Author Archive

The Final Evolution – out now!

Out now worldwide is the explosive conclusion to the Avery Cates series, The Final Evolution (UK / US/ ANZ).

I just can’t express enough how much I’ve loved the post-apocalyptic, action-noir thrill ride that is the Avery Cates series. But I can try… 

*Ahem*. In alphabetical order:

It’s attitude-drenched, balls-to-the-wall, cybernetic, ducking-and-diving, electric-monk-thumping, filthy-mouthing, gung-ho, hell-bent, intelligent, jugular-grabbing, killa–kool, lily-liver-kicking , mind-blowingly–apocalypting, nasty-ass, octane-fast, punks-en-masse, quick-witted, right-fisted, slidin’-slammin’, twisting-turning, unrelentingly-unforgiving, voraciously-violent, world-class-wrecking-balling, YEAH!, zip-zoomingly–zeighteisty.

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THEORIES OF FLIGHT: Prepare . . .

Theories of Flight, Book 2 in Simon Morden’s explosive Metrozone series is now at large worldwide.

Prepare for more explosions. Prepare for more smart-ass foul-mouthing from Petrovitch. And prepare for more from the New Machine Jihad.

And just in case you’ve been wondering what people have been saying about the series . . .

‘A fast-paced thriller . . . an absorbing read’ TELEGRAPH

‘Speeds along with energetic panache’ THE TIMES

‘Morden keeps up a breathless breakneck pace that doesn’t sacrifice character depth or intelligence . . . promises to be a fast-paced thrill ride for the cynical urban space cowboy in all of us’ i09

‘Petrovitch is one of those characters you can’t help but warm to, and readers will be eager to experience more of his adventures and his relentless Russian swearing’ FINANCIAL TIMES

‘The action is relentless and Morden has a natural talent for a plot that keeps the reader guessing’ GUARDIAN

‘A fantastic piece of work – a roller-coaster ride through a post-plague hit London that made me think of Richard Morgan’s Altered Carbon colliding head on with Gibson’s Neuromancer, whilst side-swiping Stephenson’s Snowcrash. I absolutely loved it!’ SFREVU

‘A heart-stopping onslaught of science and action for much of its perfectly judged duration, paced like a runaway train, and Morden handles the fireworks with a steady hand . . . truly exhilarating stuff’ THE SPECULATIVE SCOTSMAN

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USE OF WEAPONS voted The Best Sci-Fi Film Never Made

Tech news site The Register recently held a poll to ask readers which SF book most deserves to make it to the big screen, but has up until now been shamefully overlooked by the Hollywood bigwigs. An impressive 27,088 people voted, and the winner – with a stunning 10,032 votes – was Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks.

It seems Iain is a popular choice, with Consider Phlebas, Excession, The Player of Games and The Algebraist all also making it into the top 50. But Use of Weapons was the clear favourite.

So what more evidence does Hollywood need? It’ll be a sure fire hit – get it into production straight away!

You can see the results of ‘The Best Sci-Fi Film Never Made’ poll right here. But the question is: who should play the leading man Zakalwe…?

**YOU ARE NOW APPROACHING THE METROZONE**

THROUGHOUT THE CAPITAL, THE SIGNS ARE APPEARING

THE APOCALYPSE IS ALMOST HERE

AND WHAT WILL REMAIN IS THE LONDON METROZONE

WE STRONGLY ADVISE THAT YOU MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE INZONE

INDIVIDUALS LEFT IN THE OUTZONE WILL NOT BE GRANTED CITIZENSHIP

BORDERS WILL SOON BE CLOSING

FOR INFORMATION ON HOW TO GAIN ENTRY, VISIT THE NEW OFFICIAL WEBSITE HERE

Cover Launch: KINGDOMS OF DUST by Amanda Downum

Behold the new artwork for the upcoming Kingdoms of Dust – Amanda Downum’s rich and exotic fantasy adventure featuring necromancer-spy Isyllt Iskaldur.  

Larry Rostant has done us proud yet again with his luxurious imagery, which we feel perfectly suits Amanda’s lush and atmospheric writing style. And the visual sums up the epic setting for this book: think fiery red deserts, swirling sandstorms and ruined cities . . .

It’s the perfect addition to the gorgeous artwork for the rest of the Necromancer Chronicles series (see all the covers together below). And the joy is that, since these books can be read as stand-alones, you can pick up whichever book most appeals to you first . . . A difficult choice indeed! Larry Rostant: we truly heart you. And tons of thanks must also go to our very talented UK designer Peter Cotton, who put all of these covers together.  (more…)

Give in to your GREEN-EYED DEMON . . .

Now unleashed in all territories: a big whopping Green-Eyed Demon (UK/ US/ ANZ). No need to get jealous – you can now get your hands on your very own copy of the latest addictively-compulsive instalment in the Sabina Kane series. Jaye Wells is bringing us more from the eternally feisty vamp-mage Sabina Kane, more from the sexy badass mage Adam Lazarus, more from the fiendishly ridiculous cat-demon Giguhl – AND more of her trademark ‘faboulous snarkiness’ – as Book Chick City puts it . . .

Jaye Wells: ultimate Queen of Snark – we salute you!

The clock is ticking for Sabina Kane. With her sister taken by mysterious captors, the Dark Races on the brink of war and a sinister order manipulating everyone behind the scenes, she’s really got her work cut out.

Using information provided by an unlikely ally, Sabina and her trusty sidekicks – the sexy mage Adam Lazarus and Giguhl, the Mischief demon – head to New Orleans to begin the hunt for her sister. Once there, they must contend with belligerent werewolves, magic-wielding vampires and, perhaps most frightening of all, humans.

But before Sabina can save those she cares about, she’s got to save herself from the ghosts of her former life. Because the past is haunting her. Literally.

If you want a sneaky peek at what’s in store for you, you can read a juicy little extract here.

The Orbit posse at the SFX weekender!

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.

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Shadowheart

With just 2 days to go until the official release date of Shadowheart (UK / ANZ), the final book in Tad Williams’ captivating Shadowmarch series, we thought we’d give you a little preview to whet your tastebuds. Read the prologue here!

Barrick Eddon, prince of Southmarch, is no longer entirely human. He has vowed to safeguard the legacy of the dark Qar race, and must now decide where his loyalties lie.

His twin sister Briony has a difficult choice of her own. Her father, King Olin, is held captive by the Autarch, a mad god-king who plans to use Olin’s blood to gain unlimited power. And the castle of Southmarch still remains in the possession of Hendon Tolly, Briony’s murderous relative. As time runs out, will Briony decide to save her father’s kingdom . . . or her father?

As the foretold Great Defeat draws near, history is stripped of its costume of lies. Poets and players, mortals and fairies, warriors and gods, all will have their roles to play as the fate of the known world hangs in the balance.

And don’t forget that Shadowrise (UK / ANZ) is also out now in paperback . . .

BATTLECRY – The Sten Omnibus

We couldn’t let November go by without mentioning Battlecry, the first Sten omnibus, and its awesome cover art by the very talented Paul Young. If you haven’t heard of the Sten series – why not? It’s a fast-paced military SF series from the late, great Chris Bunch and the author, screenwriter and award-winning journalist Allan Cole – and it’s sold over a million copies worldwide. If you like Heinlein and Halo, then hell! – this is for you.

Released this month and featuring the first three books from the series: Sten, Sten 2: The Wolf Worlds and Sten 3: The Court of a Thousand Suns, this is a chunky volume that gives you a whole lotta bang for your buck . . .

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