Archive for Press Releases

A brand new fantasy trilogy by Andrzej Sapkowski, New York Times bestselling author of the Witcher novels!

It’s an abundance of riches for Andrzej Sapkowski fans: Not only are the Witcher books in production with Netflix, but we are delighted to announce that the beloved author is launching a brand new series: The Hussite Trilogy. Taking place during the vibrantly depicted Hussite Wars, the trilogy begins with The Tower of Fools, and follows the epic adventures of Reinmar of Bielau, known as Reynevan, a hero who is forced on the run across a war-shadowed landscape after being caught in an affair with a knight’s wife. He is pursued not only by a pair of brothers bent on vengeance, but also by the Holy Inquisition, while strange, mystical forces gather in the shadows. Fans of Geralt of Rivia will find much to love in Reynevan, and it goes without saying that the books will feature the rich lore and gritty action that have become Sapkowski’s trademarks.

Rights were acquired from Patricia Pasqualini at Patricia Pasqualini Literary Agency. The trilogy will be published by Orbit in the US and Gollancz in the UK and translated by David French, who has worked with Sapkowski on the last six Witcher books.

Andrzej Sapkowski said: ‘The Hussite trilogy is my tour de force. I consider it to be my best work to date. I can’t wait for readers to meet my new hero, Reinmar of Bielau, aka Reynevan, whose adventures take him through a land torn by religious wars. I am thrilled to be working with David French and the energetic Gollancz and Orbit teams again!’

Patricia Pasqualini said: ‘From Poland to the Netflix studios, Sapkowski’s heroes have conquered the hearts of readers everywhere. In the Hussite Trilogy, the hero, Reynevan, is thrown into the whirlpool of History. Readers will love his adventures, which combine fantasy and naughty humour, seriousness and the grotesque, conspiracies and lovable characters. The Witcher saga may be over, but Sapkowski’s devoted fans will find in the Trilogy plenty of adventures to sink their teeth into!’

Andrzej Sapkowski was born in 1948 in Poland. He is now one of Poland’s most famous and successful authors, selling more in his own country than Stephen King or Michael Crichton.

Look for The Tower of Fools in 2020!

 

Hillbilly Television Options M. R. Carey’s New Novel SOMEONE LIKE ME

See below for an exciting press release that has gone out about M. R. Carey’s new novel SOMEONE LIKE ME! (UK|US|ANZ)

 

SOMEONE LIKE ME

 

London-based production company Hillbilly Television has optioned rights for Someone Like Me, the new novel by M. R. Carey, author of the million-copy bestselling The Girl With All the Gifts.

Someone Like Me will be published worldwide in November 2018 by Orbit – an imprint of Little Brown Book Group in the UK and Hachette Book Group in the US. A modern take on the Jekyll and Hyde story, the novel is described by the publisher as “an extraordinary thriller with a twist you won’t see coming.”

Hillbilly Television was co-founded by Polly Leys and Kate Norrish, whose collective credits include The Full Monty and Second Coming, starring Idris Elba.

Leys and Norrish commented “We’re absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to adapt Someone Like Me for television. Mike’s reputation precedes him both as a novelist and screenwriter and it’s an exciting prospect to be working with him on this. Someone Like Me is a surprising and compelling story that will appeal to Mike’s existing fanbase as well as introducing more fans to his incredible work”.

Mike commented, “It’s a real pleasure to be working with Hillbilly. They’re amazing – and inspiring – in their insight, energy and commitment to story. I’m hugely enjoying the process of adapting the novel for a new medium with them.”

Over the past two years, Hillbilly has produced prestigious TV drama series for both UK and international broadcasters. Stand-out titles include ITV’s tense thriller The Level, whose all-star cast includes Phillip Glenister, Karla Crome and Laura Haddock; Debbie Tucker Green’s acclaimed Random for Channel 4, whose slew of awards include a BAFTA for Best Single Drama; and new comedy drama Loaded, co-produced by Keshet UK for Channel 4 and AMC, which has now been acquired by Netflix.

The deal was negotiated by Meg Davis at the Ki Agency Ltd, London.

 

Cover Launch: A BOY AND HIS DOG AT THE END OF THE WORLD

With a simultaneous launch across all our channels today, we’re proud to share a new cover by Lauren Panepinto and Lisa Marie Pompilio.

My name’s Griz. I’ve never been to school, I’ve never had friends, in my whole life I’ve not met enough people to play a game of football. My parents told me how crowded the world used to be, before all the people went away, but we were never lonely on our remote island. We had each other, and our dogs.

Then the thief came.

He told stories of the deserted towns and cities beyond our horizons. I liked him – until I woke to find he had stolen my dog. So I chased him out into the ruins of the world.

I just want to get my dog back, but I found more than I ever imagined was possible. More about how the world ended. More about what my family’s real story is. More about what really matters.

A BOY AND HIS DOG AT THE END OF THE WORLD is coming April 2019, and it’s the most powerful story you’ll read next year. Reminiscent of THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS and STATION ELEVEN, Griz’s tale mixes sadness and hope in one unforgettable character’s quest amid the remnants of our fragile civilisation.

New Acquisition: THE GUTTER PRAYER by Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan

The Gutter Prayer

It’s time to start getting excited, because Orbit has acquired a gripping new epic fantasy from debut author Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan.

THE GUTTER PRAYER is a visceral tale of revenge and betrayal, set in a world of dark gods and dangerous magic.

It follows the story of three friends, who find themselves betrayed by the thieves’ brotherhood – set up to take the fall for a crime they didn’t commit. Their quest for revenge finds them at the heart of a conspiracy to reignite a centuries-old magical war. A war that would bring devastation to their city. And the world beyond.

Buzz is already building for this wildly original debut with some fantastic early reviews:

‘A ground breaking and extraordinary novel . . . Ryder-Hanrahan has an astonishing imagination’
Peter McLean, author of Priest of Bones

‘Beautifully written. Gripping. Guerdon is the city of my dreams’
Anna Smith Spark, author of The Court of Broken Knives

‘Laced with the blackest of humour and packed with magic and mayhem, this is fantasy turned up to 11’
Anna Stephens, author of Godblind

THE GUTTER PRAYER will hit shelves in January 2019, with the second book in the series following a year later. We’re thrilled to welcome Gareth to the Orbit family! Say hello to him on twitter @Mytholder.

Author photo by Edel Ryder-Hanrahan.

Acquisition Announcement: EMPIRE OF SAND by Tasha Suri

As announced in Publishers Weekly, Orbit has acquired World English rights to debut author Tasha Suri’s EMPIRE OF SAND, a captivating epic fantasy inspired by Mughal-Indian history. If you loved City of Brass, Uprooted, or The Wrath & the Dawn, EMPIRE OF SAND is your new must-read.

A nobleman’s daughter with magic in her blood. An empire built on the dreams of enslaved gods. 

The Amrithi are outcasts; nomads descended of desert spirits, they are coveted and persecuted throughout the Empire for the power in their blood. Mehr is the illegitimate daughter of an imperial governor and an exiled Amrithi mother she can barely remember, but whose face and magic she has inherited. Unbeknownst to her, she can manipulate the dreams of the gods to alter the face of the world.

When Mehr’s power comes to the attention of the Emperor’s most feared mystics, she is coerced into their service, as they are determined to harness her magic for the glory of the Empire. She must use every ounce of will, subtlety, and power she possesses to resist the mystics’ cruel agenda—and should she fail, the gods themselves may awaken seeking vengeance…

Look out for EMPIRE OF SAND this fall! While you’re waiting with bated breath, go say hello to Tasha on Twitter at @tashadrinkstea. Please give her a warm welcome to Orbit!

Winner of Africa’s First Speculative Fiction Award Announced alongside Orbit Publishing Deal

 Tade Thompson, author of ROSEWATER (photo credit David Thompson)Please join us in welcoming Tade Thompson to the Orbit family! The news is out – we will be publishing his Rosewater trilogy next year.

Tade’s also just had another VERY exciting bit of news to announce, as Rosewater was awarded Best Novel today at the inaugural Nommo Awards. These are the first awards ever given for African speculative fiction or science fiction – a landmark moment for the genre and for Tade!

The winners were announced as part of the Ake Arts and Book Festival in Abeokuta, Nigeria, and also included Nnedi Okorafor’s Binti winning Best Novella and a tie between Lesley Nneka Arimah and Tendai Huchu for Best Short Story. The awards were set up by the African Speculative Fiction Society.

While Rosewater was originally published by indie press Apex Book Company agent Alexander Cochran (C+W Agency ) sold world rights in this and two more novels in the trilogy to Orbit last month. The trilogy will chronicle the effects and aftereffects of a biological catastrophe first on an individual, then on a community and finally the world.

Rosewater is a town on the edge. A community formed around the edges of a mysterious biodome, its residents comprise the hopeful, the hungry and the helpless – people eager for a glimpse inside the dome or a taste of its rumoured healing powers.
Kaaro is a government agent with a criminal past. He has seen inside the biodome, and doesn’t care to again – but when something begins killing off others like himself, Kaaro must defy his masters to search for an answer, facing his dark history and coming to a realisation about a horrifying future.

Tade Thompson is the author of Rosewater, a John W. Campbell Award finalist and Best Novel winner for the inaugural 2017 NOMMO Awards for African speculative fiction. His novella The Murders of Molly Southbourne has recently been optioned for screen adaptation. He also writes short stories, notably ‘The Apologists’ which was nominated for a British Science Fiction Association award. Born in London to Yoruba parents, he lives and works on the south coast of England where he battles an addiction to books.

Orbit and Gollancz to Publish Season of Storms by Award-Winning Polish Author Andrzej Sapkowski

NEW YORK, NY and LONDON (May 19, 2017) – Orbit (US) and Gollancz (UK) announced that they have acquired a new novel in the Witcher universe by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.

The Witcher series of fantasy novels, which began with The Last Wish (US | UK), is an international phenomenon, with individual books having appeared on the New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller lists. The most recent, The Lady of the Lake (US | UK), was a USA Today bestseller. Sapkowski recently won the World Fantasy Award – Life Achievement for his career as a fantasy novelist.

The new novel, Season of Storms, has never before been published in English and will be translated by David French. It will be a prequel, in which readers will learn the origin story of protagonist Geralt. It is scheduled for publication in May 2018, in hardcover format in the US and trade paperback format in the UK. It will also be available in both territories as an e-book and audiobook.

Netflix recently announced that a TV adaptation of the Witcher series is in the works, produced by The Expanse executive producers Sean Daniel and Jason Brown as well as Platige Image’s Jarek Sawko and Tomek Bagiński, who is an Acadamy Award-nominated director and will direct at least one episode per season. The Witcher series is also the inspiration for the popular video game series of the same name.

Praise for Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher novels:

“Complex, unsentimental and anchored in brutal shared history.”
— SFX

“Like Mieville and Gaiman, Sapkowski takes the old and makes it new.”
— Foundation

Andrzej Sapkowski is one of Poland’s most successful authors, selling more in his own country than Stephen King or Michael Crichton. He has won numerous awards including the DAVID GEMMELL LEGEND AWARD and the GRAND PRIX DE L’IMAGINAIRE. Born in 1948 in Łódź, Sapkowski studied economics and worked as a financier until the success of his fantasy cycle about the Witcher, Geralt of Rivia, turned him into a bestselling writer. His books have now been translated into almost 20 languages and The Witcher games, inspired by Sapkowski’s books, have sold over 20 million copies worldwide. A signed copy of one of his books was given to President Obama as a diplomatic gift by the Polish Prime Minister.

About Orbit
Launched in 2007, Orbit is the science fiction and fantasy imprint of Hachette Book Group. Orbit has quickly established itself as one of the market-leading SFF imprints in the US, and the fastest growing imprint in the field. Our authors include New York Times and international bestsellers Joe Abercrombie, M.R. Carey, Gail Carriger, James S.A. Corey, N.K. Jemisin, Ann Leckie, Kim Stanley Robinson, Andrzej Sapkowski, and Brent Weeks. In recent years, we have published two Hugo Award winners: The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin, and Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie, which became the first novel to win every major award in the field.

About Hachette Book Group
Hachette Book Group is a leading trade publisher based in New York and a division of Hachette Livre (a Lagardère company), the third-largest trade and educational publisher in the world. HBG is made up of eight publishing groups: Little, Brown and Company; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Grand Central Publishing; Perseus Books; Orbit; Hachette Books; Hachette Nashville; and Hachette Audio.

About Gollancz
Gollancz is the oldest specialist SF & Fantasy publisher in the UK. Founded in 1927 and with a continuous SF publishing programme dating back to 1961, the imprint of the Orion Publishing Group is home to a galaxy of award-winning and bestselling authors. Through our long-running SF and Fantasy Masterworks programme, and major digital initiative the SF Gateway, Gollancz has one of the largest ranges of SF and Fantasy of any publisher in the world.

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The Witcher Is Coming To Netflix – Read the Books That Started It All.

Read the Witcher books by Andrzej Sapkowski

Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher saga, which started with The Last Wish (US | UK) and has continued over 8 books, is getting the Netflix treatment. In a press release, Netflix Vice President Erik Barmack says, “Andrzej Sapkowski has created a rich and memorable world, at once magical and familiar. We couldn’t be more excited about bringing the Witcher saga to Netflix members around the world.” Sapkowski, for his part, said, “I’m thrilled that Netflix will be doing an adaptation of my stories, staying true to the source material and the themes that I have spent over thirty years writing.”

Sean Daniel and Jason Brown, most recently of The Expanse, will act as executive producers, and Tomek Bagiński and Jarek Sawko from Platige Image, the Polish production and visual effects company that produced many of the cinematics from The Witcher III: The Wild Hunt, will also produce. Additionally, Bagiński will direct at least one episode per season.

 Speaking about the books on which the show will be based, Baginski and Sawko said, “There is a moral and intellectual depth in these books which goes beyond genre. It is a story about today and today’s challenges, hidden under a fantasy cover. It is a story about us, about the monster and the hero inside all of our hearts.”

Where should you start reading the Witcher books? We’ve created a handy guide that will get you up to speed on the lore before the show launches!

Read the official press release: Platige Image – THE WITCHER Saga on Netflix

‘CONTEMPORARY AND AS GRIMDARK AS IT COMES’: Announcing New Books from Adrian Selby

We were thrilled last year to publish Adrian Selby’s fantasy debut SNAKEWOOD, which has received rave reviews for its razor-sharp action scenes, original worldbuilding and gripping plot. If you’ve not yet read this wonderfully gritty tale about a band of twenty mercenaries who are being assassinated one by one by an unknown enemy, then never fear: the paperback is out this week!

That’s not all – we’re delighted to announce that Orbit have acquired two new books from Adrian and his agent Jamie Cowen, both fantasy adventures set in the same world as SNAKEWOOD. Adrian took twenty years to write his debut tale of twenty mercenaries, but we won’t have to wait that long again – the second book will be out in 2018. We’re counting down the days already.

Adrian can be found online at his website and on Twitter.

Praise for SNAKEWOOD:

‘Contemporary and as grimdark as it comes’ British Fantasy Society

‘Perfect for fans of Joe Abercrombie’ RT Book Reviews

‘Absolutely fascinating and incredibly original’ Sense of Wonder

‘Relish the well-choreographed action scenes in this debut fantasy’ Library Journal

‘Wears its grimdark on its sleeve … a thrilling tale of adventure, betrayal, triumph and loss’ Interzone

‘A lot to enjoy, especially if you are a fan of dark, gritty, old-soldier stories’ Fantasy Faction

‘Demonstrates the command of style, character, plotting, and world building of a seasoned author’ Booklist

‘A fantasy novel that remembers that battles leave all kinds of scars’ B&N Science Fiction and Fantasy blog

‘I give it nothing but the highest recommendation’ Grimdark magazine

Orbit Acquires Three Books by Hugo Award-Winning Author N.K. Jemisin

portrait of N.K. Jemisin FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW YORK, NY (January 9, 2017) – Orbit has acquired three new novels by Hugo Award-winning author N.K. Jemisin. All three will be published by Orbit in both the United States and the United Kingdom, and as audio editions by Hachette Audio.

Acquiring editor Brit Hvide said, “N. K. Jemisin is one of the most creative, incisive, and important writers working in fantasy today, and her recent Hugo win only underlines that fact. We at Orbit are proud to continue publishing Jemisin’s work and to amplify her remarkable voice.”

Jemisin is the author of THE FIFTH SEASON (US | UK | AUS), THE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS (US | UK | AUS), THE KILLING MOON (US | UK | AUS) and other widely acclaimed fantasy novels. Her Hugo Award win for The Fifth Season was historic, making her the first black writer to take home that award for Best Novel.

The first newly-acquired book, currently untitled, will be Jemisin’s first set in our world, and is a contemporary fantasy dealing with themes of race and power in New York City. It has a projected publication date of April 2019.

N. K. Jemisin said, “I’ve been very happy with Orbit and am thrilled that they’re giving me more chances to explore my creative visions. This is an idea that I’ve been thinking about for a long time and I’m glad to finally be able to put it to the page.

The Fifth Season was also nominated for the Nebula and World Fantasy Awards for Best Novel. It was a New York Times Notable Book of 2015 and has been called “intricate and extraordinary” (New York Times), “astounding” (NPR Books), “amazing” (Bustle), and “unflinching” (Kirkus, starred review). THE OBELISK GATE (US | UK | AUS), the sequel to The Fifth Season, was published by Orbit in August 2016 and the third book in the trilogy, THE STONE SKY (US | UK | AUS) will be published in Summer 2017.

About Orbit

Orbit is the science fiction and fantasy imprint of Hachette Book Group.

About Hachette Book Group:

Hachette Book Group is a leading trade publisher based in New York and a division of Hachette Livre (a Lagardère company), the third-largest trade and educational publisher in the world. HBG is made up of eight publishing groups: Little, Brown and Company; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Grand Central Publishing; Perseus Books; Orbit; Hachette Books; Hachette Nashville; and Hachette Audio.

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For more information, contact:
Ellen Wright, Senior Publicist