Archive for Reviews

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 Runelords Series – Cover Panorama

This month Chaosbound (UK /ANZ) is out – book eight in David Farland’s Runelords series. It’s already had some top-notch reviews, such as: ‘Chaosbound is a profound fantasy that explores deep complex philosophical issues . . . with timely applications for our world’ from Harriet Klausner in SFRevu and ‘Stark, dark and elegiac’ from Publishers Weekly.

You may have heard of this series, and some impressive names raving about it (see below), but have you spotted what’s special about the covers of our UK editions? Designed by the highly talented Paul Young, it just so happens that when you put the covers side by side they form a continuous fantasy landscape . . .

 
You can click here to see the whole panorama.

And as for that praise we were talking about . . . (more…)

Celine Kiernan and the Moorehawke posts

The Crowded Shadows (UK | US), book two in Celine Kiernan’s Moorehawke trilogy, is officially out in the UK today ( following the US date) and there’s a free extract here. Then in October we’ll release The Rebel Prince (UK | US) in both the UK and US, so the author has a packed few months coming up. But despite this, Celine has kindly said she’ll visit our blog over the next few weeks to say a few words about her work, writing fantasy, wolves and other things not necessarily beginning with ‘w’. Her first post was an insight into illustration, Celine being a classical character animator by trade.

Celine told us that a few years ago she had a shoebox filled with the usual myriad rejection slips that all writers collect. Holding down two jobs with two children, she would secretly write at night. But much hard work later she’s now the proud owner of a finished trilogy with some very shiny covers! She’s also accumulated two nominations for the Irish Book awards and a raft of great reviews for The Poison Throne (UK | US), book 1 of the trilogy:

  • ‘Marvellous, vivid writing, and storytelling at its absolute best . . . I was utterly engrossed’ Roddy Doyle
  • ‘Atmospheric, complex, and intense …  this epic starts strong and doesn’t falter one iota’ Publishers Weekly (starred review)
  • ‘All the ingredients of an international bestseller: political skulduggery, passion, violence, loyalty and betrayal’ Irish Independent
  • ‘Told with great assurance … this is an exciting, fast-paced story’ SFX
  • ‘Kiernan will stun you with her debut … sure to captivate’ Romantic Times
  • ‘A complex and original story… Kiernan has created a world that fascinates’ Bookgeeks.co.uk

So, with further books hitting shelves internationally over the next few months, we’ll look forward to hearing more from the the author over the next few weeks. Watch this space!

Traitors’ Gate — enter Kate Elliott’s world

The epic conclusion to Kate Elliott’s Crossroads trilogy (UK|ANZ) is out this month in the UK, in mass market paperback. And it’s out soon in Oct for Australia/New Zealand. To celebrate Kate’s huge achievement — and it must be in the region of 600k carefully chosen words! — there’s a free extract HERE. The author’s prose has been described as “oozing with texture, taste and even aroma” so I’m also giving a taste of the plot to whet the appetite below:

GUARDIANS HAVE RETURNED TO THE HUNDRED TO SPREAD CHAOS AND DESTRUCTION UNDER THE BANNER OF A TWISTED STAR.

Reeve Joss is struggling to defend a country ravaged by the assaults of twin armies. His men now patrol a land of burning villages and homeless refugees as Joss tries to separate traitor from friend. The Reeve’s thoughts are also plagued by the intriguing Zubaidit, pleasure-giver, spy and temple-trained assassin. But Zubaidit is focused on a dangerous mission, her target being warped Guardian Lord Radas. His death would leave the invading militia in chaos, but the old tales tell truly of the Guardians’ immortality – and of the powers they now wield to twist the hearts of men. Joss’s nights are also troubled, disturbed by dreams of Marit. His lost love has returned from death to become a feared Guardian herself, but Marit rejected the corrupt temptations they offered. She now seeks others of her kind, praying some are yet uncontaminated by the blight on the land — and have the will to fight it.”

Plus here are few quotes for the series are HERE to show just what a damn fine read is in store.

Lastly, and very excitingly indeed, get ready to grab a copy of Cold Magic (US | UK | ANZ). Publication is imminent and this is book 1 in Kate Elliott’s superb new fantasy with a touch of steampunk. More on that very soon …

The Black Prism – First Reviews

THE BLACK PRISM is out worldwide in less than a week, but we’ve got some early reviews coming in that we just had to share.

Over at Fantasy Book Critic Liviu writes:

“The Black Prism is an A++ from me while the series has the potential to become one for the ages. The main flaw of The Black Prism is that it ends – despite 600+ pages and a reasonable ending point, I still wanted another 600 at least!” (more)

And over at Grasping for the Wind, John Ottinger writes:

“It is a truly visionary and original work, and has set the bar high for others in its subgenre.” (more)

Brent Weeks will be touring the US starting on the 25th (full tour schedule here) but he’s been doing a pre-release video tour online. Today he stopped by Janicu’s Book Blog to talk about his love of Magic (the Gathering!) and how many books we can expect in The Lightbringer Series.  Next week he’ll be at thebooksmugglers.com – so stay tuned!

An extract of THE FOLDING KNIFE by K. J. Parker – dangerously good writing

This extraordinary book was released in the UK this month, and is a powerful tale of politics and war …

“Basso the Magnificent. Basso the Great. Basso the Wise. The First Citizen of the Vesani Republic is an extraordinary man. He is ruthless, cunning and, above all, lucky. He brings wealth, power and prestige to his people. But with power comes unwanted attention, and Basso must defend his nation and himself from threats foreign and domestic. In a lifetime of crucial decisions, he’s only ever made one mistake. One mistake, though, can be enough.”

You can read a free extract of it here and it’s also available in the States and will be out soon in Australia.

K. J. Parker has attracted huge amounts of critical praise throughout a long career (UK I US), and here’s just a selection of it, below:

  • ‘I have reviewed books before that I thought might someday be found to have achieved greatness . . . K.J. Parker is writing work after work that demands to be placed in this category’ Orson Scott Card 
  • ‘Impressive . . . there’s a mordant wit to the workings of Parker’s mind’ TIME OUT
  • ‘I was hooked from the very first scene’ LOCUS
  • ‘Parker raises the bar for realistic fantasy war craft’ PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
  • ‘Has a complexity and ambiguity that’s lacking in much fantasy fiction’ DEATHRAY
  • ‘One of fantasy’s premier voices’ SFX
  • ‘Stunning’ BOOKBAG.CO.UK

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THE ORPHANED WORLDS storms into existence

The Orphaned Worlds is now out and available for just a few earth pounds from a book vendor near you. Or have a taster first with this entirely free extract or perhaps a free Orphaned Worlds wallpaper. But Michael Cobley can tell you more about the masterwork himself, as he will be taking part in the SFX Summer of SF Reading event and signing on 10th May, at Waterstone’s London Piccadilly store. For SFX competition winners (closing date is tomorrow) the open signing will be followed by a VIP party and panel discussing why more fans of SF on TV/in films don’t also read the books, also featuring the talented Mr Cobley. Signed copies of the book will also be available soon from The Forbidden Planet‘s London branch.

So, to go back to the book itself, The Orphaned Worlds is a rip-roaring ride and we’ve had a lot of great review coverage from fans. We’re lucky to count the Guardian, Waterstone’s Books Quarterly and also SFX amongst those fans. Bloggers have also been very supportive and good things have been said by Bookgeeks (win a copy of the Orphaned Worlds comptition currently running) and Walker of Worlds.

So, all in all, hooray for the book!

TURN COAT and CHANGES by Jim Butcher – free extracts and info

We recently published the hardback of Changes by Jim Butcher, the latest instalment of the eagerly awaited Dresden Files series, and we’ve been blown  away by the response so far. And to see what all the fuss is about, read a few chapters of the book here. Below is just a bit of the early praise this book has received as PI Harry Dresden, the only wizard in the Chicago phonebook, goes from strength to strength.

Fast-paced and compelling … Butcher throws one high-stakes curveball after another at his hero”
Publishers Weekly

“Changes is a compelling installment in what continues to be an outstanding series … A can’t-miss entry in one of the best urban-fantasy series currently being published” Booklist (starred review)

“If you’re only going to read one Dresden Files novel, this is the one to read, as it’s got all the aspects that make the series great, with magic thrown around, lots of characters from both the worlds Dresden inhabits and wonderful pacing” TheBookbag.co.uk

“Changes is yet another excellent instalment in what is arguably the finest urban fantasy series being written at the moment” Bookgeeks.co.uk

“I am always delighted by these books and always taken by surprise but this one. Damn. Really that’s about all I have to say. This is a fantastic series with a brilliant lead and awesome cast of supporting characters” Un:bound blog

“It doesn’t stop til the OH MY GOD moment at the end of the book.  It’s an emotional, engaging, gritty ride that doesn’t really let up apart from the laugh out loud sections that Butcher has such a talent for … Jim Butcher at his very best” Bookthing.co.uk

 We also published Turn Coat  just ahead of Changes, this being Harry Dresden’s previous outing. It was out in hardback last year, but SFX had this to say on release of the recent paperback edn “The Dresden Files are the best novels in the supernatural PI subgenre, and Turn Coat is more of the same — and a very welcome return it is too”. Here is a sample extract of this too for your delectation — and Harry Dresden will be back next year with Ghost Story!

THE POISON THRONE – ‘Story telling at its absolute best’

It sometimes feels like you have to wait SO long from when a book is acquired until you can share it with other readers (probably because this process does take, oh, around two years…). But I am now delighted to say The Poison Throne (UK I US) was released this month at a bookstore or via an online retailer near you — and you can get an advance peek via an extract here!

We knew the author Celine Kiernan was chock-full of talent, and here are just a couple of quotes from a mountain of early praise.

“Marvellous, vivid writing, and story telling at its absolute best … I was utterly engrossed” Roddy Doyle

“Told with great assurance and attention to detail, this is an exciting, fast-paced story” SFX

“Atmospheric, complex, and intense … this epic starts strong and doesn’t falter” Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Eloquent, sharp and lush…set to surprise a lot of readers” SFRevu.com

And Celine has of course visited the Orbit site already, with her really insightful (plus amusing) article on the perils and wonders inherent in being translated, and she’s discussed our covers and what she makes of them, always an interesting subject. We’ll have more Celine Kiernan news in the form of a new and exciting competition which is a bit of an Orbit first, but news to come next week!

Oath of Fealty

Elizabeth Moon’s writing has enriched the genre for many years and in her latest book, Oath of Fealty, her magic is clearly alive and well. I’ve read many of her books, and amongst them I’ve particularly enjoyed her Vatta’s War military SF adventures, as did the Guardian). And I still recommend the extraordinary and thought-provoking Speed of Dark  to anyone who thinks SF isn’t for them (Nebular Award winner, critially lauded plus shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke award: think Flowers for Algernon or The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time).

But with Oath of Fealty we also have something very special. A return to the world of the classic Paksenarrion books, as Elizabeth writes fantasy for the first time in ten years. And so no one misses out on the earlier books, we’ve also reissued the original backlist trilogy in super-giant omnibus form as The Deed of Paksenarrion. Elizabeth recently posted for us on how she found out what subgenres suited her (and which didn’t!) but she is rare in her ability to easily swing from SF to fantasy and back again.

Please see here for a bit of background on how Elizabeth made her way back to fantasy, with an extract from Oath of Fealty. And here’s what others have thought of this return so far, with some early praise for Oath of Fealty, book 1 of Paladin’s Legacy:

‘What sheer delight! Oath of Fealty is an engrossing new adventure returning old friends to us in the first of three more books in the Paksenarrion universe. It’s quite simply a smashing story, and I am panting to read the next instalment from this consummate storyteller. Hurry up, Elizabeth!’ Anne McCaffrey

‘I found the book hard to put down because of Elizabeth Moon’s ability to make the story flow’
SFSite.com

‘A must-read … thoroughly entertaining’
Romantic Times (4 1/2* Top Pick)

‘A stirring start to a new story arc … I can’t wait for more episodes’
BookLoons