Posts Tagged ‘Alex Marshall’

Cover Reveal: A WAR IN CRIMSON EMBERS by Alex Marshall

War reaches a bloody climax in Alex Marshall’s final book in the Crimson Empire trilogy. Check out this epic cover for A WAR IN CRIMSON EMBERS, the third and final book following A CROWN FOR COLD SILVER (US | UK | AUS) and A BLADE OF BLACK STEEL (US | UK | AUS), to be published in summer 2017. Cover design by Lisa Marie Pompilio, with map by Tim Paul.

marshal_-a-war-in-crimson-embers-hc

The first two books are available now in all good bookstores, and everyone is raving about them! Here is some of the praise we’ve seen so far:

“Feels like a Tarantino movie: a hugely entertaining mix of adventure and comedy, punctuated by moments of darkness, with clever dialogue and explosive set-pieces…a pure joy to read.” – Booklist (starred review) on A Crown for Cold Silver 

A rollicking, obscene, subversive, and zany epic fantasy ride.” – B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog on A Blade of Black Steel

My favorite kind of fantasy – alternately irreverent and brutal, with a cast of wonderfully scarred and nasty people. Any fans of Steven Erikson, Mark Lawrence, or Joe Abercrombie will love A Crown for Cold Silver.” – Django Wexler

“Cold Zosia’s blood-soaked quest for revenge as she takes up arms again forms the backbone of a narrative that encompasses fanatical religions, ethnic conflict and enough fiendish political maneuvering to make George R.R. Martin jealous.” – Shelf Awareness on A Crown for Cold Silver

“Zosia and her Five Villains are as fun as they are twisted.” – David Dalglish on A Crown for Cold Silver

Exceptional writing, middle-aged warrior heroine, and organically infused gender nonconformity make this fantasy epic a first-rate trailblazer…splendid storytelling, wry humor, and unresolved intrigue.” – Publishers Weekly (starred review) on A Crown for Cold Silver

“Full of bloody battles and strong females…twisted and surprising.” – RT Book Reviews on A Blade of Black Steel

A Crown for Cold Silver drags epic fantasy through the mud — but it does so with wit, wonder and wisdom.” – NPR Books

A CROWN FOR COLD SILVER: The Making of the Map

Welcome to a behind-the-scenes post on how maps get created in the Orbit universe. I thought A CROWN FOR COLD SILVER (US | UK |AUS) was the perfect opportunity to do a write-up on, because the map design even made it to the cover. I’ll be your narrator, and welcome Author Alex Marshall, and illustrator Tim Paul.

LP: People often ask how we decide which books are going to have maps, and most times it is author-driven. Some authors use mapmaking as part of their worldbuilding process, and some authors only have a more general idea of geography as they’re writing. If a map or diagram comes naturally out of a story, then I always like to create something to expand the reader’s experience of the book. And sometimes a “map” is not really a map – for example we’ll be doing a process post soon on BLACK WOLVES (US | UK | AUS) by Kate Elliott – that book has tattoo designs for each important clan in the book in lieu of a geographic map.

In the case of A Crown for Cold Silver, I knew the author had a very specific concept for the map, and when I want the author and map maker to work together directly, my go-to artist is Tim Paul. I’d actually known Tim for a few years for his more stylized illustrations. One day we were sitting at the Society of Illustrators in NYC, at some art event or another, and he was saying he was dragging out all his old Dungeon Master props and maps to start up a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. He was talking about how much he enjoyed geeking out on the mapmaking, and my head snapped over to him and I said, so….you like making maps huh? Have you ever illustrated one for a client? (See, networking is real!)

TP: Hurray for networking, and talking about yourself!

LP: Map illustrators are a special – and rare – breed. You have to really be into the process of drawing the map out of the author, and tolerate a lot of fine-tuning. If you aren’t really excited by that, then you burn out quite quickly on all the revisions. You have to love the collaboration process. Many illustrators feel map work isn’t as creative as other types of illustration, but good mapmakers know there’s a lot of room for artistic license.

TP: It’s true about being a rare breed. I’ve had lots of illustrators tell me they won’t touch maps, and those few that do try, end up deciding not to do them again. As one person described, it’s like doing 50 – 100 little illustrations that are always changing. I actually find drawing thousands of little trees and mountains relaxing, even as I strive to make each mountain unique.

I’ve played D&D since I was 14. The maps in the books and modules were one of my favorite aspects. As a kid, I always made my own maps and worlds. Surprisingly, it took a long time to put my love of making my own maps into another way to making a living with my art. (more…)

Meet Alex Marshall: author of the spectacular A CROWN FOR COLD SILVER

A CROWN FOR COLD SILVER (US | UK |AUS) is a particularly special new epic fantasy, and we’re thrilled to be releasing it today in hardcover, e-book and audio formats. NPR Books published a glowing review this morning, saying “It’s a vibrant book, and a generously lush one…A Crown for Cold Silver drags epic fantasy through the mud — but it does so with wit, wonder, and wisdom.”

A Crown for Cold Silver will grab you from its first bloody pages and surprise you many times over as unconventional hero and supreme badass Cold Zosia embarks on her quest to destroy those who have taken everything from her.  To celebrate the release of this spectacular story, we’d like you to meet the author, Alex Marshall!

How did the idea for A CROWN FOR COLD SILVER form – was it a particular scene or character that occurred to you, or was there a particular moment when you knew that this was the book you were going to write?

I work in a very linear fashion, so the first things that came to me became the first scenes in the book: the classic fantasy set-up of a bloodthirsty horde descending on a tranquil hamlet, but with an older woman as the sole survivor of the assault, instead of a young hero.

Is that something that appeals to you, subverting the tropes of the genre?

I’d say my chief concern is always to create interesting characters and present them with interesting problems. I do my best to let the characters determine the plot, whether that means subverting the conventions of the genre or playing along with them. That said, I’m trying to tell new stories here instead of just retelling old ones, so Crom help any innocent tropes that might get in the way.

There are so many formidable and fantastic characters in this book – a barbarian addicted to intoxicating insects, a shaman who eats demons for breakfast, a retired warrior queen who faked her own death – do you have favourites?

My favourite may be Zosia, the former warrior queen with the devilish canine companion, Choplicker – she’s the lynchpin to the whole novel, a very conflicted character, and writing her scenes was always intense and illuminating.

Read the full interview here.

Fall 2015 – Winter 2016 US Cover Launch

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Mondays can be pretty dull sometimes. The weekend is over and everything seems a little grey and colorless…but not this Monday! To brighten your day with a splash of color and a full serving of awesomeness, here is a collection of our upcoming Fall 2015 and Winter 2016 titles.

Click on the images below to see a larger version and appreciate each cover in its full glory. Pin, tweet, and comment away with reckless abandon! We’d love to hear which books have already piqued your interest!

Grant_Chimera-HC Elliott_BlackWolves-TP Leckie_AncillaryMercy-TP

Carriger_Imprudence-HC Watson_ReignofIron-TP  Sykes_MortalTally-TP

Abraham_SpidersWar_TP Carriger_Prudence-TP Grant_Symbiont-TP 

Marshall_CrownColdSilver-TP McClellan_AutumnRepublic-TP McClellan_AutumnRepublic-TP

CHIMERA: Design by Lauren Panepinto; ANCILLARY MERCY: Art by John Harris, Design by Kirk Benshoff; BLACK WOLVES: Art by Larry Rostant, Tattoo Design by Stephanie Tamez, Design by Lauren Panepinto; IMPRUDENCE:Photo by Shirley Green, Illustration by Don Sipley, Type by Chad Roberts, Design by Lauren Panepinto; REIGN OF IRON: Art by Larry Rostant, Design by Ceara Elliot; THE MORTAL TALLY: Design by Lauren Panepinto, Images Arcangel; THE SPIDER’S WAR: Design by Kirk Benshoff; PRUDENCE: Photo by Shirley Green, Illustration by Don Sipley, Type by Chad Roberts, Design by Lauren Panepinto; SYMBIONT: Design by Lauren Panepinto A CROWN FOR COLD SILVER: Design by Lauren Panepinto, Map by Tim Paul; THE AUTUMN REPUBLIC: Art by Gene Mollica and Michael Frost, Design by Lauren Panepinto; RADIANT STATE: Design by Lauren Panepinto, Images Trevillion

Autumn 2015 – Winter 2016 UK Cover Launch

Autumn2015OrbitUK

The Orbit design team has been very busy, and this morning we are very excited to present to you a selection of the beautiful art they’ve been working on for books coming out this Autumn and Winter 2016!

Click on the cover thumbnails below to see a larger version, and feel free to sound off in the comments (or hit us up on Twitter and Facebook) about your favourites.

Grant_Chimera-HC Elliott_BlackWolves-TP Leckie_AncillaryMercy-TP

Carriger_Imprudence-HC Watson_ReignofIron-TP Abraham_SpidersWar_TP

Marshall_CrownColdSilver-TP McClellan_AutumnRepublic-TP

CHIMERA: Design by Lauren Panepinto; ANCILLARY MERCY: Art by John Harris, Design by Kirk Benshoff; BLACK WOLVES: Art by Larry Rostant, Tattoo Design by Stephanie Tamez, Design by Lauren Panepinto; IMPRUDENCE:Photo by Shirley Green, Illustration by Don Sipley, Type by Chad Roberts, Design by Lauren Panepinto; REIGN OF IRON: Art by Larry Rostant, Design by Ceara Elliot; THE SPIDER’S WAR: Design by Kirk Benshoff; A CROWN FOR COLD SILVER: Design by Lauren Panepinto, Map by Tim Paul; THE AUTUMN REPUBLIC: Art by Gene Mollica and Michael Frost, Design by Lauren Panepinto;