Category: New Titles
- The Orbit Team - June 17th, 2011
We’ve been giving Mercy Thompson a new look recently and I think it looks great on her. These books feature the feisty Mercy — coyote shapeshifter, mechanic and finder-of-trouble — so we wanted something urban and adventurous to match. We also wanted the cover look, once created, to really pop on the shelf, so the front, back and spine (separate ‘design areas’!) all needed to complement each other and add to the effect.
These were put together for us in grand style by Nick Castle Design and our Head of Design Duncan Spilling. We started the look with River Marked in March, and this June the rest of Patricia Briggs’ series makes its grand entrance. See all the new covers in their full glory below: Read the rest of this entry »
by The Orbit Team • 21 Comments • Posted in: Art, Covers, New Titles, Orbit Australia, Orbit UK
- The Orbit Team - June 14th, 2011
It’s at last time to release Tom Holt’s Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Sausages (UK | USA | ANZ) into the wilds of the bookosphere. And this imaginative comedy is pure Tom Holt magic – a tale of our world but not as we know it, featuring pigs and parallel worlds. And look no further than this free extract and handy plot outline to find out more:
Polly, an average, completely ordinary property lawyer, is convinced she’s losing her mind. Someone keeps drinking her coffee. And talking to her clients. And doing her job. And when she goes to the dry cleaner’s to pick up her dress for the party, it’s not there. Not the dress – the dry cleaner’s. And then there are the chickens who think they are people. Something strange is definitely going on – and it’s going to take more than a magical ring to sort it out.
Tom Holt’s previous books have scored highly when it comes to praise, being called: ‘Clever, funny, tirelessly inventive (Christopher Moore), ‘Dazzling’ (Time Out) and ‘Uniquely twisted’ (Guardian). And here are some reviews in already for the latest book itself:
A great mix of the fantastical and the funny … another great satirical offering from Tom Holt that entertains thoroughly while effortlessly moving between the silly and the smart”
Bookgeeks.co.uk
“Crazy, absurd, complex and hilarious … His writing is in the same mould as that of Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams and Jasper Fforde”
TheBookBag.co.uk
“I loved this book … prepare to have a wild ride that doesn’t always make sense, has lots of twists and turns and craziness but is good, clean, mind-bending fun”
LifeWithBooks.com
by The Orbit Team • Post a Comment • Posted in: Extracts, Fiction, New Titles, Orbit Australia, Orbit UK, Orbit US
- The Orbit Team - June 10th, 2011
THE MAN
Tim Lebbon is an award-winning, New York Times-bestselling writer from South Wales — and he’s looking forward to two big events over the next two months. One, dare I say it, is Orbit’s publication of his amazing gritty fantasy Echo City (UK | ANZ) in July. But the other will be rather more dangerous …
THE PLAN
You might wonder how fantasy writers do their worldbuilding, and Tim Lebbon will be gathering a LOT of new material this weekend. Today, Tim and four of his friends are driving to Fort William in Scotland, ready to begin the Three Peaks Challenge – the challenge being to scale all three peaks in three days. OMG.
The adventure will comme
nce with the ascent of Ben Nevis tomorrow at 5pm, with the team hoping to descend before 11pm. This sounds dangerous enough already to me – mountaineering, in the dark?! But this is only the start. They next drive to Scafell Pike in Cumbria and start that climb early on Sunday morning, head-torches on full-beam. Then it’s on to Snowdon where, if everything goes to plan (…) they’ll finish their descent by 5pm, thus completing the challenge in 24 hours. Tim seemed very sure that no part of the climb would take place on the train either, definitely not. So, the group are aiming to collect some foot-miles of almost 10,000 feet of ascent and descent, with 27 miles walked, as well as about 500 miles in a mini-bus. As I write this, it’s thundering here in London, so fingers crossed for him up north.
Read the rest of this entry »
by The Orbit Team • Post a Comment • Posted in: New Titles, News, Orbit Australia, Orbit UK
- James Long - June 10th, 2011
Kevin J. Anderson’s TERRA INCOGNITA fantasy series began in 2010 with the release of THE EDGE OF THE WORLD - “a classic adventure story” (Total Sci-Fi Online) – that introduced the seafaring countries of Tierra and Uraba, whose fragile truce is shattered by a tragic accident, casting the world once more into the fires of war.
THE MAP OF ALL THINGS continues this epic story of politics, warfare and daring adventure upon storm-wracked, serpent-infested seas. For a map has been discovered that reveals the location of the Key to Creation - a weapon that could change the course of the war . . . and the fate of the world.
With the third book in the series, THE KEY TO CREATION, due for release in trade paperback next month, now is the perfect time to dive in to Kevin J. Anderson’s TERRA INCOGNITA.
Here’s what the critics have had to say about THE MAP OF ALL THINGS:
“For a book full of fantastical events, The Map of All Things is scarily true to life in its depiction of religious fanaticism and the ruthlessness and futility of war. Such attitudes ground the novel, making it all the more effective at absorbing us into a world both brutal and beautiful” – Total Sci-Fi Online (8/10 rating)
“The Map of all Things has everything you want from a fantasy epic – intrigue, land and sea battles, assassinations and assassination attempts, discoveries, magic, strange creatures – as well as sense of wonder that is usually associated more with space opera, but the author managed to transpose that in the “swords and sails” context superbly” – Fantasy Book Critic (A+ rating)
“If you like your fantasy sweeping and epic, with a smattering of giant sea monsters, this is the ideal book for you” – The Bookbag
“The prose is sharp, the descriptiveness ideal and the characters really leap off the page to make them a cast that you just can’t wait to adventure with” – Falcata Times
by James Long • Post a Comment • Posted in: New Titles, Orbit UK, Orbit US, Uncategorized
- James Long - May 24th, 2011
“Something remarkable has begun” declared fantasist Steven Erikson back in 2005, when R. Scott Bakker burst onto the fantasy scene with his enthralling debut THE DARKNESS THAT COMES BEFORE. Erikson wasn’t wrong – before long Bakker established himself as a major talent in the epic fantasy genre, dazzling readers with his exquisite prose, masterful characterisation and rich worldbuilding.
Six years later, R. Scott Bakker continues to captivate his fans with his latest novel, THE WHITE LUCK WARRIOR, the second book in his Aspect-Emperor series. Containing all the hallmarks he has become known for, it’s a fantasy story on a mesmerising scale, full of shady mysteries, explosive sorcery and mighty battles.
If that’s not enough to convince you that you need some Bakker in your life, here’s what the reviewers have been saying:
“A powerful, engrossing, ferociously intelligent novel that sees Bakker at the very top of his game. It leaves the reader on the edge of their seat for the concluding volume of the trilogy, The Unholy Consult.” THE WERTZONE (5 star review)
“The worldbuilding is once again top notch. Bakker’s narrative is richly detailed, creating an imagery that leaps off the page . . . The White-Luck Warrior is everything Bakker fans could hope for.” PAT’S FANTASY HOTLIST (8.5/10 rating)
“A wonderful sense of pace, some great action sequences and above all else the reader will have a title that really will satisfy the fantasy fan within. A great title all round and one that really has left the final book in the series as one where everything is to play for. Great stuff.” FALCATA TIMES
by James Long • 1 Comment • Posted in: New Titles, Orbit UK
- Anna Gregson - May 18th, 2011
Theories of Flight, Book 2 in Simon Morden’s explosive Metrozone series is now at large worldwide.
Prepare for more explosions. Prepare for more smart-ass foul-mouthing from Petrovitch. And prepare for more from the New Machine Jihad.
And just in case you’ve been wondering what people have been saying about the series . . .
‘A fast-paced thriller . . . an absorbing read’ TELEGRAPH
‘Speeds along with energetic panache’ THE TIMES
‘Morden keeps up a breathless breakneck pace that doesn’t sacrifice character depth or intelligence . . . promises to be a fast-paced thrill ride for the cynical urban space cowboy in all of us’ i09
‘Petrovitch is one of those characters you can’t help but warm to, and readers will be eager to experience more of his adventures and his relentless Russian swearing’ FINANCIAL TIMES
‘The action is relentless and Morden has a natural talent for a plot that keeps the reader guessing’ GUARDIAN
‘A fantastic piece of work – a roller-coaster ride through a post-plague hit London that made me think of Richard Morgan’s Altered Carbon colliding head on with Gibson’s Neuromancer, whilst side-swiping Stephenson’s Snowcrash. I absolutely loved it!’ SFREVU
‘A heart-stopping onslaught of science and action for much of its perfectly judged duration, paced like a runaway train, and Morden handles the fireworks with a steady hand . . . truly exhilarating stuff’ THE SPECULATIVE SCOTSMAN
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by Anna Gregson • Post a Comment • Posted in: New Titles, Orbit Australia, Orbit UK, Orbit US, Reviews
- Lauren Panepinto - May 9th, 2011
It is with a mix of joy and sadness that I launch the cover for TIMELESS by Gail Carriger. Joy, because I have loved working on these covers so much, and I happen to be a nerd about things ancient Egyptian, so Alexia Tarabotti + Pyramids = Squee. However, it is sad because this is the final book in the adventures of Alexia Tarabotti!
Of course, that doesn’t mean the end of our Lady Maccon. Did you hear about the Yen Press manga Soulless adaptation being created as we speak? The artwork is amazing! I’ve seen the cover and first chapter, I just can’t wait to see more…Trust me, even if you’ve never thought manga was your thing, you have to keep tabs on this book as it develops. Stunning work, and bravo to our Yen Press brethren.
As usual, we have a fabulous image of The Lady Maccon, portrayed by Donna Ricci, the captain of the steamship we call ClockworkCouture.com. Alexia in her explorer’s gear was shot by Pixie Vision Productions, who was also responsible for documenting the awesome Afternoon Tea that Gail and Donna co-hosted recently in L.A. (There’s a great fan writeup of the event here). I so love collaborating with people active in the world of Steampunk when we’re doing steampunk and victorian titles (hmm, foreshadowing alert for next season perhaps?). Everyone already knows the lingo, they always catch my chronological aberrations, and even better, they always add things to the books that I would never have thought of on my own.
So without further ado, here’s a teaser for Timeless…
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by Lauren Panepinto • 5 Comments • Posted in: Art, Covers, New Titles, Orbit UK, Orbit US
- Anne Clarke - May 6th, 2011
The lovely Trudi Canavan arrived in London this week, and her UK tour kicked off yesterday in style with a welcome glass of bubbly at the Little, Brown office, where she was ambushed by a flurry of inhouse fans eager for her to sign their copies of her newly published hardback The Rogue (which she did, very graciously) followed by a jampacked signing at Forbidden Planet in London. Here’s how the evening went in photos:
Pre-mayhem pose in Forbidden Planet, just before we let in the hordes:
Hope your arm doesn’t fall off, Trudi – the queue doesn’t look like going down any time soon . . .
And here’s your first fan:
We’ve never had a request for an author to sign a Kindle before, but last night not one but two superfans were delighted when Trudi agreed to do just that – in permanent silver marker!
A close-up of the freshly autographed Kindle:
Finally, here’s a posh arty pic of Trudi signing a non-digital book:
All in all it was a great evening – over 200 books signed for the extremely happy fans, Trudi was touched and delighted to see everyone, and it was the best possible start to her first major UK and European tour. Trudi is off to Ireland today for some events in Dublin, then back to England next week where she will be meeting fans at Costa Coffee in The Peacock’s Centre, Woking on Monday 9th May at 7pm – tickets are still available from Waterstone’s Woking. She will also be on twitter for a Waterstone’s ‘twinterview’ at 4pm on Tuesday 10th May. Just tweet your questions using #tcav and there are signed copies of The Rogue for the best questions!
For a list of all Trudi’s other UK events, just click here or click the link on the right hand side of this page to find the one nearest you.
by Anne Clarke • 2 Comments • Posted in: Fiction, New Titles, Orbit Australia, Orbit UK, Orbit US, Signings and Events, Uncategorized
- The Orbit Team - April 12th, 2011
In the April 11 issue of Publishers Weekly, out this week, there is an interview with Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, who talk about their first collaborative novel, LEVIATHAN WAKES (called “a riveting interplanetary thriller” by PW in its starred review).
“We put two very recognizable characters in an almost nostalgic science fiction world, so respecting the internal lives of the characters was important. That real unapologetic embrace of sentiment is what makes the book work.”
Only part of the interview appears in the magazine. The rest (as informative, as entertaining) appears courtesy of Rose Fox at Genreville, where among other things Daniel & Ty discuss how to manage the joint writing of such an enormous project.
LEVIATHAN WAKES (called “relentlessly entertaining” by Kirkus) goes on sale June 17.
by The Orbit Team • 1 Comment • Posted in: Interviews, New Titles, Orbit Australia, Orbit UK, Orbit US
author post
Niklaus Manuel Deutsch is an artist all but forgotten in the modern age. I’m not claiming this is some great travesty, for his work, while quite good, is not necessarily outstanding, nor was he particularly prolific. In fact, Manuel abandoned painting and etching in the last decade of his life to focus on poetry, play writing, and one of the trickiest arts of all, politics. Had he stuck with one or two disciplines perhaps he might have produced a single work that endured through the ages, as opposed to creating many worthy but unexceptional pieces that have been swept away in the great flood of history, occasionally bobbing to the surface in this coffee table book or that academic tome on plays of the Swiss Renaissance. Of course, that’s simple conjecture–it’s entirely possible that had Manuel lived an extra thirty years and painted every single day of every single one of them he may never have produced anything more memorable than what we already have of his work. It is possible, uncharitable an observation as it is to make about any artist, that the man was simply not a genius, not a savant, that he was as good an artist as he ever could have been. Read the rest of this entry »
by Jesse Bullington •Post a Comment • Categories: Art, Covers, Guest Post, New Titles, Orbit Australia, Orbit UK, Orbit US • Tags: Art, fantasy, history, Jesse Bullington, the enterprise of death
