With sinister echoes of 1984 and Brave New World, this original novel features a near-future city where medical science invents a single-dose pill for eradicating many common genetic defects . . .
Read a sample
Fans in the greater Los Angeles area (that is to say, a good part of SoCal) will be pleased to know that Gail and Donna Ricci, familiar to all as the model for Alexia Tarabotti on the covers of SOULLESS, CHANGELESS, and BLAMELESS, will be hosting a tea in Pasadena on Sunday, April 10, 2011. Full details will be provided to ticket holders; tickets are limited.
Gail will be happy to answer questions and sign books at the event. She highly recommends that hats be worn. Stylish, silly — so long as they’re memorable.
We’re all back in the office now, getting back to normal life after our incredibly fun, appropriately raucous and strangely surreal time at the SFX Weekender. We’ve been looking though our photos, which we feel we ought to share with you.
To be honest, there are certain things we can’t really tell you about - e.g. what shapes were being thrown by Rose Tremlett and myself on the dancefloor to Craig Charles’ DJ set, how unreasonably scared we were of the Stormtroopers, how many dubious sausages of questionable origin were consumed throughout the weekend, and how funny a certain agent doing the “mime-walking-down-the-stairs” trick outside our chalet window was . . . but the majority of the weekend is rather accurately documented in the below photos.
Jon Courtenay Grimwood‘s latest novel hits the shelves today, and marks a major change of genre for the critically acclaimed science fiction author.The Fallen Bladeis a meticulously researched and extremely compelling fantasy thriller, set in an alternate 15th century Venice – a city in the grip of corrupt politics, a decadent age, and under threat from a mysterious assassin…
So far the consensus is that Jon definitely hasn’t lost his touch, and that this is not your average vampire novel!
‘A fantastic evocation of Renaissance Venice, both the atmosphere and architecture of the city, the beauty of the culture it gave birth to and the merciless, brutally violent and Machiavellian politics that ran alongside it … Grimwood has made [a] fusion of genre energy and literary depth his calling card.’ – Damien G. Walter, Guardian Online
‘Conjures up Venice so vividly you can almost smell it… Impressive, but not nearly so impressive as the way Grimwood draws Tycho, essentially a vampire teenager subject to fierce emotion because he doesn’t even realise yet that he craves blood. He’s a figure both frightening and yet also, at different moments, pitiable and even downright noble… Reinventing the Vampire myth. Never, ever let it be said that Jon Courtenay Grimwood lacks for ambition.’ - Jonathan Wright, SFX
‘Sick to death of vampires? Take heed, because Grimwood’s take on the subject is leagues away from your average fangbanger… The writing is elegant, the dialogue is sharp, the characters economically but well drawn, the action unrelenting, and the story moves – to pardon a phrase – like shit off a shovel… Hits all the right notes.’ - Alastair Reynolds, SciFi Now
‘It’s too early to start dealing in hyperbole about fantasy books of the year, so let’s just say this one is a very good start. It’s a novel you can gorge yourself on; a fast-paced, swashbuckling adventure of the old school, full of fire and brimstone thrills and rich flavours. Yet, unlike many such page-turners, it doesn’t leave a bad aftertaste. Rather, it leaves plenty to ponder… I’d recommend this book to anyone.’ - Sam Jordison, Salon Futura
They will also both be at the SFX Weekender in Camber Sands for panels on Saturday 5th Feb. Here’s their schedule:
11am: Main Void - Essential SF, fantasy and horror classics - with Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Joe Abercrombie, David Wingrove, Peter F Hamilton, Adrian Tchaicovsky and Kevin J Anderson.
11.45: Screening Zone - Dual Brittania: creating alternate Englands - with Kate Griffin, China Mieville, Al Ewing and Stephen Baxter.
12.30: Main Void - What’s next for TV vampires? Pitching a new vampire show - with Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Toby Whithouse and Sarah Pinborough.
(Exact schedule and line-ups all subject to possible change)
It was great to have two of our highly talented international Orbit authors, Karen Miller and N. K. Jemisin, over in the UK recently. At their joint signing at London’s Forbidden Planet store, we put a few questions to these two fantabulous femmes of fantasy fiction. Take a look below to hear their views on the role of the fantasy genre and to hear about some unusual fan reactions . . .
Two of our wonderful Orbit authors are over in the UK this week and will be doing a joint signing at Forbidden Planet in London this Saturday 30th October.
Karen Miller , author of The Innocent Mage and the recently released The Reluctant Mage, will be joined by N.K. Jemisin, author of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, and the soon-to-be-released The Broken Kingdoms.
Pop down to the Forbidden Planet store on Shaftesbury Avenue between 4 – 5pm this Saturday to meet the authors and get your exclusive signed copies!
I have been to many a convention, and let me tell you, NYCC was packed. Saturday was more crowded than any day of San Diego con this year, and everyone was hungry for books! Luckily Orbit had a lot going on to keep the demanding masses satisfied!
As you can see from the picture to the left of Mira Grant signing copies of Feed, Orbit’s author signings were a hit as usual—we ran out of books in less than a half hour for both Mira Grant and Joe Abercrombie, who was signing copies of Best Served Cold. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s been a busy week/weekend here at Orbit US, and as we all start to come out of our post-NY Comic-Con exhaustion, we’ll be catching you up on all the excitement. First, let’s all take a moment to say HAPPY 3rd ANNIVERSARY to Orbit US. We had a little party to celebrate while people were in town for NYCC. It was held at the really cool subterranean Cellar Bar at the Bryant Park hotel, which had a seriously urban fantasy vibe going on. The cocktail waitress even had a corset on – and although Orbit was accused of requesting it specifically, I assure you it was a happy coincidence.
Mr Banks has had a busy publication week for Surface Detail – and he’s not going to be relaxing any time soon! He spent last week being interviewed by all sorts of national and regional press - appropriately including the New Scientist and BBC TV filming him at the Science Museum.
Iain’s first event on the eve of publication at the Round House was a sell out, and he answered the audience’s questions for nearly 2 hours! Then on Thursday he signed for a great crowd at Forbidden Planet.
If you’re in the Big Apple for New York Comic Con, be sure to stop by the Orbit booth (#2315) to meet authors Joe Abercrombie and Mira Grant.
Joe (BEST SERVED COLD) will be signing Friday 10/8 from 3-4 PM, and on Saturday 10/9 from 12-1 PM in the Orbit booth. And, don’t miss the fantasy writer’s panel Friday night from 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm in Room 1A15. Joining Joe Abercrombie on the panel will be Peter V. Brett (The Warded Man), Jim Butcher (Changes), Naomi Novik (His Majesty’s Dragon) Brandon Sanderson (The Way of Kings) and Deborah Harkness (A Discovery of Witches) – making this panel full of about as much awesome as the fire department will allow.
FEED fans! Mira Grant (a/k/a Seanan McGuire) will be signing on Saturday 10/9 from 3-4 pm in the Orbit booth. On Saturday night she’ll be on the panel “Do Zombies Dream of Undead Sheep?” from 7:45 pm – 8:45 pm in Room 1A23. Her fellow panelists will include Alaya Dawn Johnson (contributor to Zombies Vs. Unicorns), Robin Becker (Brains: A Zombie Memoir), Alan Goldsher (Paul is Undead), and Richard Kadrey (Kill the Dead). Again, not a panel to be missed.
So unless of course while in attendance at NYCC you find yourself a) in the midst of an very, very blood-drenched sword battle, or b) in the midst of a ravenous gaggle of brain-chomping zombies — we’ll see you there!
- - February 10th, 2011
Fans in the greater Los Angeles area (that is to say, a good part of SoCal) will be pleased to know that Gail and Donna Ricci, familiar to all as the model for Alexia Tarabotti on the covers of SOULLESS, CHANGELESS, and BLAMELESS, will be hosting a tea in Pasadena on Sunday, April 10, 2011. Full details will be provided to ticket holders; tickets are limited.
Two of our wonderful Orbit authors are over in the UK this week and will be doing a joint 
