Archive for Uncategorized

Cover launch: The Bladed Faith by David Dalglish

A usurped prince prepares to take up the mantel of a deadly assassin and reclaim his kingdom, his people, and his slain gods in this epic fantasy from USA Today bestselling author, David Dalglish.

Cyrus was only twelve years old when his gods were slain, his country invaded, and his parents—the king and queen—beheaded in front of him. Held prisoner in the invader’s court for years, Cyrus is suddenly given a chance to escape and claim his revenge when a mysterious group of revolutionaries comes looking for a figurehead. They need a hero to strike fear into the hearts of the imperial and to inspire and unite the people. They need someone to take up the skull mask and swords and to become the legendary “Vagrant”—an unparalleled hero and assassin of otherworldly skill.

But all is not as it seems. Creating the illusion of a hero is the work of many, and Cyrus will soon discover the true price of his vengeance.

Design by Lauren Panepinto, Illustration by Chase Stone

Cover launch: Drive, and The Sins of Our Fathers by James S. A. Corey!

In November, we launched the phenomenal final novel in the Expanse, Leviathan Falls. In March, James S. A. Corey has one more Expanse story for you . . .  The Sins of Our Fathers (US | UK). This novella will be included in the story collection, Memory’s Legion, but it will also be available as a digital novella. We’re thrilled to be sharing the cover of that digital edition with you today:

Cover design by Lauren Panepinto

Along with that, we’ll be re-releasing another short story set in the universe of the Expanse, Drive (US | UK). This short story is included in Memory’s Legion. And we’re also sharing the fantastic cover for that edition today!

Cover design by Lauren Panepinto

Mark your calendars because both of these stories, and the collection of all of the stories set in the Expanse, Memory’s Legion (US | UK), hit shelves on March 15th, 2022!

Cover design by Lauren Panepinto

Cover launch: The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

The Princess Bride meets You’ve Got Mail in THE UNDERTAKING OF HART AND MERCY by Megan Bannen, an enchantingly quirky enemies to lovers fantasy rom-com.
Cover Design by Lisa Marie Pompilio

Hart Ralston is a marshal, tasked with patrolling the wasteland of Tanria, hunting for drudges. It’s an unforgiving job, and Hart’s got nothing but time to ponder his loneliness.

Mercy Birdsall never has a moment to herself. She’s been single-handedly keeping Birdsall & Son Undertakers afloat – despite definitely not being a son – in defiance of sullen jerks like Hart Ralston, who seems to have a gift for showing up right when her patience is thinnest.

After yet another exasperating run-in with Mercy, Hart finds himself penning a letter addressed simply to “A Friend”. Much to his surprise, an anonymous letter comes back in return, and a tentative friendship is born.

If only Hart knew he’s been baring his soul to the person who infuriates him most – Mercy. As the unlikely pen pals grow closer, so does the danger posed by the drudges. And suddenly their old animosity seems so small compared to what they might be able to do: end the drudges forever. But can their blossoming romance survive the fated discovery that their pen pals are their worst nightmares – each other?

Acquisition Announcement: The Hexologists by Josiah Bancroft

Orbit is thrilled to announce the acquisition of a brand new series from author Josiah Bancroft, the brilliant mind behind Senlin Ascends and The Books of Babel, the phenomenon fantasy series described as “future classics” (Los Angeles Times).

The Hexologists introduces us to a new world and the dynamic duo of Hexologists Iz and Warren Wilby: two private investigators who solve magical problems with magical solutions. While their usual quests are never more alarming than the occasional incubi infestation or mournful ghost haunting, their latest mission has given them an impossible task: save the king himself.

While you eagerly await the arrival of this newest arcane mystery series, you can find out more about Josiah Bancroft at his website thebooksofbabel.com.

For an early peek at Iz and Warren’s first adventure, read on!

Iz and Warren Wilby are quite accustomed to helping desperate clients with the bugbears of city life. Aided by hexes and a bag of charmed relics, the Wilbies have recovered children abducted by chimney-wraiths, removed infestations of barb-nosed incubi, and ventured into the Gray Plains of the Unmade to soothe a troubled ghost. Well-acquainted with the weird, the Hexologists never shy away from a challenging case.

But when they are approached by the royal secretary and told the king pleads to be baked into a cake—going so far as to wedge himself inside a lit oven—the Wilbies soon find themselves embroiled in a mystery that could very well see the nation turned on its head. Their effort to expose a royal secret buried under forty years of lies brings them nose to nose with a violent antiroyalist gang, avaricious ghouls, alchemists who draw their power from a hell-like dimension, and a bookish dragon who only occasionally eats people.

Armed with a love toughened by adversity and a stick of chalk that can conjure light from the darkness, hope from the hopeless, Iz and Warren Wilby are ready for whatever springs from the alleys, graves, and shadows next.

 

Orbit US editor Bradley Englert acquired World English rights to the books from Ian Drury of Sheil Land Associates. Orbit UK editor Emily Byron has secured UK rights.

Cover launch: Eversion by Alastair Reynolds

Alastair Reynolds’ twisty, mind-bending space opera has a smashing cover to match! Get excited for EVERSION to publish in August 2022!

Designed by Lauren Panepinto

 

From the master of the space opera, Alastair Reynolds, comes a dark, mind-bending SF adventure spread across time and space.

Doctor Silas Coade has been tasked with keeping his crew safe as they adventure across the galaxy in search of a mysterious artifact, but as things keep going wrong, Silas soon realizes that something more sinister is at work, and this may not even be the first time it’s happened.

In the 1800s, a sailing ship crashes off the coast of Norway. In the 1900s, a Zepellin explores an icy canyon in Antarctica. In the far future, a spaceship sets out for an alien artifact. Each excursion goes horribly wrong. And on every journey, Dr. Silas Coade is the physician, but only Silas seems to realize that these events keep repeating themselves. And it’s up to him to figure out why and how. And how to stop it all from happening again.

Cover launch: The Stardust Thief

It’s only fitting that the biggest fantasy debut of 2022 is getting one of the most gorgeous covers as well! Check out the beautiful, Arab-inspired compass, packed with delicate story details, and get ready for a stunning fantasy adventure in THE STARDUST THIEF (US | UK)!

Coming in May 2022, The Stardust Thief tells the story of a legendary smuggler and a cowardly prince who are forced to quest out across the desert in search of the long-lost city of the jinn and a magical lamp. Weaving together tales from One Thousand and One Nights, American-Kuwaiti author, Chelsea Abdullah has crafted an enchanting novel that feels both familiar and entirely new. Perfect for readers of The City of Brass and The Bone Shard Daughter, this epic quest will captivate and enthrall you, sweeping you away into a land where the line between stories and reality blur, and where magic lurks in the most unexpected places.

Design by Lisa Marie Pompilio; Illustration by Mike Heath/Magnus Creative

Neither here nor there, but long ago…

Loulie al-Nazari is the Midnight Merchant: a criminal who, with the help of her jinn bodyguard, hunts and sells illegal magic. When she saves the life of a cowardly prince, she draws the attention of his powerful father, the sultan, who blackmails her into finding an ancient lamp that has the power to revive the barren land.

With no choice but to obey or be executed, Loulie journeys with the sultan’s oldest son to find the artifact. Aided by her bodyguard, who has secrets of his own, they must survive ghoul attacks, outwit a vengeful jinn queen, and confront a malicious killer from Loulie’s past. And, in a world where story is reality and illusion is truth, Loulie will discover that everything—her enemy, her magic, even her own past—is not what it seems.

Cover launch: The Bloody Throne

The wheel of destiny is turning, and all will be caught under its weight! Return to the Zhaon empire one last time in THE BLOODY THRONE, the masterful conclusion to S. C. Emmett’s sweeping Hostage of Empire series. While you wait for THE BLOODY THRONE to land in bookstores in Spring 2022, you can feast your eyes on its gorgeous cover.

Illustrated by Miranda Meeks and designed by Lisa Marie Pompilio

 

The great Zhaon empire is in turmoil. The emperor is dead, and the crown prince has fallen to hidden schemes, leaving his most dangerous brother to assume the throne. The imperial court is seething, and whispers of war grow to shouts.

The once-vanquished kingdom of Khir marches again to regain their honor, the savage Tabrak raid the borders after ravaging the South, and assassins lurk in the shadows seeking imperial favor.

Komor Yala, her own position uncertain, finds shelter in marriage to the cunning Third Prince. But there is little safety in Zhaon. Death and destruction mount as a blood-drenched summer ends. The winner will claim an empire—if it is not turned to smoking ruins first.

Praise for The Hostage of Empire series

“Intricate, elegant, and sharp as a blade―sweeping political fantasy at its finest.” ―Tasha Suri

“Emmett’s worldbuilding is sophisticated and captivating.” ―Publishers Weekly

“Brimful of thrilling palace drama and menacing court intrigue.” ―Kate Elliott

“Action and intrigue take place within a layered and beautifully realized fantasy world.” ―B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog

 

If you haven’t caught up on this epic tale of power, conquest, and deadly intrigue, make sure to check out The Throne of the Five Winds and The Poison Prince!

Cover launch: The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri

Can’t get enough of morally grey lesbians in possession of forbidden magic, who will stop at nothing to burn an empire to the ground but who secretly yearn for each other? Then we have a treat for you. Behold the gorgeous cover of THE OLEANDER SWORD, the sequel to Tasha Suri’s epic fantasy stunner THE JASMINE THRONE!

Coming in summer 2022, THE OLEANDER SWORD finds newly-crowned empress Malini and powerful priestess Priya grappling with their choice to remake an empire—and realizing that their love might not withstand the fight. You can add it on Goodreads here! And if you haven’t yet checked out THE JASMINE THRONE—named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2021 and hailed as a novel that will “reshape the landscape of epic fantasy for years to come” (Booklist, starred review)—be sure to do so now (US | UK).

Design by Lauren Panepinto; Illustration by Micah Epstein
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The prophecy of the nameless god—the words that declared her rightful empress of Parijatdvipa—has been Malini’s blessing and curse. She is determined to claim the crown that fate has offered. But even with the rage in her soul and a loyal army by her side, deposing her brother from the throne is going to be a brutal and bloody fight.

The power of the deathless waters flows through Priya’s blood. Thrice born priestess, Elder of Ahiranya, Priya’s dream is to see her country rid of the rot that plagues it: both Parijatdvipa’s poisonous rule, and the blooming sickness that is slowly spreading through all living things. But she doesn’t yet understand the truth of the magic she carries.

Their chosen paths once pulled them apart. But Malini and Priya’s hearts remain as entwined as their destinies. And they soon realize they must come together again if they wish to save their kingdom from those who would rather see it burn—no matter the cost.

Praise for The Jasmine Throne:

“Lush and stunning….Inspired by Indian epics, this sapphic fantasy will rip your heart out.” —BuzzFeed News

“A fierce, heart-wrenching exploration of the value and danger of love in a world of politics and power.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“An intimate, complex, magical study of empire and the people caught in its bloody teeth. I loved it.” —Alix E. Harrow, Hugo award-winning author of The Once and Future Witches

Acquisition Announcement: EMILY WILDE’S ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF FAERIES

We’re thrilled to announce the acquisition of EMILY WILDE’S ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF FAERIES by Heather Fawcett, an utterly charming, cosy fairy tale with a heart-warming romance, set in a gorgeous, wintery Icelandic setting. Full of enchanting magic and mischievous faeries, this is The Ten Thousand Doors of January meets Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, with the whimsy of The House in the Cerulean Sea.

Nadia Saward acquired UK and Commonwealth rights in a pre-empt from Rachel Clements at Abner Stein. Del Rey hold NA rights.

Photo of the author with light brunette hair, smiling at the camera

Professor Emily Wilde may not know how to make small talk at a dinner party—or be invited to one in the first place—but she’s managed to become one of the world’s most renowned dryadologists, a scholar of the Folk. Authoring the first comprehensive encyclopaedia of fairies will make her career, she needs only to complete the final chapter on the mysterious Hidden Ones who dwell in the arctic country of Ljosland.

But scholarly Emily is a fish out of water when she arrives in the beautiful, hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik. Almost entirely cut off from the outside world, the villagers rely on each other to survive, and Emily manages to offend half the village with her poor social skills. Things are further complicated by the arrival of Professor Wendell Bambleby, Emily’s academic rival, who is working on his own paper on the Hidden Ones. When the charismatic Bambleby offers a partnership, Emily is forced to agree or risk having him take credit for any discoveries—though Emily knows that Wendell is more than he appears, and not to be trusted.

To Emily’s astonishment, she finds herself not only observing the Folk of Ljosland from a scholarly distance, but caught up in their malevolent games. And if she and Wendell are to help the villagers, Emily may need to risk not only her cherished scientific objectivity, but her life.

We can’t wait to charm you with EMILY WILDE’S ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF FAERIES in 2023, but in the meantime please join us in welcoming Heather Fawcett to Orbit! You can find Heather on Twitter @heathermfawcett.