Gail’s European Tour here, and don’t forget to catch up on Gail’s latest adventure Timeless (UK | US | ANZ), as well as the manga edition of Soulless (UK | US | ANZ) if you haven’t done so already!
by Anna Gregson • 2 Comments • Posted in: Contests, Orbit Australia, Orbit France, Orbit UK, Orbit US, Uncategorized
- Jenni Hill - April 19th, 2012
We’re all so pleased to announce that Helen Lowe’s THE HEIR OF NIGHT has been shortlisted for a David Gemmell Award! Our biggest congratulations to Helen, and we’re keeping everything crossed for the final awards announcement on 15th June, even though it’s pretty hard to type on the blog with crossed fingers!
If you liked THE HEIR OF NIGHT then please do go and vote for Helen at the Gemmell Awards website. It’s as easy as just one click! There’s no need to sign up, although if you’d like to be a Gemmell Awards member then you can get a free account and become part of the discussion.
There are five books on the shortlist, and voting closes on 31st May 2012, 12 Noon GMT.
by Jenni Hill • 2 Comments • Posted in: Awards, Orbit Australia, Orbit France, Orbit UK, Press Releases
- Anna Gregson - April 18th, 2012
What a splendid time we’ve had here in the UK with the admirable Gail Carriger, author of The Parasol Protectorate novels.
Our booksellers’ evening last Wednesday at the gorgeous Drink, Shop, Do was a glory to behold. See Gail’s report of the event here.
The steampunk event at Waterstones Nottingham last Friday was also a storming success, with around a hundred people in attendance - many attired in full costume - to pay tribute to the honourable Gail and fellow steampunk fashion icon Jema Hewitt. See below for some of the wonderfully impressive regalia displayed on the night:
Gail Carriger and Jema Hewitt (top left hand corner) as well as a whole host of other wonderful costumes at the steampunk event at Waterstones Nottingham
And whilst all this was happening in the UK, fans from across the world were sending us fabulous parasol photos for our very special teapot competition. See the final entries below (and earlier entries here and here), and tune back in this Friday 20th for the announcement of the winners!
Maria Diana Broughton's photo of the darling Ane Victoria and Eirin
The beautifully coy Kirsten
The delightfully daring Elizabeth Dixon
The just divine Jaymee
The heavenly Katelynn Hickman
Terry Kroenung's capturing of a feisty low-kick
And don’t forget that Gail is now off to swan around the rest of the European continent. See her tour details here!
by Anna Gregson • Post a Comment • Posted in: Contests, Events, Fiction, Orbit Australia, Orbit France, Orbit UK, Orbit US, Signings and Events
- Jenni Hill - April 17th, 2012
Last week we showed you the first part of this interview, in which Helen Lowe interviewed Ian Irvine about the publication of his brand new epic fantasy series, The Tainted Realm. This week the tables have turned! Click through to the interview to read more . . .
Ian: I haven’t done an interview swap with another author before, and it’s been a challenging experience to be put on the spot by Helen Lowe, who also writes epic fantasy and loves it as much as I do. But now I get to ask her the hard questions!
Read the rest of this entry »
by Jenni Hill • 2 Comments • Posted in: Interviews, New Titles, Orbit Australia, Orbit UK
- James Long - April 16th, 2012
Jon Courtenay Grimwood is a familiar name to SF fans; the author of ten previous novels, he’s been nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke award twice and the British Science Fiction Association award no less than seven times, winning twice.
For his eleventh novel, Jon decided to strike out in a fresh direction and write a historical fantasy novel. And where better to set the story than in the endlessly fascinating city of Venice?
As Jon himself explains: ‘It’s a cliché to say Venice is the city of sex and death but it is. Venice is dying and has been dying for over a thousand years. It’s layered with history, one era on top of another. And it’s made with pillars and windows and statues stolen from other cities the Venetians looted. To write Venice I just had to open my eyes and carry a notebook.’
The result of Jon’s three trips to Venice, hours spent pouring over dusty old maps and many months of writing, is THE FALLEN BLADE (UK | US | ANZ): a dark, gritty tale of passion and politics in 15th-century Venice – a powerful city with powerful enemies.
Duke Marco has the throne, but his ruthless aunt and uncle rule in his stead, scheming against their enemies and each other. The pawn at the heart of their struggle is the duke’s young cousin, Lady Giulietta. When she is abducted by Mamluk pirates, it is an outrage that will trigger war.
As the German emperor and Mamluk sultan gather their forces against the city, Venice is heading for a battle it will surely lose. Its only hope lies in a mysterious boy possessed of inhuman strength and speed – and a past wrapped in mystery.
Praise for THE FALLEN BLADE:
Gritty, grimy, decadent and compelling” – SUNDAY TIMES
“His Venice is a dangerous place of dank, cut-throat malevolence, peopled by leap-off-the-page characters . . . a page-turning read” – GUARDIAN
“Dark and majestic” – FINANCIAL TIMES
“Grimwood creates a fascinating world and involving characters – most importantly, he makes us want to read the next two volumes of the trilogy” – INDEPENDENT
“The writing is elegant, the dialogue is sharp, the characters economically but well drawn, the action unrelenting” – SCI-FI NOW
THE FALLEN BLADE is out now in mass market paperback in the UK and ANZ, and in trade format in the US. The second novel in the Assassini trilogy, THE OUTCAST BLADE, will be published in May.
Jon Courtenay Grimwood can be found online at his website, as well as on Twitter.
by James Long • 1 Comment • Posted in: New Titles, Orbit Australia, Orbit UK, Orbit US
author post
Gail Martin joins us on the blog today to share her recent experiences from the Arizona Renaissance Festival and tons of great photos from the event. If you’ve never been to a Renaissance Festival it’s a pilgrimage every fantasy fan should make at least once. So check out what Arizona has to offer or let us know which festivals you frequent.
***
This was my fifth year as a guest author at the Arizona Renaissance Festival, and from having been a guest author equally long at the Carolina festival, I’ve gotten to know many of the vendors, performers and artists. So going is always like an extended book signing plus old home week.
Ann Chamberlain hosted me at her marvelous bookshop near the joust, where I greeted passers-by, offered them a free bookmark, and managed to fry my cleavage (ouch!) despite what I thought had been good application of SPF 70 sunscreen. It’s fun to see readers whom I’ve met from previous years and chat about the books, life, and in many cases, their writing projects which are still works in process (keep on writing!).
Read the rest of this entry »
by Gail Z. Martin •2 Comments • Categories: Guest Post, Orbit Australia, Orbit UK, Orbit US • Tags: Arizona Renaissance Festival, fantasy, Gail Z Martin, The Dread
UK | ANZ). You can see the MWA‘s press release here. Earlier this month, The Company Man also received the Special Citation of Excellence from the Philip K. Dick Award. Congratulations, Robert!
