Archive for Orbit UK

Ken MacLeod… A modern-day George Orwell?

If you could fix the world, with just one pill, how far would you go to force society to swallow?

Imagine a near-future London where advances in medical science have led to the development of a single-dose pill which, taken when pregnant, eradicates many common genetic defects from an unborn baby.

When Hope Morrison refuses to take the pill, is this a private matter of individual choice, or wilful neglect of her unborn child?

intrusion frame

‘This near-future sci-fi novel could almost be a sequel to George Orwell’s 1984 – 2084, perhaps’ Sun

‘A disturbingly real socialist dystopia’ Guardian

‘Thoughtful, plausible and scary’ Sunday Telegraph

‘Excellent’ Daily Mail

‘Intrusion is a finely-tuned, in-your-face argument of a novel… MacLeod will push your buttons – and make you think’ SFX

‘The message is powerful and the warning crystal clear’ SciFi Now

‘MacLeod creates a frighteningly plausible dystopia’ Interzone

‘A twistedly clever, frighteningly plausible dystopian glimpse’ Iain M. Banks

‘A haunting, gripping story of resistance, terror, and an all-consuming state that commits its atrocities with the best of intentions’ Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing

‘MacLeod certainly delights in raising questions which creatively discomfort his fellow socialists’ Morning Star

‘It’s all so close to the bone it’s almost painful… Intrusion is a rather frightening vision of the road we are taking with our smoking bans and our obesity epidemics and our CCTVs. Particularly if you’re a woman’ Bookbag.co.uk

Wallpaper: THE CURVE OF THE EARTH by Simon Morden

THE CURVE OF THE EARTH by Simon MordenWhat do you think, is the sun rising or setting over the Metrozone in this gorgeous cover illustration by Tigaer Design? Whatever the case may be, we just love the cover of Simon Morden’s new novel THE CURVE OF THE EARTH (US | UK | AUS).

Grab a copy of one of these wallpapers and get ready for a wild ride alongside the Russian anti-hero Samuil Petrovitch through the streets of a post-apocalyptic London of the Future. THE CURVE OF THE EARTH will be out at the end of the month.

If you need another size for your computer or electronic devices let us know.

1024 x 768  | 1280 x 800 | 1280 x 1024 | 1440 x 900 | 1680 x 1050 | 1920 x 1200 | iPhone | iPad Facebook

 

The new Mercy Thompson FROST BURNED is out!

Frost Burned, Mercy Thompson urban fantasy novel book seven by bestselling Patricia BriggsThis week sees one of the most important events in the urban fantasy calendar – the release of a new Mercy Thompson novel!

It’s so hard having to wait for the next chapter in the lives of mechanic and shapeshifter Mercy and her Alpha lover Adam, but the time has finally come. FROST BURNED (UK | ANZ), from the bestselling, chart-busting Patricia Briggs is out now – and everyone is loving it:

Mercy is my favorite urban fantasy heroine, period . . . I truly enjoyed Frost Burned . . . I cannot wait for what comes next for Mercy, Adam and the gang – THE BOOK SMUGGLERS  

Fabulous . . . Such a well done urban fantasy world – SMEXY BOOKS  

Ms Briggs has penned another winner that once I started I didn’t want to put down – FICTION VIXEN  

I’ll always want more Mercy, but I’m learning that however long it takes, Mercy Thompson books are always worth the wait – ALL THINGS URBAN FANTASY 

The comments above make one thing very clear: what’s both wonderful and sad about Patty’s books is that they’re so addictive, it’s hard not to gobble them up straight away! Then comes a tough wait for the next one . . .

Aralorn, a fantasy novel from bestselling author Patricia Briggs, author of the Mercy Thompson and Alpha & Omega novelsSo if you’ve already read everything you can get your hands on from the worlds of Mercy Thompson and the Alpha and Omega books (how could we blame you??), don’t forget that there’s a little something special from Patty also out at the moment: the tale of ARALORN (UK | ANZ).

Aralorn has fled her noble birthright to become a mercenary spy, and she also happens to be a shapeshifter . . . Everyone who’s read Patricia Briggs knows that the characters and relationships she creates are deliciously compelling. The story between Aralorn and the enigmatic, powerful Wolf is no exception!

Check this out for another hit of Patty’s fantastic writing. And if you’d like to find out more about the story behind FROST BURNED, take a peek at this interview over at Badass Book Reviews.

New Comic Fantasy: Tom Holt’s DOUGHNUT

Hungry for a good read? Pick up a copy of the newly published (and freshly baked) DOUGHNUT by Tom Holt (UK|USA|ANZ), the excellent comic fantasy from the author of WHO’S AFRAID OF BEOWULF? and THE PORTABLE DOOR.

Find the blurb, as well as a ‘bite-sized’ piece of DOUGHNUT below (and look out for other such pieces across Orbit social media this month).

Bite-sized quote: Doughnut by Tom Holt

The doughnut is a thing of beauty, a circle of fried, doughy perfection – a source of comfort in trying times, perhaps. For Theo Bernstein it is far, far more.

An accident at work lost Theo his job (and his work involved preventing a Very Very Large Hadron Collider from blowing up, so he’s unlikely to get it back). His wife has left him, he doesn’t have any money and news arrives that his good friend Professor Pieter van Goyen, renowned physicist and Nobel laureate, has died.

By leaving the apparently worthless contents of his safety deposit to Theo, however, the professor has sent him on a quest of epic proportions. A journey that will rewrite the laws of physics. A battle to save humanity itself.

This is the tale of a man who had nothing and gave it all up to find his destiny – and a doughnut.

Tom Holt, photographed by Charlie Hopkinson © 2010

Tom Holt has been a full-time writer since 1995 and has produced some of the most popular comic fantasy of the last decade – his work is often compared to that of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett. Play the ‘Which Tom Holt novel is Right For You?’ quiz at Tom-Holt.com.

March Events

Friday, March 15: Gail Z. Martin @ Lunacon, Rye Brook, NY

March 20-21: Marlene Perez @ Kennesaw State University Conference on Literature for Children and Young Adults, Kennesaw, GA

March 21-24: N.K. Jemisin and Mira Grant @ Vericon, Cambridge, MA

March 22-24: Gail Z. Martin @ Arizona Renaissance Festival, Gold Canyon, AZ

Thursday, March 28: Francis Knight at Fantasy in the Court, Goldsboro Books, London, 6 PM

Thursday, March 28: Amanda Downum @ Dragon’s Lair Comics, Austin, TX, 7 PM

March 29-30: Jaye Wells @ Dreamin’ in Dallas, Richardson, TX

March 29 – April 1: Eastercon, Bradford. Walter Jon Williams is a Guest of Honor; also attending will be Michael Cobley, Francis Knight, and Simon Morden.

March 29 – April 1: Swancon, Perth. Charles Stross is the International Guest; also attending will be Glenda Larke.

Terry Brooks UK signing!

BrooksTerryOrbit is so excited to announce that Terry Brooks will be visiting the UK for the first time in over 5 years!  He will be in London on holiday but has spared an evening to schedule an event at Forbidden Planet – on Wednesday 3rd April at 6pm.  He will be signing copies of the first in his new series, Wards of Faerie (now available in paperback) and his new hardback Bloodfire Quest (out 12th March).  Like our Orbit UK Facebook page for full details and updates.

terry badge

And for all Terry’s UK fans who can’t make it to London, never fear… whether you can attend the signing or not, every person who emails a question for Terry to orbit@littlebrown.co.uk will receive a Bloodfire Quest badge!  We will film his answers so everyone gets to ‘meet’ him.  Plus the top three questions will win a signed and dedicated book.  (UK entrants only).

Join us to celebrate a great year for a legend of the fantasy genre!  2013 is an especially exciting year for Terry as his full Dark Legacy of Shannara series will available, with the last novel in the trilogy, Witch Wraith, publishing this July.

Wards of Faerie: The Dark Legacy of Shannara, Book One
Wards of Faerie: The Dark Legacy of Shannara, Book One
Bloodfire Quest: The Dark Legacy of Shannara, Book Two
Bloodfire Quest: The Dark Legacy of Shannara, Book Two
Witch Wraith: The Dark Legacy of Shannara, Book Three
Witch Wraith: The Dark Legacy of Shannara, Book Three

Robert Jackson Bennett’s genre-bending AMERICAN ELSEWHERE

Bennet_AmericanElsewhere_TPThe Los Angeles Review of Books‘s profile of Robert Jackson Bennett explores Bennett’s entire genre-bending speculative oeuvre, from the Edgar Award-winning THE COMPANY MAN (US | UK | AUS)  to last month’s AMERICAN ELSEWHERE (US | UK | AUS).

“There’s always an awkward moment in reviews of Bennett’s work when the reviewer tries to sum up his genre affiliations in a couple of words. Niall Ferguson called The Company Man “a love letter to airships and acid noir — by way of steampunk, sci-fi and murder mystery.” FantasyLiterature.com calls his latest book “classical mythology, Lovecraftian gothic, quantum science and what’s-in-the-woods horror.” Bennett himself once described his debut novel Mr. Shivers as “magical realist/fantastical/horror/whatever-the-reviewer-wants-to-call-it-that-day.”

Read the whole article.

The Los Angeles Times also reviewed AMERICAN ELSEWHERE, which they said “manages to surprise, terrify and move the reader.” You can read the full review here.

The Samuil Petrovitch Guide to (Violent) Russian Swearing

The Curve of the Earth, a new Samuil Petrovitch near-future science fiction novel from Philip K. Dick award-winner Simon Morden - perfect for fans of Richard MorganSuper-genius cyborg and hero of the Freezone, Samuil Petrovitch, has a fiery temper – one prone to exploding with more potency than the nukes that signaled the apocalypse around the turn of the 21st century. Generally, Petrovitch’s explosions of anger will take the form of curses in his Russian mother tongue (or perhaps explosions of extreme violence, poisoning, putting bombs in people’s chests and stitching them up again… He’s nothing if not inventive).

To help you decode the various insults hurled at all and sundry by Petrovitch in Simon Morden’s new novel  THE CURVE OF THE EARTH (UK | US | ANZ), we’ve put together a handy glossary of Russian swearwords with a very British translation so as not to offend any delicate sensibilities…

Ahueyet
Samuil Petrovitch usage: Ahueyet! We’ve got some series govno on our hands.
Translation: Egad! It appears our metacarpus have become tainted with effluent.

Balvan
Samuil Petrovitch usage: The only way I can explain your actions is to assume your father was balvan.
Translation: Your poor decision making suggest there was an extreme deficiency in your father’s intelligence quotient.

Chyort voz’mi!
Samuil Petrovitch usage: Chyort voz’mi, this is exactly what I didn’t want to happen.
Translation: Curses! I find myself in the most hateful of all possible worlds.

Chyort!
Samuil Petrovitch usage: Chyort! How stupid are you?
Translation: Dash it all! Your foolishness demands explanation!

Durak
Samuil Petrovitch usage: That’s the sort of thing I’d expect to hear from a durak.
Translation: Your communication suggests that your skull is a vacant receptacle rather than a protective covering.

Govno
Samuil Petrovitch usage: I have had enough of this govno.
Translation: No more faeces for me, thank you.

Idi v’zhopu
Samuil Petrovitch usage: Seriously, Reconstructionist America can idi v’zhopu
Translation: I would recommend that Reconstructionist America remove itself from my presence at once, preferably in a painful manner.

Kalash
Samuil Petrovitch usage: Glad I brought my Kalash.
Translation: How fortuitous that I have this Russian-made firearm

Kon govno
Samuil Petrovitch usage: I’ve had enough of your kon govno.
Translation: I doubt the veracity of your explanation, which has the perfume of equestrian faeces.

Past’ zabej
Samuil Petrovitch usage: Past’ zajeb, or I’ll blow your knees off
Translation: Be quiet, my good sir, or I shall be forced to relieve you of your mobility.

Pizdets
Samuil Petrovitch usage: This a whole new category of  pizdets
Translation: Our situation is  beginning to resemble a cluster of effluent.

Pushka
Samuil Petrovitch usage: If I had a decent pushka, this wouldn’t be such pizdets
Translation: How I yearn for a firearm of significant calibre to relieve the difficulty of my situation!

Yajtza
Samuil Petrovitch usage: Your yajtza must be bigger than the moon.
Translation: Your gentleman’s treasures appear to be of planetary proportion.

Yebani
Samuil Petrovitch usage: Get this yebani tube out of my gullet before I vomit into my lungs.
Translation: Kindly remove this fornicating tube from my digestive tract or I fear we will be having a backwards performance of breakfast.

Yobany stos
Samuil Petrovitch usage: Yobany stos, is that the only gun you brought?
Translation: Ploppers! I had expected you to be more fully prepared for armed combat.

Zhopa
Samuil Petrovitch usage: You talk too much, zhopa.
Translation: You are surprisingly communicative for an orifice that is not generally used for speaking.

>> Read the first chapter of Simon Morden’s The Curve of the Earth

The Ultimate Epic Fantasy Author for the Ultimate Epic Fantasy Fan

The fantasy novel The Dark Legacy of Shannara Book One: Wards of Faerie by Terry Brooks, endorsed by Christopher PaoliniAdored by readers and revered by authors, Terry Brooks is a trailblazing epic fantasy author like no other. His action-packed stories and unique characters have captured the imagination of fantasy fans all over the world.

If you’ve been looking for an excuse to start on an epic Brooks adventure, now is your chance. WARDS OF FAERIE (UK | AUS) is out now in paperback, followed up with book two of the Dark Legacy series, BLOODFIRE QUEST (UK | AUS ) on 12th March. With dark powers, an epic adventure, and a fight for survival, Terry Brooks will draw you into the Shannara adventure and not let go.

 

What readers have been saying about WARDS OF FAERIE:

Brings back the magic that was in the first Shannara series” – Goodreads 5 star review

“Terry Brooks has provided me with a lifelong love of Fantasy” – Orbit reader

“He writes with such detail to create a world that is wholly believable and which you can sink into for hours at a time” – Orbit reader

“Transports you to a world of fantasy that you can get lost in” – Orbit reader

Everything a good fantasy story should be – full of adventure, romance, magic and danger” – Goodreads 5 star review

“Threads are so marvellously woven together, and the tapestry they form is one of action, mystery and sorrow” – Bookreporter.com

The Ultimate Epic Fantasy Hero Infographic
Since we think Terry Brooks is an ultimate fantasy writer, to celebrate the release of WARDS OF FAERIE, we asked readers to tell us what their ultimate fantasy hero might look like. Here are the results…
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