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
If you’re in the US or the UK, here are some of the places you can see Orbit authors in February, from bookstore signings to conventions.
February 2-4th: SFX Weekender
This convention in Prestatyn Sands, North Wales, will play host to several Orbit authors. Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Benedict Jacka, Michael Cobley, and Ken MacLeod will all be on panels and signing books (full schedule) — and we will have exclusive early copies of MacLeod’s Intrusion and Jacka’s Fated available. Plus, our own Anne Clarke will appear on the “How to Get Published” panel on Friday evening.
Saturday, February 4th
Gail Z. Martin at B&N Carolina Place Mall, Pineville, NC, 1 PM.
Mira Grant (with Stephen Blackmoore) at Borderlands Books, San Francisco, CA, 3 PM.
Friday, February 10th
Gail Z. Martin at B&N Morrison Place, Charlotte, NC.
Saturday, February 11th Gail Z. Martin at Books-a-Million Concord Mills, Concord, NC.
Wednesday, February 15th
N.K. Jemisin (with Livia Llewellyn) at KGB Fantastic Fiction, New York, NY, 7 PM.
February 17-19: SheVaCon
Gail Z. Martin will be at this science fiction convention in Roanoke, VA.
Thursday, February 23rd
Kate Griffin & Benedict Jacka signing advance copies of their new books (both being published in March) at Forbidden Planet, Shaftesbury Avenue, London, 6pm
February 24-26th: MystiCon Gail Z. Martin will be at this SFF and horror convention in Roanoke, VA — including a launch party for The Dread in the con suite at 7 PM on Friday.
Saturday, February 25th
Gail Carriger as keynote speaker at the inaugural Passion & Prose Conference, Long Beach, CA.
Walter Jon Williams at Page One Bookstore, Albuquerque, NM, 7 PM.
Sunday, February 26th Gail Carriger at SF in SF, San Francisco, CA, 1 PM.
Gail Carriger at Borderlands Books, San Francisco, CA, 6 PM.
Monday, February 27th
Robert Jackson Bennett at Book People, Austin, TX, 7 PM.
Wednesday, February 29th Yes, it’s a leap year! Gail Carriger will be kicking off her tour for Timeless at Powell’s Books at Cedar Hill Crossing, Beaverton, OR, 7 PM.
Trilogies are a mainstay of science fiction and fantasy and that’s a challenge that comes up for us in the Orbit Art Department over and over again. The first cover is both the hardest (it has to be AWESOME and make a big splash, especially if it’s for a debut author) and the easiest (no preconceptions and rules dictated by previous covers). The second cover is important because you obviously want it to be as cool as the first, and not fall victim to any sequel-slacking. And the third? Well the third is kind of the best, because by the last book in a trilogy, you’ve already got a good feel for the world in question, and the tone of the author, and you usually get something good and dramatic to wrap up with. And while we’re talking about dramatic, I am happy to release the cover for the third book in N. K. Jemisin‘s Inheritance Trilogy: The Kingdom of Gods.
I have been thrilled at how well cover one was received across the fantasy community — it was accepted into the Spectrum annual, and was nominated for a Gemmell Legend Award. We were trying to do something pretty standard (fantasy city) and present it in a fresher way (through the style of Cliff Nielsen‘s awesome artwork), and it really resonated with a lot of people, which is great because the books just happen to be super-fantastic as well. And over the last two books the illustrations have been just as strong, while keeping to that pretty simple formula.
And now we have this illustration, which I don’t want to say too much about, because I wouldn’t want to give anything away about the story…obviously if you have been reading along, the god is Sieh (my favorite)…just trust me, if you have been enjoying The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and The Broken Kingdoms, well The Kingdom of Gods does not disappoint. After the jump, get a teaser, and the whole series of covers… Read the rest of this entry »
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!
‘Jemisin’s first novel has a wistful, lyrical tone, and the intrigue – both romantic and political – is skilfully handled. Book one in the Inheritance Trilogy is sensitive, restrained high fantasy.’ - The Guardian, Eric Brown
‘…a story that manages to be both fantastically grand and very personal. Definitely recommended.’ - Waterstone’s Books Quarterly
‘More than the sum of its parts… Jemisin is well worth keeping an eye on.’ - SFX, Guy Haley [also included in the SFX books of 2010 round-up]
‘Extremely well-written, imaginative, emotionally gripping, and featuring a compelling narrator, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is an almost perfect debut… and could end up being one of the best fantasy releases of the year.’ - Fantasy Book Critic, Robert Thompson
‘Convoluted without being dense, Jemisin’s engaging debut grabs readers right from the start… a complex, edge-of-your-seat story with plenty of funny, scary, and bittersweet twists.’ - Publishers Weekly
‘Debut author Jemisin creates a mesmerizingly exotic world where fallen gods serve as slaves to the ruling class and murder and ambition go hand in hand… an engaging heroine and a fresh take on traditional dynastic fantasy make this trilogy opener a delight for the fantasy reader and introduce a strong new voice to the genre.’ – Library Journal
I first heard about this novel in May 2008, when N.K. Jemisin’s agent called me to tell me she had found someone that she knew I would love and who reminded her of all my favorite authors. (I think she keeps a list of editors with their favorite authors next to them — so she knew how to hit all my buttons.)
Many books are good, some are great, but few are truly important. Add to this last category The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, N.K. Jemisin’s debut novel…In this reviewer’s opinion, this is the must-read fantasy of the year.”
I’m over the moon with the attention Nora (a Nebula nomination!!) and the novel are getting! Now in printed (and e-book) glory — and at a bookstore (virtual and otherwise) near you. And if you haven’t yet, be sure to read the first three chapters at Nora’s site.
This week the wonderful people at Podcastle, the audio fantasy fiction magazine, have brought us ‘Narcomancer’, a novelette from the very talented N.K. Jemisin. In the author’s own words,
“It’s set in a secondary world that consciously evokes ancient Egypt and Nubia. And the Jungian collective unconscious. And some other stuff.
Take a listen here, and if you like what you’re hearing, check out N. K. Jemisin’s debut fantasy novel, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (UK/US/ANZ), published next month.
Oh, and just a warning from the author about the podcast: ‘Rated R for smex and violence’. Now you’ll just have to check it out!
Now that the ties and novelty lamps are returned, the trees recycled into useful if less sparkly mulch, and holiday egg nog has been sworn off forever, yet again, we at Orbit want to let you know what we’ve got in store for you in the coming months — in particular, about two new writers about whom you have probably already heard much — and, will be hearing more.
Then we’ll be bringing you N.K. Jemisin’s first novel, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms [US February/UK April]. Romantic Times, giving it four and a half stars, calls it “an astonishing debut novel”, Kirkus Reviews has judged it “offbeat and engaging”, and Publishers Weekly, in its starred review, “a complex, edge-of-your-seat story with plenty of funny, scary, and bittersweet twists.” Jemisin’s debut Orbit blog post“Power and Privilege in Fantasy” is also not to be missed — and that you can read, right now. (Seriously. Now.)
N.K.Jemisin, author of Orbit’s forthcoming and much-anticipated THE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS, her debut novel, has announced that she has a couple of ARCs of her book to give away.
- - February 1st, 2012
Two of our wonderful Orbit authors are over in the UK this week and will be doing a joint 
