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ITOW: May Bonanza – The Power of Three!

Where the fantastical and the occult are concerned three is undoubtedly the magic number. So when we were lucky enough to get not one, not two, but three of your favourite Orbit authors talking in their own words about, you’ve guessed it – their trilogies – well let’s just say we were happy!

In this bumper edition of ITOWs: Sean Williams talks candidly about the artistic influences, deep life questions (and of course the kick-ass space battles) that went into the writing of the finale of his Astropolis trilogy, Brian Ruckley speaks bloodshed, heroics, and the joys of treating his protagonists mean as he brings his Godless World trilogy to its epic conclusion, and Kelley Armstrong talks raising hell, writing for the young adult and the power of the ‘true trilogy.’

To quote Kelley ‘Happy Reading!’

All three titles are available from Orbit this month!

The Grand Conjunction: Book 3 of Astropolis [UK|AUZ], Fall of Thanes [UK|US|AUZ] The Awakening [UK]

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Cover Launch: Black Ships

Ah, John Jude Palencar, how do I love thee? Of all the “big name” fantasy & science fiction illustrators working in the genre, John Jude Palencar has always been my favorite. From a book fan and an art fan’s point of view, I have to say it’s gotten to the point that I will pick up a book simply because J.J.P. did the cover art. It was a fabulous piece of luck for me to be able to work with him in my very first season here at Orbit. Seriously, people, these are the kind of days you love your job.

John Jude Palencar is working on the mass market editions of all of Jo Graham’s books for us, (Hand of Isis is next) and the matchup between art and content couldn’t be better. I love the designs of the trade paperbacks, done by Mario Pulice, the Creative Director of Little Brown, and Debra Lill, a fabulous photographer and illustrator, but it’s always nice to change it up for a re-release in a new format. When the art (an actual oil painting! by Fed-Ex!) came into the office, I ran around like a giddy schoolgirl showing everyone. In fact, I will be very sad to have to eventually send the original art back to Mr. Palencar. (more…)

Want to Win a Signed, Personalised Hardback Copy of Fall of Thanes by Brian Ruckley?

Of course you do!

To celebrate the release of the much anticipated third title in the Godless World trilogy, Fall of Thanes, Orbit, in conjunction with Brian Ruckley and his hugely popular Winterbirth Facebook page, will be giving away two signed, personalised hardback copies of Fall of Thanes!

The competition will run for two weeks from today and winners will be selected at random on Friday the 8th and Friday the 15th of May.

To be in with a chance of winning simply head over to the Winterbirth Facebook page and become a fan. Every fully signed-up fan of the page will be entered into the draw. Signed up as a Fan already? Then you are already entered!

Brian has very kindly agreed to sign and personalise the books as per the wishes of the lucky winners, and what’s more he will be selecting each winner and posting the prizes with his own fair hands too! (He really does spoil you!)

Employees of Orbit (or its parent companies, Little, Brown and Hachette Livre) are not eligible to win and each entrant can only win once.  And of course, you must be a Facebook member to participate.

So, what are you waiting for? Logon and declare your Brian Ruckley Fandom now!

And for those of you who aren’t lucky enough to win but recognise a fab novel when you see one – Fall of Thanes is in shops this month. [UK/US/AUS]

Congratulations to Ken MacLeod!

So, how did you spend your Saturday evening? I spent mine at LX 2009, the 60th Eastercon, watching multiple World Fantasy Award-winning author, Tim Powers, present Ken MacLeod with a well-deserved BSFA Award for Best Novel for his latest book, The Night Sessions. A gripping hybrid of SF thriller and police procedural, The Night Sessions is set in the future of The Second Enlightenment, where religion has finally been crushed and removed from political life:

A priest is dead. Picking through the rubble of the demolished Edinburgh tenement, Detective Inspector Adam Ferguson discovers that the explosion wasn’t an accident. When a bishop is assassinated soon afterwards, it becomes clear that a targeted campaign of killings is underway. No one has seen anything like this since the Faith Wars.

After the Middle East wars and the rising sea levels – after Armageddon and the Flood – came the Great Rejection. The first Enlightenment separated church from state. The Second Enlightenment has separated religion from politics. In this enlightened age there’s no religious persecution, but believers are a marginal and mistrusted minority. And now someone is killing them. But who? And – perhaps more importantly – why?

The more his team learns, the more the suspicion grows that they may have stumbled upon a conspiracy way outside their remit. Nobody believes them, but if Ferguson and his people fail, there will be many more killings – and disaster on a literally biblical scale . . .

It’s a terrific book with a mystery to unravel and a future world to explore, told with the characteristic dry wit and insight that makes Ken MacLeod one of British science fiction’s most consistently interesting and acclaimed voices. But don’t take my word for it – you can read an extract of The Night Sessions, here, and if that whets your appetite, you’ll be delighted to learn that it’s out now in paperback from all good booksellers. Or you could always buy it in hardback if you wish – it is an award-winning novel, after all!

Congratulations, Ken, from all at Orbit!

Legend Shortlist Announced

We’ve just heard the fantastic news that two Orbit titles, Brent Weeks’ THE WAY OF SHADOWS (US, UK, AUS) and Andrzej Sapkowski’s BLOOD OF ELVES (US), have been shortlisted for the inaugural David Gemmell Legend Award. The Legend Award is unusual in that both the shortlist and the winner are decided by popular vote, rather than committee or convention-goers. We think it’s a great idea. It’s an award that gives general readers and fans everywhere the chance to support the books that they’re actually reading and enjoying. We’re also delighted to see a debut novel such as THE WAY OF SHADOWS on the shortlist. The Legend Award is named after David Gemmell’s own first novel, LEGEND, a modern classic of the fantasy genre.

The Way of ShadowsIt’s rare for a publisher to release all three books of a series in three consecutive months. But not as rare as it is for a new author to become the bestselling new Fantasy author in all three of the world’s largest English language markets (the US, UK, and Australia). That’s exactly what’s happened with Brent Weeks’ remarkable Night Angel Trilogy.

Orbit published THE WAY OF SHADOWS, SHADOW’S EDGE, and BEYOND THE SHADOWS in October, November and December last year, and with all three books out in rapid succession the Night Angel Trilogy quickly became a huge success wherever it was available. Brent’s writing has clearly struck a chord with fantasy readers around the globe. As recently reported, THE WAY OF SHADOWS has even debuted on the New York Times extended bestseller list, a full 6 months after its initial publication, proving that word of mouth is continuing to drive new readers to the series all the time.

The Blood of ElvesWe’re always thrilled to see one of our authors become a bestseller – but it’s particularly exciting when it’s a new author. Congratulations from all at Orbit to Brent on his remarkable success.

Andrzej Sapkowski is one of Poland’s bestselling authors, but another author only recently launched in the US. BLOOD OF ELVES is based on his character the Witcher — who inspired the critically acclaimed video game of the same name. His first book to be translated into English was THE LAST WISH, which we published last year, and BLOOD OF ELVES will be released in the US next month.

Best Served ColdA special Orbit hurrah too for Joe Abercrombie, who has also found his way onto the shortlist with THE LAST ARGUMENT OF KINGS. Orbit is publishing Joe’s new novel, BEST SERVED COLD, in the US in July. And it’s bloody marvelous.

Don’t forget to vote for your favorite book on the DGLA shortlist, which can be found here.