In March we’re launching EXOGENE (US | UK| AZ) the new book in T.C. McCarthy’s thrilling Subterrene War series. To introduce readers to the world, T.C. scripted a video short story featuring in-world interviews from the front-lines. Visit www.subterrenewar.com to view the clips.
About the Videos:
The Subterrene War is a war fought in the future, in central Asia, between the U.S. and Russia over mineral rights for some very rare earth metals that are crucial to the building of high-powered technology.
We have a new weapon in this war, often fought underground and in mines (hence the name): germline units. American citizens know very little about these weapons–only that they are being used. The government assures us they are not “people.” But germline units have all the appearances of young girls, and are raised into their teens in vats, then sent forth onto the battlefield with preprogrammed notions of death and honor.
In the Subterrene War Clips, a small documentary crew was able to gain access to individual interviews to the rear-area. The government subsequently heavily censored their work, and little of it was seen; until now.
A small group of activists were able to recover four clips from these interviews, and they reveal some startling truths about the state of the War.
Praise for EXOGENE:
“… a rumination on identity and faith, anchored by a protagonist who brings surprising and moving depths to familiar science-fiction concepts.”
– Kirkus (starred review)
“… a stark and wrenching sequel to Germline… the conclusion is simultaneously heartbreaking and triumphant, and utterly appropriate for the brutal, bloody, and magnificent story.”
– Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Helen Lowe, award-winning author of THE HEIR OF NIGHT and the upcoming THE GATHERING OF THE LOST, interviews John R. Fultz about his recent fantasy debut, SEVEN PRINCES. According to John, “This is one of those author-to-author interviews where we really get into writing techniques, philosophies, etc. It’s way cool…”
There is a hidden, magical London that is all around, yet often remains unseen . . . and for good reason, since it’s a dangerous place. This Thursday, Forbidden Planet are celebrating this other London, by hosting a signing session with urban fantasists Kate Griffin and Benedict Jacka. The signing will take place at Forbidden Planet’s London store on Shaftesbury Avenue from 6 – 7 pm.
Kate Griffin will be signing her new novel THE MINORITY COUNCIL (UK | US | ANZ), the fourth book in her urban fantasy series featuring resurrected sorcerer Matthew Swift.
Matthew Swift, the Midnight Mayor, is in charge. He hopes. And London is having some issues. The new drug on the market is fairy dust and it turns humans into walking drug labs. Teenage vandals are being hunted by a mystical creature and ordinary criminals are dying by magical means. If Swift is going to save London from a rising tide of blood, he will have to learn – and fast – what it really means to be Midnight Mayor.
Kate has swiftly (bad pun fully intended) built a dedicated fanbase with her tales of a hidden London forged from urban myths, legends and magic. The critical acclaim has been equally impressive:
NEVERWHERE for the digital age . . . The best novelists transcend genre and Griffin’s excellent Matthew Swift sequence, which tells of an eldritch and fantastical London, proves this point” SFX
“Few can claim to share the same level of creativity and individual style as Griffin” SCIFI NOW
Benedict Jacka will be a new name to many of you, but it won’t stay that way for long. Fresh from his panel appearance at the SFX Weekender, he will be signing copies of FATED – a debut novel that reveals him to be a major new talent in urban fantasy, and a book perfect for fans of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files and Ben Aaronovitch’s RIVERS OF LONDON.
Camden, North London. A tangled, mangled junction of train lines, roads and waterways. Where minor celebrities hang out with minor criminals and where tourists and moody teenagers mingle. In the heart of Camden, where rail meets road meets leyline, you might find the Arcana Emporium, run by one Alex Verus. He won’t sell you a wand or mix you a potion, but if you know what you’re looking for, he might just be able to help. That’s if he’s not too busy avoiding his would-be apprentice, foiling the Dark, outwitting the Light and investigating a mysterious relic that has just turned up at the British Museum.
Sunday Times bestselling author, Jim Butcher, is already a dedicated fan:
Harry Dresden would like Alex Verus tremendously – and be a little nervous around him. I just added Benedict Jacka to my must-read list. FATED is an excellent novel, a gorgeously realized world with a uniquely powerful, vulnerable protagonist. Books this good remind me why I got into the storytelling business in the first place”
FATED (UK | ANZ) will be followed by CURSED (June 2012) and TAKEN (September 2012). Be sure to get in on the ground floor of what promises to be the next huge urban fantasy series.
Both Kate Griffin and Benedict Jacka can be found online; Kate’s website is here, and Benedict’s smart new web presence is here.
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.
Timeless, the final book in Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate series — as well as the first graphic novel adaptation, Soulless: The Graphic Novel — will be out in March, and Gail will be making a number of appearances to mark the occasion. Click through for details!
Rachel Aaron’sSpirit’s Oath is releasing today! It’s a novella set in the world of Eli Monpress. But instead of focusing on our loveable rogue — we are shifting to the Spirit Court and more specifically, the story of how Gin and Miranda met.
Four years before the events of The Spirit Thief, Miranda Lyonette was a young apprentice Spiritualist on the cusp of a promising career. But on the eve of her return from bonding a wind spirit, a night that should have been a celebration, she finds instead that her father has come to take her home. Now, Miranda must choose between her duty to her family and her future at the Spirit Court. But while she’s trying to make her parents see reason and avoid an arranged marriage to a man she can’t stand, she stumbled across the one one spirit who needs her more than any other, a caged ghosthound who doesn’t want her help. To save him, Miranda will have to earn the dog’s trust, but what she gets in return is a friendship deeper than anything she expected.
Check it out here! And if you’re curious about Eli, read the first chapter of The Legend of Eli Monpress( US | UK | ANZ) here.
We are more than excited to announce a new novel by Mur Lafferty to the Orbit list! Her announcement is here. We plan to publish THE SHAMBLING GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY worldwide in Spring/Summer 2013.
The stormtroopers wasted no time in commandeering the decks . . .
After last year’s shenanigans at the SFX Weekender, we couldn’t wait to do it all over again. Excitement levels were therefore approaching unstable levels last Friday, as the Orbit UK team – along with THE FALLEN BLADE author Jon Courtenay Grimwood and FATED author Benedict Jacka – caught a train to Prestatyn, to attend the third SFX Weekender. The convention – run by top British science fiction magazine SFX – has quickly become one of the most anticipated events in British SFF, and this year was again well-attended by authors, editors, scriptwriters and journalists, as well as TV stars of shows such as Red Dwarf, Torchwood and Doctor Who – not to mention hundreds of happy fans and cosplayers!
Orbit's Anne Clarke on the publishing panel
After settling into our chalets (an upgrade on last year, as they had double-glazing!) we watched our very own Anne Clarke on the How To Get Published panel and enjoyed the Kitschies Awards presented by Pornokitsch’s Anne Perry and Jared Shurin. Later, we met up with INTRUSION author Ken MacLeod and SEEDS OF EARTH author Michael Cobley, and headed to a party thrown by our friends at Tor UK.
On the Saturday, once we’d recovered from our cake and alcohol intake from the previous night, we really got stuck in to the panels and signings. Mike, Ken and Benedict all signed books for fans at the Forbidden Planet booth, and took part in some pretty packed panel discussions! Benedict debated genre definitions with other urban fantasy authors on the What is Urban Fantasy? panel, Mike asked whether literature is the only place still flying the flag for space opera, and Ken MacLeod discussed apocalyptic fiction on the We’re All Doomed! panel, making interesting points about the class aspects of survivalist fiction and the ‘cosy catastrophe’. Read the rest of this entry »
Gail Z. Martin interviews Brent Weeks on the Ghost in the Machine podcast. In this episode Gail and Brent discuss deadlines, revisions, and building the magic systems of The Fallen Kings Cycle and THE BLACK PRISM.
Out now is The Dread (US | UK | ANZ), the second and final part in Gail Z. Martin‘s Fallen Kings Cycle. This compelling epic fantasy series began with The Sworn ( US | UK | ANZ) and is set in the same world as her highly regarded Chronicles of the Necromancer series, and I’m very happy to say this has turned out to be a magnificent finale to the whole story arc. If you haven’t tried any of Gail’s books yet – don’t worry, you can jump right in at The Sworn without having read any of the Necromancer series. And here’s why it’s worth giving it a go:
Gail’s a master at weaving together a world together intricately and spectacularly – and you simply cannot resist being awed by the strong sense of atmosphere she creates . . . In the dark, medieval-gothic world of the Fallen Kings Cycle, necromancers wield deathly powers of magic, ghosts toy with the living, and vampires, werewolves and demons roam the land. See some of the fantastic reviews this series has earned so far:
- - February 21st, 2012
Praise for EXOGENE:
Out now is The Dread (