Archive for Fiction

EARTH AWAKENS – the latest Ender book is out

Today we release EARTH AWAKENS (UK | ANZ) the third novel in the stunning First Formic Wars series. Co-written by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston, it tells what happened in the run up to the events in the bestselling classic novel ENDER’S GAME.

I love this series – it’s just so readable. And not just for all those people who are already big fans of the Ender books. It also works as a fast-paced science fiction adventure in itself. The story just whizzes by and the action doesn’t let up at any point. It’s fascinating to see how humanity’s strategies develop in our first hostile encounter with an alien race.

This latest book has already been receiving some very high praise, with Publishers Weekly claiming:

‘This breakneck thriller is a dark and lively addition to the Enderverse’

Check out the copy below, and look out for EARTH AWAKENS in stores now.

TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR HUMANITY

It is one hundred years before the events of Ender’s Game. Tens of millions are dead in China as the invading Formics scour the landscape and gas cities with a lethal alien chemical. Young Mazer Rackham and the Mobile Operations Police scramble to find a counteragent, while asteroid miner Victor Delgado infiltrates the alien ship in near-Earth orbit.

Victor needs to find a way to seize the ship and end the war, but he’ll need a small strike force of highly skilled soldiers to pull it off. In this last-ditch effort to save what’s left of humanity, Mazer Rackham and his team may be just the men for the job . . .

Calling Kevin Hearne fans! Do you have a question for the author of the Iron Druid Chronicles?

On 17th June, we release SHATTERED, the brand new Iron Druid Chronicles book by Kevin Hearne. It’s urban fantasy at its most exciting, fast-paced and just darn witty.

To celebrate the release, we wanted to ask Kevin what it was like writing the new book, what fans can expect from it, and what he and Oberon the adorable Irish Wolfhound are up to in general.

But then we thought – WAIT!! – there are thousands of fans out there who might love to ask Kevin (or Oberon) something themselves.

So we’re giving fans in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand the chance to submit your own interview questions to one of the loveliest authors on the planet (FACT). You can do so by filling in the form below before next Friday. Then Kevin (or Oberon!!) will answer the best ones right here on the Orbit site in a week or two.

We’ll also randomly select one winner from all those who send us questions. This winner will receive five free copies of their favourite Iron Druid Chronicles book. These will be perfect to gift to your friends, neighbours and local occult practitioners, helping to spread the love of Atticus O’Sullivan even further . . .

Fill out the form below with your question:

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Don’t forget to read our terms and conditions before entering.

Coming soon! The new Kevin Hearne book SHATTERED

In case you haven’t heard the exciting news, there’s a new Iron Druid Chronicles book from Kevin Hearne on the way! SHATTERED (UK | ANZ) is due for release next month on 17th June.

This seventh novel in the series is a real cracker! All the legions of Kevin Hearne fans are sure to love it. They’ll certainly all vouch that this is one of the best urban fantasy series you’ll ever read . . .

And this time Kevin’s running a special promotion: 3 Druids for the price of 1!

Our leading man is of course Atticus O’Sullivan – who was once the only Druid left walking the earth, with nothing but his trusty sword and sense of humour to protect him.

But now Atticus’s apprentice Granuaile is a fully-fledged Druid, and there’s yet another Druid on the scene . . . Owen Kennedy was frozen long ago, but he’s now been defrosted – and my goodness is he going to cause some trouble.

Pre-order now to make sure you get your Iron Druid hit as soon as it’s out.

And if you haven’t read the series yet but want to join in the fun, check out the first book HOUNDED (UK). While you’re at it, make sure to follow Kevin’s awesome Facebook page too.

The New Trudi Canavan THIEF’S MAGIC – out now!

Thief's Magic, the brand new fantasy novel from Sunday Times Bestseller Trudi Canavan, author of the Black Magician Trilogy
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The wait is over! THIEF’S MAGIC (UK|US|ANZ), the brand new fantasy novel from Trudi Canavan, is available this week.

It’s set in a brand new world, featuring a whole new cast of characters, and it’s her most thrilling fantasy adventure yet! You can read a free extract right here on Trudi’s Facebook page.

Trudi Canavan is an absolute phenomenon, with over 2 million copies sold worldwide. Last Christmas, we asked Trudi’s legions of fans to tell us exactly what they love so much about her books. Here’s a selection of the amazing feedback we received – this is why Trudi is loved by millions of readers all around the world:

‘Few fantasy authors can create characters so endearing that you fall in love with them. Trudi takes you on such an enjoyable journey with these characters that it leaves you wanting to re-read the same stories time and again’

‘The only author that wakes my imagination!’

‘I love reading fantasy but Trudi Canavan really stands out. She is one of those rare authors who manages to be both completely accessible and massive in scope’

‘She takes me to another land, a land full of magic and excitement’

‘Trudi’s books really let me escape from normal life, I feel like I’m actually there with the characters!’

‘An exceptional author who writes stories that are left in the imagination for years’

‘Her books help me escape everything that goes on in my day/week, have helped me to accept myself and inspire me to be creative everyday. Thank you Trudi for changing my life’

‘The interesting characters, the amazing world building and the mind-blowing make Trudi Canavan’s books the perfect read!’

Read a free extract of THIEF’S MAGIC by Trudi Canavan

Thief's Magic, the brand new fantasy novel from Sunday Times Bestseller Trudi Canavan, author of the Black Magician Trilogy
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It’s now just over a week until the release of THIEF’S MAGIC (UK|US|ANZ), the brand new fantasy adventure from No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author Trudi Canavan.

Millions of readers worldwide have read and enjoyed Trudi’s fantastic books – and this new novel is something to get VERY excited about.

It’s set in a brand new world, featuring a whole new cast of characters. It’s time to forget what you know about the nature of magic . . .

You can read a free extract of the book right now by visiting Trudi’s Facebook page. The more you share the extracts, the more we’ll unlock!

 

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August & Advice To My Past Self

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The extraordinary novel The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August (UK | US | ANZ) launches today, published by Orbit in the UK and Redhook in the US.

No matter what he does or the decisions he makes, when death comes, Harry always returns to where he began, a child with all the knowledge of a life he has already lived a dozen times before. Nothing ever changes . . . Until now.

Here the author Claire North tells us what advice she would give to her past self, in case she got the chance to live her life all over again . . .

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Your teachers and elders are not always right.  Age does not necessarily bring wisdom, and if you feel uncertain about yourself, someone else’s certainty does not make them right.  If anything, the more certain the other person is, the more you should question it. Have faith in your own mind, judgment and intelligence, and use it to question everything, even people who seem to be ‘above’ you in whatever place or time you happen to be in now.

Your friends are the best of you.  When you are down, remember that if a person can be judged by the company you keep, then you are frankly, amazing.  Because your friends are amazing and then some.  By which extension – when you meet them for the first time, trust the geeks.  They have found a thing they love and they have the guts to stand up for it, and through it, themselves.  When you’re trying to work out who you are, they can help.

Physicality is in your power.  The questions you ask about how you look, and more importantly how other people perceive your looks, is based on a false premise.  Charisma and confidence is a thing created in the mind, in how you see yourself and how you feel about yourself.  The rest is fluff.

Regret is not the same as wisdom.

When the monkey in the hoodie says ‘yes’ to ‘fixed’ and ‘off’ he is, in fact, wrong.

Concision is a rarer grace than wit.

Above all: do not be afraid.  Running away from something stupid or dangerous isn’t fear, it’s just good sense.  The rest however, the fear that will hold you back, is self-inflicted and can be beaten.  Do not be afraid.

Find a unique hand-written note in every HARRY AUGUST hardback

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Recently we’ve been asking people the following question: If you could go back, with what you know now, and give your past self a message, what would it be?

It’s a question inspired by the ingenious novel The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August (UK | US | ANZ) by Claire North, and we’ve had an amazing response already.

So many people are engaging with this novel in wonderful different ways because it’s such a unique book. So unique, in fact, that here in the UK we wanted to make each and every hardback of the book different in some way to reflect this . . .

So if you pick up a UK hardback copy of Harry August from your local store or online retailer, look out for one of the hand-written postcards inside. Every single one is different! Written on these postcards are individual pieces of advice – messages left from lives lived before, such as:

“Be on alert for a message when the clock strikes midnight”

“Your destiny awaits you in the honeysuckle hedge in the garden”

and “Remember to trust your gut instinct”

But amongst all the hardbacks out there, there are fifteen messages which are particularly special. This is because they’re signed by Harry August himself. If you’re lucky enough to find one of these cards, you can email orbit@littlebrown.co.uk to claim a prize: a treasure from one of Harry’s fifteen lives. Look at Harry’s study below to see what you could win!

A picture of Harry August's stufy, and all the prizes within it you could win - a competition to celebrate the release of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North

And don’t forget to read our full terms and conditions here.

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August is out next Tuesday 8th April from Orbit in the UK and ANZ, and from Redhook in the US.

Become part of the story by leaving a message to your past self at www.harryaugust.net

THE REMAINING: TRUST is available now!

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THE REMAINING: TRUST is the first in a series of novellas set in the world of D.J. Molles’s phenomenal Remaining saga.  It is a world ravaged by a virus that has turned 90% of the population into ravenous animals resulting in the complete collapse of society.

Following the initial outbreak and collapse of the social order, forty-eight “Coordinators”, specially trained soldiers of the U.S. Armed forces, are activated to locate survivors and restore order where they can. It’s a monumental order, and success seems all but impossible. The Remaining saga is the story of our darkest hours and those who were still willing to fight. Here’s a bit more about the novella:

“While Captain Lee Harden struggles to fulfill his part in Project Hometown his trusted friend and ally Major Abe Darabie works to hold up his end of the mission. But caught between his responsibility to the mission and the ambitions of a new president Abe must decide where his duty lies and whom he can trust in a country beset by the rabid infected, violent marauders, and fragile allegiances.”

Purchase THE REMAINING: TRUST by D.J. Molles, or check out The Remaining saga (available now in ebook, print editions coming Summer 2014).

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UNFETTERED – featuring Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson, Patrick Rothfuss and many others

Today we digitally release UNFETTERED: TALES BY MASTERS OF FANTASY.

It’s a stunning and diverse collection of fantasy fiction from some of the biggest names in the fantasy genre – including Terry Brooks, Patrick Rothfuss, Peter V. Brett, Mark Lawrence,  Naomi Novik, Kevin Hearne, Michael J. Sullivan, R. A Salvatore, Tad Williams, Lev Grossman and many others.

It also includes deleted scenes from Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson’s A MEMORY OF LIGHT, the final Wheel of Time novel.

The collection was gathered by Shawn Speakman, author and web guru for Terry Brooks. When Shawn fell ill back in 2011 and  was unable to cover his medical bills, the fantasy community showed its exceptional generosity by stepping forward to help out. All of the authors involved were kind enough to donate their stories the collection to help him cover the costs – and what was produced is a truly wonderful anthology.

This is the first time UNFETTERED has been published in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, and our Orbit edition contains an extra bonus story from Shawn himself. Please see below for a list of all the stories included.

It’s available now at a special introductory price, and so it’s a great time to sample the fiction of some of the some of the best-selling and most critically acclaimed authors writing in fantasy today.

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The power of the ordinary: hero tropes in epic fantasy

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There’s a whole fantasy trope based around the protagonist of the story discovering that, after the initial skirmish with the forces of evil, he or she is the Chosen One, the one person who has all the skills – mental, physical and magical – to defeat the big bad and win the day.

And we love hearing about them because we can dream we are them. We’re no longer ordinary; quite the opposite. We become, for the length of the tale, extraordinary; possessing such skills, strength and stamina that no other mortal can command. The Chosen One is the archetypal super-hero story: think of Greek and Persian legends, and you’re halfway there already.

But when the story ends, the clouds come over, the sky darkens, and the world becomes colder, harsher and less caring. We’re not the Chosen One. We’re nothing unusual. Not only can we not take the battle to the forces of evil, we don’t even know where to start. We simply have to accept the way things are, with no hope of changing the slow grind of life.

But hang on. That’s not necessarily the case. We know through experience that we can claim small, if temporary, victories that bring life and light to us and ours. And we know that being inspired by our fictional heroes and heroines can make us better people – G. K. Chesterton spoke the truth when he said: ‘Fairy tales don’t tell children that dragons exist; children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children that dragons can be killed.’ (more…)