Go here here to download the 20-minute podcast, or  listen to it instantly.

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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:

‘Top notch, engrossing fantasy’ SFRevu.com

‘Those who enjoy the large-scale fantasy of George R.R. Martin and Robert Jordan should enjoy this’ Library Journal

‘I found myself caught up in the story and the characters almost from the first page …very enjoyable’ Bookgeeks.co.uk

‘Very well-written and intricately plotted . . .  I can’t wait for the second book in the cycle, The Dread’ Civilian Reader

You can also read a sample extract right here.

Summoner-King Tris Drayke takes what remains of the Margolan army north to fight a war Margolan is ill-prepared to fight, as reports from spies confirm Tris’ worst fear. A new threat rises across the sea: a dark summoner who intends to make the most of the Winter Kingdoms’ weakness.

And in Isencroft, King Donelan is assassinated and Tris’s wife, Kiara, will now have no choice except to return and claim the crown. But the rogue mage’s agents will go to any length to prevent her from reaching her goal.

Kiara and Tris must discover the truth behind the dark summoner, the mysterious power surrounding their infant son, and face the awesome power of the Dread as they rise from their barrows for the first time in over a millennium.

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This edition contains the three titles The Spirit Thief, The Spirit Rebellion and The Spirit Eater – all in one handy volume and topped off with this gorgeous packaging from Sam Weber (see this great post here showing him at work in his studio on these very illustrations).

Take a minute to stop by Rachel Aaron’s attractive new site, where’s she’s posted some very interesting tidbits recently, such as this fantastic book trailer put together by our friends at Orbit France for the très sophistiquée French version of The Legend of Eli Monpress. Also, check out this extremely creative pictorial review for The Spirit Thief, part one of the Legend. Good effort!

Read on for the blurb and some great reviews:

Eli Monpress is talented. He’s charming. And he’s a thief.

But not just any thief. He’s the greatest thief of the age – and he’s also a wizard. And with the help of his partners – a swordsman with the most powerful magic sword in the world but no magical ability of his own, and a demonseed who can step through shadows and punch through walls – he’s going to put his plan into effect.

The first step is to increase the size of the bounty on his head, so he’ll need to steal some big things. But he’ll start small for now. He’ll just steal something that no one will miss – at least for a while.

Like a king.

Aaron’s outstanding fantasy debut is the first in a trilogy about unrepentant thief Eli Monpress . . . Fast and fun, Spirit Thief introduces a fascinating new world and a complex magical system based on cooperation with the spirits who reside in all living objects. Aaron’s characters are fully fleshed and possess complex personalities, motivations, and backstories that are only gradually revealed . . . Highly recommended for all fantasy readers. – BOOKLIST

Witty, smart, snappy, sassy, fast, furious and let’s not forget fun . . . Rachel Aaron isn’t so much knocking at the door as kicking it down – TOM HOLT

The Spirit Thief is a delightfully giddy romp of a novel – KAREN MILLER

Wry humour, engaging characters and full-tilt action - GAIL MARTIN

 

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A double execution. A forced wedding. Two thieves have other plans.

 The New Empire intends to mark its victory over the Nationalists with a bloody celebration. On the high holiday of Wintertide, their Empress will be married against her will and two alleged traitors to the realm will be publicly executed. And if the Empress she then suffer a fatal accident, the New Empire would be happy indeed . . .

There’s just one problem – master thieves Royce and Hadrian have finally found the Heir of Novron. But they need to keep him alive long enough to claim his throne.

The publication of HEIR OF NOVRON means that you can now buy all six books of Michael J. Sullivan’s acclaimed Riyria Revelations in these beautiful omnibus editions from Orbit! Available to read as paperbacks or ebooks, these three volumes collect the entire series:-

 THEFT OF SWORDS (UK | US | ANZ) collects books one and two of the Riyria Revelations The Crown Conspiracy and Avempartha. Hired merely to steal a crown, thieves Royce and Hadrian become unwitting scapegoats in a plot to murder the king himself.

RISE OF EMPIRE (UK | US | ANZ) collects books three and four, Nyphron Rising and The Emerald Storm. An imposter is on the throne, and the adventures of Royce and Hadrian continue when they’re hired to perform a dangerous mission behind enemy lines . . .

HEIR OF NOVRON  (UK | US | ANZ)  – the thrilling conclusion! Collects books five and six, Wintertide and Percepliquis.

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A DARK ENEMY. AN ANCIENT WAR. A NEW CHAMPION.

Young Malian is being trained to rule. Her people garrison the mountain range known as the Wall of Night against an ancient enemy, keeping a tide of shadow from the rest of their world. Malian is expected to uphold this tradition, yet she’s known little of real danger until the enemy attacks her fortress home and the Keep of Winds becomes a bloodbath.

Malian flees deep into the Old Keep – and when the danger is greatest her own hidden magic flares into life. But if she accepts its power, she must prepare to pay the price.

THE HEIR OF NIGHT by Helen Lowe is a richly told tale of strange magic, dark treachery and conflicting loyalties, set in a well realized world.”
– Robin Hobb

THE HEIR OF NIGHT is the first novel in Helen’s skillfully weaved epic fantasy series, The Wall of Night. The second volume in this series, THE GATHERING OF THE LOST, (UK|ANZ)  will be released from Orbit UK on the 5th of April this year. Only three months to wait now!

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The covers have been designed by Duncan Spilling, one of our in-house designers here at Orbit, and we feel that they really get across the spirit of this fantastic series. The first book in the Wall of Night series, HEIR OF NIGHT (UK|ANZ), is coming out in paperback next week, on January 19th! HEIR OF NIGHT has also got a beautiful cover, we’re sure you’ll agree… 

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To celebrate this week’s release of the majestic epic fantasy adventure that is Seven Princes (UK | US | ANZ) by John R. Fultz, we’re giving  7 copies of this title away absolutely free. To enter, all you need to do is fill in the form for your relevant territory, and 7 winners will be picked at random worldwide next week. Good luck!

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 “As a small child, I felt in my heart two contradictory feelings, the horror of life and the ecstasy of life.” — Baudelaire

In today’s world Fantasy fiction is split into many genres: Epic, High, Low, Heroic Urban, Suburban, Historical, Science, Weird, Dark…you’re likely to find any of these words in front of “Fantasy” these days. Many authors enjoy blending and “splicing” genres together, which can often lead to new sub-genres and even anti-genre approaches. There are two enduring genres that have always gone well together, seamlessly blending one into the other, and their combination continues to be a popular pairing.

Often Horror and Fantasy are lumped together like fraternal twins forced to wear the same plaid sweater. Many are the theories defining exactly what each one of the genres actually IS, and the closer you look at either, the more splintering you find, the more sub-genres, the more distinctions being made on the “microcosmic” level. Yet examples of Horror/Fantasy blends continue to amaze and terrify readers. 

One of the most inspired writers ever to blend Horror and Fantasy was H. P. Lovecraft. Even in his Dunsany-inspired “Dreamlands cycle” stories, which are set in a Fantasy realm of mystic felines, enchanted forests, and smoky cities of mystery, he never removes the aura of menace that lies beneath the dreamy fantasy. “The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath” and “The Doom That Came to Sarnath” are perfect examples of his facility to blend cosmic horror into a fantasy world that could have been all “sweetness and light.” For Lovecraft, moving from dreams to nightmares was no more than a single step. Or the blink of an eye.

J. R. R. Tolkien evoked his share of horror in the great Fantasy series of the modern age, THE LORD OF THE RINGS, which for better or worse became a type of “blueprint” for much of the Epic Fantasy that would follow. Tolkien’s trilogy would not be the same without the visceral horror of the Orcs, the spectral damnation of the Ringwraiths invading Middle Earth like a virus, the existential horror of poor, mad, selfish Gollum, and the ultimate terror of Mordor and Sauron.

Tolkien’s iconic Dark Lord is such a horrible entity that the author never has to show Sauron to us…the simple fact of his existence is enough to evoke the clutching dread of Frodo’s quest. The inhuman minions of Sauron are only aspects of his bottomless evil. The kind of evil usually found only in the Horror genre, where the same character might well have been known as Satan. In Tolkien’s work, as in most High/Epic Fantasy, the horror is there to remind us that the breathtaking beauty and golden peace of the higher realms is precious, vulnerable, and perhaps ultimately doomed. Unless somebody steps up to oppose that horror.

Horror and Fantasy have blended so often and so well that the term Dark Fantasy eventually came along to characterize the hybrid. But how is Dark Fantasy distinguished from non-Dark Fantasy? It is more important to ask a different question: Can Fantasy really be successful without some measure of Horror?

Horror can definitely succeed without any of the trappings, tropes, or tricks of Fantasy. You’ll find enough real-world, Fantasy-free horror just by reading your daily newspaper. Humans are a constant source of horror to other humans, not to mention the horrors that nature sometimes unleashes on the human race. But when it comes to Fantasy, is the “dark element” essential? What would you have without horrific elements in a work of Fantasy fiction?

The heart of any good story is conflict. Fantasy conflicts most often (too often, if you ask me) involve the classic Good vs. Evil dichotomy. In recent years that trope has been shattered a bit—our society loves its “shades of grey” characters. For some reason we adore anti-heroes, rogues, outlaws, and scrappy survivors far more than simple “heroes.” The example I always give to my students is the Disney PIRATES movies. In the first movie, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) is obviously the hero; but it’s the anti-hero, the foil, the ne’er-do-well Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) who becomes the real star of the movie and all its sequels. It seems that our modern society has decided that “heroes are boring.” Or have we simply matured to the point where we realize that even “heroes” are simply people—and people are never wholly good or evil? We want realistic characters more than we want heroes.

This is where the Horror usually comes in when you’re writing (or reading) a Fantasy. It comes in the form of a conflict that your protagonist must face. (“Protagonist” is a better word than “hero” for reasons stated above.) Certainly this is true of Tolkien’s heroes, bravely sacrificing themselves to face the ultimate evil to save what’s good and decent in the world. It’s true of any Heroic Fantasy protagonists, and most Epic Fantasy protagonists. It may not be so true, however, for protagonists of Dark Fantasy tales. In Lovecraft’s Dreamlands tales, his protagonists usually don’t fare so well. He comes down far more heavily on the “horror” side of things. The evil that infests the universe is never dispelled, only avoided or ignored. Sometimes barely.

The same is true of another classic fantasist, Clark Ashton Smith, a giant of weird fiction. Smith reveled in turning the tropes of Fantasy and Sword-and-Sorcery on their heads. Smith’s fantasies, especially his brilliant Zothique, Hyperborea, and Poseidonis tales, evoke all the glittering wonder of magical, primordial worlds yet are steeped in the dark, demonic presence of a universe where horror reigns above all. Only in a few cases do Smith’s protagonists avoid horrible fates—from swordsmen to wizards to kings and astrologers—the weird and wonderful Fantasy world they inhabit provides their doom. Unlike his friend Robert E. Howard’s Conan and Kull tales, Smith did not care to have ongoing heroes in his tales. One might even argue that there ARE no heroes in Smith’s fantasies. Yet what gorgeous and splendid fantasies they are, albeit of an unforgivingly dark nature. There is beauty in darkness, as in all things. Smith saw it, and showed it to his readers.

Most fantasies offer viewpoint characters that readers “inhabit” as they view the world, and a main character who is relatable on a human level. There are exceptions, but usually if the reader understands, sympathizes with, or relates to your main character they will be drawn into the story and more than likely to finish the book. Viewpoint protagonists (sometimes antagonists) are “fiction suits” that we all wear as we step into these fictional worlds. Reading a book is tech-free virtual reality. Brain-hopping from character to character.

This relationship between the reader and the protagonist(s) of a story explains why Horror is so often a crucial partner to Fantasy. In the guise of our protagonist (or “hero”), we face things that we could never stand, endure, or conquer in the real world. This includes facing the problems, issues, and stark realities that haunt us in our waking moments. From bloodthirsty bullies to vicious predators to the unbridled fury of nature (or supernature), our fictional avatars in the World of the Story face the horrors that we dare not face in real life. And in Fantasy, more often than not, they CONQUER that horror. Or at least hold it at bay. Most protagonists achieve victories that we cannot, they take the risks we would never submit ourselves to, they face the horrors of the universe and say “Here I am. Give me your best shot.”

Many readers prefer Horror over Fantasy. Horror buffs don’t mind a viewpoint protagonist who fails, or ultimately meets a terrible fate. Fantasy buffs often prefer fantasies that provide a more traditional “heroic triumph.” Or not. It’s all a matter of taste, and it accounts for one reason Clark Ashton Smith’s tragic Dark Fantasy will never be as popular as Tolkien’s High Fantasy, wherein the dark elements are banished comfortably into oblivion.

There must be some Horror in any Fantasy setting if the writer wants his imaginary world to reflect the complexities of the real world. Because our world—the one in which we live and breathe and write books and surf the internet—is full of horror. Literary horrors are metaphors and analogies for the actual horrors of human existence. Literature, especially Fantasy, enables us to face those horrors and either succumb to the inevitable doom that it brings, or overcome it with heroic effort. Either way, we survive the experience and bring away some wisdom.

A great Fantasy tale takes you somewhere far away and leaves you with a heightened clarity regarding your own existence. This is the magic of fiction. The truth behind all the narrative lies we tell. The subtle sorcery of the written word, the sound of the Story Well Told, and the transcendent pleasure of reading fiction.

If you take the Horror out of your Fantasy, you’ve taken out much of the relevance (not to mention much of the conflict). The Dark must be present in some form or another, and you need look no farther for it than in the murky depths of the human heart.

SEVEN PRINCES is loaded with horror because it is loaded with humanity. There is blood and betrayal, struggle and sacrifice. Some characters will flee the horror. Some will rage against it. Some will become it.

As the reader, you get to do it all.

Now THAT’s magic.

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(and yes I think we’ve finally mastered the iPad flippable art thing. ha!)

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I also write in the horror and sci-fi genres. Yet fantasy has always been my first love — specifically high fantasy, or epic fantasy, as some folks like to call it. Although the term dark fantasy is also one of which I’m rather fond. A lot of my favorite fantasies are indeed “dark,” and you will find some darkness in every fantasy — if only to provide contrast to the sweetness and light. The murkier the darkness, the brighter the light.

One of the most common questions writers and various “creative types” get asked is: Where do you get your ideas? But what’s really being asked in this old chestnut of a query is: What inspires you? For fantasy authors, one might assume all inspiration comes from existing fantasy fiction. Yet that’s certainly not the case. If it was, the genre would soon atrophy and die from incessant repetition and lack of innovation. Yet the fantasy genre is alive and well . . . and it’s not about to disappear any time soon. It has been said that there are no new stories, only new ways to tell them.

Writers look for inspirado wherever they can . . . and it often finds them when they least expect it.

So what inspires me?

Music. I’m partial to heavy rock and six-string blues, but I like a bit of everything. Early BLACK SABBATH is the bedrock foundation upon which most of my favorite bands have built their music. I adore the music of THE BLACK KEYS, ROB ZOMBIE and QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE . . . and I have literally too many favorite bands to list them all here (or anywhere else). I relish playing MONSTER MAGNET’s “Superjudge” album while I’m writing. I’ve also found THE SWORD’s first two albums conducive to crafting epic fantasy, as well as a host of instrumental soundtracks. (Jerry Goldsmith’s PLANET OF THE APES soundtrack has to be one of the all-time greats.) Music is magic of the utmost potency.

Laughter. Laughing renews and energizes the soul. And the soul is the font of all creativity. Me, I’m partial to TV comedies, from THE OFFICE to BEAVIS & BUTTHEAD (so glad to have them back!) to my brother-from-another-mother CONAN O’BRIEN. I like comedies with heart and soul . . . where the story doesn’t fall apart in favor of idiotic punchlines. I can watch episodes of THE SIMPSONS and SEINFELD a dozen times . . . and I have. With such a taste for comedy, you might think I’d write humorous fantasy . . . but I’ve never been a fan of that particular genre. I love a good comedy, but I’m serious about my fantasy . . .

Books. I’m a book addict. There are books that I keep tucked away like holy relics, usually the ones that have touched my soul in some deep and lasting way. And every now and then I discover a brand new book that does the same thing. Anybody who knows me will tell you I’m practically religious about Tanith Lee’s TALES OF THE FLAT EARTH. The same goes for Lord Dunsany’s story collections, Tolkien’s THE SILMARILLION, William Gibson’s Sprawl and Bridge trilogies, all of Tom Ligotti’s collections, and Schweitzer’s MASK OF THE SORCERER. So many more. For a writer, every story and book you read is an influence — whether you want it to be or not. So I’m very careful about what I read.

Comics. Matt Fraction’s CASANOVA is the latest comic to completely blow my mind. Like Ed Brubaker’s CRIMINAL, it’s a pure manifestation of the creators’ passions. The very best comics defy the corporate stranglehold on characters and concepts. Like the best novels, they invent something new and tell stories that come from the heart, the gut and the spirit. Mignola’s HELLBOY comics are inspiring as hell (pun intended). James Stokoe’s ORC STAIN is another blast of auteur genius and radical style. Bryan Talbot’s enduring masterpiece THE ADVENTURES OF LUTHER ARKWRIGHT was a seminal influence, as was Peter Milligan’s groundbreaking SHADE THE CHANGING MAN. Comics have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember; raw inspiration crackles and burns between the panels of every page.

Art. Frank Frazetta is my personal Art God. Staring at any one of his paintings gives me at least twenty ideas for stories — he is the heart and soul of 20th Century fantasy art. Michael Whelan is another iconic artist whose work has imprinted upon my brain from a young age — from his amazing MARTIAN TALES covers to his 80s LOVECRAFT sequence, to everything he’s painted anywhere, Whelan is a one-of-a-kind experience. Stephen Fabian. Bob Eggleton. Darrell Sweet. Steranko. Richard Corben. Jack Kirby. John Buscema. Gil Kane. Jack Katz. Alex Raymond. So many more . . . a great work of art tells a story, even when it’s no more than a single image.

Drama. Shakespeare. Lynch. Tarantino. The Coens. Kaufman. Scorcese. Jackson. Aronofsky. Hitchcock. Serling. Miyazaki. Yimou. The movies are the myths of our times. The very best films usually don’t come from books; no, they’re conceived and built specifically to exploit the parameters and possibilities of cinema. But stories are stories, and greatness is greatness, no matter the medium. Every time I watch (or re-watch) a David Lynch film, it makes me want to create something new. It taps something deep and bottomless in my psyche. And don’t get me started on Shakespeare . . . massive, unending inspirado. At the heart of every drama are human beings . . . and every person you meet is a font of stories, experiences and contradictions.

History. It is the original source of all the great stories. Early humanity, trading tales around their campfires, knew the crucial importance of the Old Tales and the sacred role of the Storyteller. Without our history Mankind does not truly exist. The fact that we tell stories about things that happened is what makes us civilized. It’s what raised us above the beasts of the field. Telling stories is the oldest art form, and the whole of history is fodder for any writers’ imagination — especially a writer of fantasy. Most fascinating to me are the tales that might have been . . . the lost sagas and the heroes who never returned to tell their tales . . . the dusty pulp of burned libraries, and the obscure lore of fallen civilizations . . . the blurry edges surrounding the solid substance of historical knowledge. And the more you study known history, the more your imagination travels toward those misty regions of the unknown . . . 

Nature. Nothing quite inspires like the beauty and grandeur of the natural world. Whether it’s a trip to the beach (I don’t swim), or a drive through the country, the Earth speaks to us whenever we make ourselves available to listen. There’s a symphony in every rainstorm, an epic in every cloud formation, a masterpiece writ in the veins of every floating leaf. I live in California, one of the most beautiful places in the world. Sometimes the sheer loveliness of the landscape here nearly overwhelms me. There’s gold in “them there hills,” but it ain’t yellow metal. I love rain . . . it makes me happy . . . always has. Sweet, blessed nectar of the stratosphere. Every drop is an ocean of possibility.

I think there may be more of a link between Nature and Fantasy than any other literary genre. Consider Tolkien’s gorgeous, verdant Middle Earth and how it contrasts with the ashy wastelands of Mordor. Or Dunsany’s faerie lands and dreamworld forests. Those imaginary worlds are simply parallel versions of our own little blue-green paradise. There’s a reason most fantasy novels include maps as entry points into these invented worlds that we love so well. Society changes, history rolls on, and humanity evolves, yet the Earth itself remains to whisper its eternal secrets, molding its wisdom into the enchanted shapes of trees and mountains. Fantasy is an extension of this ancient and primordial Earthsong. We listen, and we dream.

Fantasy also links us with our remote past . . . our primal days when the world was full of magic, mystery and adventure. Human lives are composed of stories as much as flesh and blood. Fantasy delivers the timeless stories that are woven into our DNA, our ancestral memory, the immortal spirit that unites us all, even when we refuse to recognize it.

Fantasy fiction nurtures something deep and pure and ancient within us all. And from that same wellspring, inspirado emerges to create everything that thrills, delights, and inspires us.

So where do I find inspiration?

Everywhere . . .

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