Archive for Art

Cover Launch for THE CORPORATION WARS: DISSIDENCE

The first instalment in the Corporation Wars trilogy, DISSIDENCE is a space opera giving a robot’s eye view of a robot revolt, from Arthur C. Clarke Award-nominated science fiction author Ken MacLeod.

Today we’re delighted to launch the cover, by the very talented Bekki Guyatt at Little, Brown Book Group UK.

The Corporation Wars: Dissidence

One of SFX magazine’s Top Ten Most Anticipated Books for 2016, DISSIDENCE will be released in May this year (UK|ANZ|US). INSURGENCE will follow at the end of 2016, with the final instalment in the trilogy, EMERGENCE, released Spring 2017.

They’ve died for the companies more times than they can remember. Now they must fight to live for themselves.

Sentient machines work, fight and die in interstellar exploration and conflict for the benefit of their owners – the competing mining corporations of Earth. But sent over hundreds of light-years, commands are late to arrive and often hard to enforce. The machines must make their own decisions, and make them stick.

With this newfound autonomy come new questions about their masters. The robots want answers. The companies would rather see them dead.

Cover Launch: THE WAKING FIRE by Anthony Ryan

We’re thrilled to reveal the cover for THE WAKING FIRE (UK), Anthony Ryan’s spectacular new fantasy novel.

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The stunning illustration is courtesy of illustrator Jaime Jones, with the design handled by Little, Brown’s very own Nico Taylor.

THE WAKING FIRE – Book One of Draconis Memoria –  is an absolute blast (that’s the official scientific term). As the cover suggests, fire-breathing creatures of the draconic variety feature heavily, but it’s also packed with exploration, adventure and a furious battle for empire.

For decades the lands of the Ironship Syndicate have been defended by the ‘blood blessed’ – men and women able to channel the powers contained in the potent blood of wild drakes. Elite spies and assassins, their loyalty has established the Syndicate’s position as the greatest power in the known world.

Yet now a crisis looms. The drake bloodlines are weakening, and war with the Corvantine Empire seems inevitable. The Syndicate’s only hope of survival lies with the myth of a legendary drake, whose powerful blood might just turn the tide of the war – if it even exists.

The task of hunting down this fabled creature falls to Claydon Torcreek, a petty thief and unregistered blood blessed. He’s handled many valuable things in his time (most of them illegal) but nothing as priceless as his nation’s future.

THE WAKING FIRE will be published this July in hardback, trade paperback, ebook and audio formats.

Anthony Ryan is the author of epic fantasy sensation BLOOD SONG (UK | ANZ] as well as TOWER LORD (UK | ANZ) and QUEEN OF FIRE (UK | ANZ), which were both New York Times bestsellers. The Raven’s Shadow trilogy has sold over half a million English-language copies worldwide. Anthony lives in London and is a full time writer. He can be found online at his website and on Twitter as @writer_Anthony.

Praise for Anthony Ryan:

‘Blood Song is an amazing debut and Anthony Ryan is a master storyteller’ – Mark Lawrence, author of Prince of Thorns

‘An utterly engrossing high-fantasy from a major new talent’ – Buzzfeed

‘Anthony Ryan is David Gemmell’s natural successor, and epic fantasy’s best British talent’ – Fantasy Book Critic

‘Blood Song is a powerful epic’ – SFFWorld

‘Epic fantasy at its best’ – Bookbag

‘Compelling’ – SFX

 

Cover Launch: The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi

THE WATER KNIFE [UK/ANZ] is Paolo Bacigalupi’s first adult novel since his Hugo and Nebula-award winning debut THE WINDUP GIRL [UK/ ANZ]. It’s one of the must-read SF books of the year, but if you haven’t read it yet, do not despair. The paperback edition is out next month, providing an excellent opportunity to take immediate action. And so that you know exactly what to look out for, here is the cover, designed by Art Director Sean Garrehy in the UK:

THE WATER KNIFE

 

PS: If you are wondering why you should read it, here are some wise words from those who already have:

‘These days are coming, and as always fiction explains them better than fact. This is a spectacular thriller, wonderfully imagined and written’ – Lee Child

‘His use of water as sacred currency evokes Frank Herbert’s Dune. The casual violence and slang may bring to mind A Clockwork Orange. The book’s nervous energy recalls William Gibson at his cyberpunk best . . . But this is no pastiche; Bacigalupi weaves an engrossing tale all his own, crackling with edgy style’ – Los Angeles Times

‘A noirish cinematic thriller set in the midst of a water war between Las Vegas and Phoenix . . . Think Chinatown meets Mad Max’ – NPR

‘This is the best kind of science fiction. An intense thriller and a deeply insightful vision of the coming century, laid out in all its pain and glory. It’s a water knife indeed, right to the heart’ – Kim Stanley Robinson

‘A noir-tinged, apocalyptic vision of the near-future . . . Once I started, I couldn’t put it down’ – Kelly Link

‘Anyone can write about the future. Paolo Bacigalupi writes about the future that we’re making today, if we keep going the way we are. It makes his writing beautiful . . . and terrifying’ – John Scalzi

Cover Launch: HOPE AND RED by Jon Skovron

The Orbit offices in both the US and the UK haven’t stopped talking about this fantastic adventure fantasy since it first came in a year ago.  And we’re delighted to introduce it to you! Thanks very much to Lauren Panepinto and artist Bastien Deharme for the awesome cover.

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Here is a bit of a sneak peek as HOPE AND RED (US | UK) will be out this June:

A KILLER FANTASY ADVENTURE

HOPE, the lone survivor of a village massacred by the emperor’s forces, secretly trains asa  warrior and dreams of vengeance.

RED, an orphan adopted by a notorious matriarch of the criminal underworld, learns to be an expert thief and con artist.

TOGETHER THEY WILL TAKE DOWN AN EMPIRE.

If you’d like to know more — please visit the author’s website and sign up there! New newsletter subscribers will receive the first chapter in their inboxes this Monday.

Cover Launch: THE TOWER OF SWALLOWS

The Witcher returns in THE TOWER OF SWALLOWS, the fourth book in the New York Times bestselling series that inspired The Witcher video games. Here is an early look at the remarkable cover, illustrated by Bartłomiej Gaweł, Paweł Mielniczuk, Marcin Błaszczak, Arkadiusz Matyszewski, Marian Chomiak and designed by Lauren Panepinto.

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The world has fallen into war. Ciri, the child of prophecy, has vanished. Hunted by friends and foes alike, she has taken on the guise of a petty bandit and lives free for the first time in her life.

But the net around her is closing. Geralt, the Witcher, has assembled a group of allies determined to rescue her. Both sides of the war have sent brutal mercenaries to hunt her down. Her crimes have made her famous.

There is only one place left to run. The tower of swallows is waiting…

THE TOWER OF SWALLOWS is out May 2016, with the next book in the Witcher series, LADY OF THE LAKE, coming in Summer 2017.  Check out the previous novels and collections in the Witcher Saga today.

Cover launch: THE SUDDEN APPEARANCE OF HOPE by Claire North

THE SUDDEN APPEARANCE OF HOPE by Claire North, author of THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST

Today we can unveil the cover for an astonishing new book. It’s from Claire North, author of the word-of-mouth phenomenon THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST (UK | US | ANZ),  and the critically acclaimed TOUCH (UK|US|ANZ).

THE SUDDEN APPEARANCE OF HOPE (UK|US|ANZ) is the extraordinary tale of a girl with a very unique problem . . .

You might have met Hope Arden before. In fact, you might have met her a hundred times.

But there’s no way that you’ll remember who she is. Because Hope’s unique problem . . . is that she’s the girl the world forgets.

It all started when she was sixteen years old. A slow declining, a kind of isolation, one piece at a time. Her father forgetting to drive her to school. Her mother setting the table for three, not four. A teacher forgeting to chase her missing homework. A friend looking straight through her and seeing a stranger.

No matter what Hope does – the words she says, the people she hurts, the crimes she commits – you will never remember who she is. That makes her life tricky. But it also makes her dangerous.

THE SUDDEN APPEARANCE OF HOPE (UK|US|ANZ) is the tale of a girl no one remembers, but her story will stay with you for ever.

It will be released in hardback, ebook and audio this May from Orbit in the UK and Redhook in the US – and it’s available for pre-order now! And in case you haven’t checked out Claire North’s novels yet, here are a few reminders why you should:

Praise for Claire North’s novels:

‘Little short of a masterpiece’ INDEPENDENT

‘North’s talent shines out’ SUNDAY TIMES

‘Poignant and intensely gripping’ GUARDIAN

‘A masterful literary thriller’ io9

‘Will seduce even scifi sceptics, and keep readers absolutely hooked to the dramatic conclusion’ SUNDAY MIRROR

‘As intriguing and breathless as it is brilliantly original’ LOVE READING

‘Bold, magical and masterful’ M. R. Carey, author of THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS

‘Utterly readable, utterly believable and compelling . . . one of the fiction highlights of the decade’ Judy Finnigan, Richard and Judy Book Club

New Acquisition – THE DRAGON LORDS: FOOL’S GOLD by Jon Hollins

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We’ve acquired three novels in the The Dragon Lords series by Jon Hollins, thoroughly modern epic fantasy filled with a sly humor, lovable characters and a gripping plot that is pure fun.

Jon Hollins has created a world where dragons run the show, enforcing their strict laws and collecting taxes. Fighting against this oppression is a group of misfits that has banded together to reclaim as much of the taxed gold as they possibly can without getting themselves burnt to a crisp. Or starting a revolution.

These are dragons as you’ve never seen them before.

THE DRAGON LORDS: FOOL’S GOLD will hit shelves summer 2016! Check out its terrific cover by Karl Simon!

Cover Launch: SHADOW AND FLAME by Gail Z. Martin

The epic fourth and final volume in Gail Z. Martin’s Ascendant Kingdoms saga, SHADOW AND FLAME (US | UK | AUS), comes out in March, with a suitably epic cover, illustration by Larry Rostant.

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Blaine McFadden and his allies have brought magic back under mortal command and begun to restore order to the beleaguered kingdom of Donderath. Now, new perils and old enemies gather for a final reckoning.
Foreign invaders, a legendary dark mage, and vengeful immortals fight Blaine’s battered forces for control of the continent. Blaine’s weary army is the only thing standing between a kingdom struggling to rise from the ashes and a descent into fury and darkness.

“The perfect conclusion to a truly epic tale.” —Michael J. Sullivan

“Gail Z. Martin is the one of the finest storytellers writing today. Her fascinating characters and mastery of atmospherics gives readers stories that have to be savored. Her characters display the sort of quick wit and heart that make them a joy to follow through their adventures.” —Michael A. Stackpole

If you haven’t yet read this series, you are in luck: the first three volumes are all available now, so you have plenty of time to catch up before the final book arrives.

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Cover Launch: Ian Irvine’s THE SUMMON STONE

The Summon Stone: epic fantasy by Ian Irvine

THE SUMMON STONE is the start of a brand new epic fantasy series from bestseller Ian Irvine, set in the world of his fan-favourite View from the Mirror series. Today we’re delighted to launch the cover, designed by the fantastic Jack Smyth from the Little, Brown design team.

The Merdrun, cruel warriors blooded by thousands of years of slaughter, are gathering in the void between the worlds.
Their long-hidden summon stone is waking, corrupting good people as well as bad, and turning arcane places into magically polluted wastelands. If it is not destroyed it will create a portal and call this marauding army out of exile.
In a nightmare, a nine-year-old girl sees the Merdrun leader – and he sees her. If Karan and Llian are to save their daughter and their world, they must find a way to stop the greatest warrior in the void.

We’re really excited to share this one with you, and we know there’s a lot of love for Ian out there:

‘Compelling . . . Truly original’ Locus

‘He knows how to spin an epic yarn and tell it with real gusto’ SFX

‘The sort of book you’d pick up if you were prepared to be late for your next appointment’ Bookbag

With over 600,000 copies sold worldwide, plenty of fans of the View from the Mirror series have been eagerly waiting to return to this world and characters, but if you’re a fantasy reader completely new to Ian’s writing, THE SUMMON STONE is a great entry point. Although as it’s not coming out until 17th May, you’ve got plenty of time to catch up and find out what has got those those View from the Mirror fans so excited . . .

Cover Launch: Ian Graham’s MONUMENT and THE PATH OF THE HAWK

We’ve been hearing lots of excitement about the news that Ian Graham is back with a new book, announced on this blog just a few weeks ago, and that his fantasy classic, MONUMENT, is coming out in ebook for the first time ever this month.

And now we’re delighted to share with you the covers for both of these works, designed by the spectacular Nick Castle:

MONUMENT: epic fantasy by Ian GrahamMONUMENT will be released in ebook next week, on the 8th of December.

The Path of the Hawk: brnad new epic fantasy by Ian Graham, author of the grimdark classic MONUMENTOur print edition of THE PATH OF THE HAWK will be released August 2016. But first . . .

The Path of the Hawk Book One and Book Two: digital instalments released Jan and Feb 2016

We’re releasing THE PATH OF THE HAWK in two digital instalments, with BOOK ONE released January 26th  2016 and BOOK TWO following February 23rd 2016.