Category: All posts
- Anne Clarke - November 11th, 2011
There’s been a lot of excitement in certain SFF circles about Kevin Hearne’s fantastic Iron Druid Chronicles series. I first read Hounded as a manuscript over a year ago, and loved it, but I was working at a different publisher and no matter how I tried, I couldn’t quite manage to disguise the book as a thriller, which was the focus of my list at the time . . . So I had to let it go – and was delighted to discover it was still available when I arrived at Orbit UK a few months ago! And I’m not alone in my delight: Hounded and the two sequels whipped up a storm of rave reviews in the US when they were published over there earlier this year, and Hounded was the fastest selling debut fantasy of 2011.
Now you lucky, lucky people get to read it over in the UK and our various other markets across the world: we published the first book, Hounded, in September, the second, Hexed, in October, and the third book, Hammered, is out this month.
SFF World described the series pretty well when they said it’s ‘American Gods meets Harry Dresden’ – what’s not to like?!
Here’s what others have said about the first two books in the series:
HOUNDED
Entertaining, steeped in a ton of mythology, populated by awesome characters’ civilianreader
‘Hearne, a self-professed comic-book nerd, has turned his love of awesome dudes whacking mightily at evil villains into a superb urban fantasy debut. Staying alive for 2,000 years takes a great deal of cunning, and sexy super-druid Atticus O’Sullivan, currently holed up in the Arizona desert, has vexed a few VIPs along the way. High up on that list is Aenghus Óg, the Celtic god of love. It’s not just that Aenghus wants his sword back – though it is a very nice magical sword – but that Atticus didn’t exactly ask permission to take it. Atticus and his trusty sidekick, Irish wolfhound Oberon, make an eminently readable daring duo as they dodge Aenghus’s minions and thwart his schemes with plenty of quips and zap-pow-bang fighting.’ Publisher’s Weekly, starred review Read the rest of this entry »
by Anne Clarke • 1 Comment • Posted in: New Titles, Orbit UK, Uncategorized
- Devi Pillai - November 10th, 2011
There is nothing that makes me sadder than finishing a series. In some ways, it’s yeah, finally — a conclusion! And in others, its harder because you’ve grown up with that character for so many years. I’ve published Lili for almost a decade and I have to say, that editing Hell and Back (her Dante Valentine series) was hard because I kept tearing up — but that was nothing compared to Angel Town.
For those of you who read the books — you’ll know that Heaven’s Spite finished with a bang. (SPOILER AHEAD! GO OVER WITH MOUSE TO READ!)
<Beginning of Spoiler>Lili doesn’t just kill her heroine — she throws her into HELL!! Angel Town opens at the gates of Hell and you can read the first chapter here. <End of Spoiler>
Read the rest of this entry »
by Devi Pillai • Post a Comment • Posted in: New Titles, Orbit US
- Ellen Wright - November 9th, 2011
Laura Miller interviewed N.K. Jemisin for her article “If Tolkien Were Black,” up today at Salon:
“The genre can go many, many more places than it has gone,” said Jemisin. “Fantasy’s job is kind of to look back, just as science fiction’s job is to look forward. But fantasy doesn’t always just have to look back to one spot, or to one time. There’s so much rich, fascinating, interesting, really cool history that we haven’t touched in the genre: countries whose mythology is elaborate and fascinating, cultures whose stories we just haven’t even tried to retell.”
Read the rest of the article at Salon.com. While you’re at it, don’t forget to read Jemisin’s The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (US | UK | ANZ) – or, if you’ve already done that, The Kingdom of Gods (US | UK | ANZ), which just last month concluded the acclaimed Inheritance Trilogy.
by Ellen Wright • Post a Comment • Posted in: Interviews, Orbit Australia, Orbit UK, Orbit US
- James Long - November 4th, 2011
Iain M. Banks is someone who knows a thing or two about science fiction, so when he labelled Michael Cobley’s SEEDS OF EARTH (UK | ANZ) as ‘Proper galaxy-spanning space opera’, you just knew something special had begun. Two years on, tens of thousands of fans have been enthralled by Cobley’s war-torn universe where the human race battles ancient alien civilisations just for the right to survive, an epic tale continued in THE ORPHANED WORLDS (UK | ANZ).
Now, in THE ASCENDANT STARS (UK | ANZ) - the explosive final book in the Humanity’s Fire trilogy – the fate of the human race will be decided. Ancient forces are awakening. Battle fleets are converging. Sentients and machines will lock horns in a devastating battle where there are only two outcomes: survival or the sterile dusts of space.
Praise for the Humanity’s Fire trilogy:
A convincing portrayal of political machinations and the plight of individuals caught up in events beyond their comprehension’ – GUARDIAN
‘A great hunky juggernaut of a Space Opera novel . . . that should be greeted with enthusiasm by fans of Peter F. Hamilton and Iain M. Banks’ – SFFWORLD
‘A really good, enjoyable and compelling book, written with verve and more than a little humour’ – BOOKGEEKS
‘There is a lot of depth to be found in Michael Cobley’s richly imagined universe, the characters beg deeper exploration, and the series as a whole possesses tremendous potential . . . Highly recommended’ – FANTASY BOOK CRITIC
‘This is really a fine piece of work and could, when it’s all finished, be up there with the aforementioned Tolkien or Asimov’s ‘Foundation’ series as one of the all-time greats’ – SF CROWSNEST
‘Another author that is being added to my buy-on-release list and one that is a breath of fresh air into the genre with an intriguing, complicated and a well executed story. Highly recommended’ – WALKER OF WORLDS
Michael Cobley can be found online at www.michaelcobley.com. A video Q&A with Michael about the Humanity’s Fire series can be found here.
by James Long • 2 Comments • Posted in: New Titles, Orbit Australia, Orbit UK
- Alex Lencicki - November 3rd, 2011
The Goodreads 2011 Choice Awards are open for voting! The first round includes THE HEROES by Joe Abercrombie, GHOST STORY by Jim Butcher, THE ROGUE by Trudi Canavan, LEVIATHAN WAKES by James S.A. Corey, DEADLINE by Mira Grant, EAT SLAY LOVE by Jesse Petersen, and RULE 34 by Charlie Stross.
And if your favorite didn’t make the list, don’t worry! You can still write in nominees — so visit goodreads and vote already!
by Alex Lencicki • 1 Comment • Posted in: Orbit US
author post
Kristen Painter’s House of Comarré series continues this month with FLESH AND BLOOD. Book 3, BAD BLOOD, will be available in December. You can keep up with Kristen at the official Facebook page.
One of the questions I get asked most often is where the idea for the comarré came from, these hybrid humans bred to be blood slaves for the vampire nobility. Usually I say that I’ve carried the idea of Chrysabelle around in my head since college, which is true, but that was just a blurred image of a woman in a slinky white dress dipped low enough to reveal a gold tattoo on the small of her back. It wasn’t the comarré, exactly. More like the seed that grew into Chrysabelle. Read the rest of this entry »
by Kristen Painter •Post a Comment • Categories: All posts, Guest Post, Orbit Australia, Orbit UK, Orbit US • Tags:
- Lauren Panepinto - October 31st, 2011
Mira Grant, author of Feed, Deadline, and the upcoming Blackout has once again left a lovely present in my inbox—a poetic present! Inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s Annabel Lee, I give to you: Annabel Lee, After the Rising! And if you missed ‘Twas the Night Before the Uprising last december, check it out.
Download as: Lo-res Jpeg Hi-Res Jpeg Printable PDF
by Lauren Panepinto • 4 Comments • Posted in: Art, Covers, Orbit UK, Orbit US
author post
In honor of my Days of the Dead blog tour, I’d like to introduce you to one of my vayash moru (vampire) characters from the Chronicles of the Necromancer and Fallen Kings series. Vayash moru play an important part in my books, aiding–and sometimes opposing–Tris Drayke and Jonmarc Vahanian.
Here, I’d like to introduce you to Lord Uri, a member of the Blood Council. In life, he was a thief and a card sharp, and in death his ethics have been questioned even by others on the Blood Council. He is not overly fond of mortals, especially not Jonmarc Vahanian, with whom he has repeatedly sparred verbally.
Q: What has immortality taught you?
A: Mortals never learn. This creates great opportunity for those who do.
Q: You have repeatedly shown disdain for Jonmarc Vahanian, yet in the end, you have grudgingly chosen to side with him rather than against him. Why?
A: Jonmarc Vahanian annoys me. I knew his kind quite well when I was mortal. And while he made a lot of money for me when I bet on hi back when he was a Nargi fight slave, I find him arrogant in his abilities. But I have to admit, he is good at fighting. And after last year’s vayash moru insurrection, I find myself owing him–a damnable situation.
Q: Like most of the Blood Council, you chose to ally with the mortals of the Winter Kingdoms against the Temnottan invaders. Why?
A: In this, the living and the undead have common cause. Temnotta will not be a kind master if the northern forces prevail. I endured far too much of that kind of oppression in Nargi to serve another such master. Once again, to my great annoyance, I find Jonmarc Vahanian and I to be on the same side.
Q: What is your biggest disappointment about immortality?
A: That despite superior strength and speed, my kind still fall prey so easily to those who would destroy us.
Please check out my Days of the Dead online blog tour—there are lots of other free downloads, drawings for free books, excerpts, interviews and fun—details are at www.ChroniclesOfTheNecromancer.com
by Gail Z. Martin •Post a Comment • Categories: Guest Post, Orbit US, Uncategorized • Tags:
- Lauren Panepinto - October 25th, 2011
I loved working on these epic covers of badassery (technical term) with Gene Mollica & Michael Frost…so now that The Heroes is out, it’s totally time for wallpapers! I think these covers are set to volume 11, just like Joe Abercrombie’s writing, so if you like gritty, brutal, real-life epic fantasy with fabulous characters and a helping of political backstabbing, then you really should pick up The Heroes, out now in Trade Paperback.
Here’s all the wallpaper download links…if anyone needs a specific dimension made, let us know!
1024 x 768 | 1280 x 800 | 1440 x 900 | 1680 x 1050 |1920 x 1200 | iPhone | iPad
by Lauren Panepinto • 6 Comments • Posted in: Art, Covers, Orbit US, Uncategorized, Wallpaper
- Alex Lencicki - October 24th, 2011
Gail Z. Martin is hosting her annual Days of the Dead blog tour, and she’s kicking it off with giveaways, special interviews, downloadable treats and news. She’s also sharing four different excerpts from her upcoming book, THE DREAD, which is now available for pre-order. Here’s excerpt #1 of four—enjoy!
If you’re new to The Fallen Kings Cycle you can dive in with THE SWORN, which is out now. Enter below for a chance to win a copy — we’ll pick three winners on Friday!
cforms contact form by delicious:days
by Alex Lencicki • Post a Comment • Posted in: Orbit US
There’s been a lot of excitement in certain SFF circles about Kevin Hearne’s fantastic Iron Druid Chronicles series. I first read Hounded as a manuscript over a year ago, and loved it, but I was working at a different publisher and no matter how I tried, I couldn’t quite manage to disguise the book as a thriller, which was the focus of my list at the time . . . So I had to let it go – and was delighted to discover it was still available when I arrived at Orbit UK a few months ago! And I’m not alone in my delight: Hounded and the two sequels whipped up a storm of rave reviews in the US when they were published over there earlier this year, and Hounded was the fastest selling debut fantasy of 2011.
