Posts Tagged ‘science fiction’

Cover Launch: TRANSLATION STATE by Ann Leckie, plus new editions of The Imperial Radch trilogy and PROVENANCE

2023 will mark ten years since Ancillary Justice published and changed the sci-fi landscape. It will also be the year that Ann Leckie’s brand-new novel, Translation State (US | UK), hits shelves in June 2023.

Take a look at the stunning cover for Translation State, catch the synopsis down below, and take a peek at our new editions of Ancillary Justice (US | UK), Ancillary Sword (US | UK), Ancillary Mercy (US | UK), and Provenance (US | UK), coming May 2023! You can also check out an exclusive first chapter excerpt of Translation State over at io9.

Translation State by Ann Leckie

Cover Design by Lauren Panepinto

The mystery of a missing translator sets three lives on a collision course that will have a ripple effect across the stars in this powerful new novel by award-winning author Ann Leckie. 

Qven was created to be a Presger translator. The pride of their Clade, they always had a clear path before them: learn human ways, and eventually, make a match and serve as an intermediary between the dangerous alien Presger and the human worlds. The realization that they might want something else isn’t “optimal behavior.” I’s the type of behavior that results in elimination.

But Qven rebels. And in doing so, their path collides with those of two others. Enae, a reluctant diplomat whose dead grandmaman has left hir an impossible task as an inheritance: hunting down a fugitive who has been missing for over 200 years. And Reet, an adopted mechanic who is increasingly desperate to learn about his genetic roots—or anything that might explain why he operates so differently from those around him.

As a Conclave of the various species approaches—and the long-standing treaty between the humans and the Presger is on the line—the decisions of all three will have ripple effects across the stars.

Masterfully merging space adventure and mystery, and a poignant exploration about relationships and belonging, Translation State is a triumphant new standalone story set in Leckie’s celebrated Imperial Radch universe.

 

Cover Design by Lauren Panepinto

Cover Launch: MACHINE VENDETTA by Alastair Reynolds

Take a look at the stunning cover for Machine Vendetta (US) by Alastair Reynolds and catch the synopsis below!

Machine Vendetta by Alastair Reynolds

Cover Design by Alexia Mazis

From the king of modern space opera comes a new adventure in the Prefect Dreyfus series—Machine Vendetta is a thrilling tale of deadly conspiracies and old enemies that refuse to die. 

Panoply is a small, efficient police force, dedicated to maintaining the rule of democracy among the ten thousand disparate city-states orbiting the planet Yellowstone.

Ingvar Tench was one of Panoply’s most experienced operatives. So why did she walk alone and unarmed into a habitat with a vicious grudge against her organization?

As his colleagues pick up the pieces following her death, Prefect Tom Dreyfus must face his conscience. Four years ago, when an investigation linked to one of his most dangerous adversaries got a little too personal, Dreyfus arranged for Tench to continue the inquiry by proxy. In using her, did Dreyfus also put her in the line of fire? And what does Tench’s attack tell him about an enemy he had hoped was dormant?

Cover Launch: THE BLIGHTED STARS by Megan E. O’Keefe

The Blighted Stars (US | UK) is the first installment in The Devoured Worlds, Megan E. O’Keefe’s brand new science fiction trilogy beginning May 2023. Take a look at the stunning cover and catch the synopsis below!

The Blighted Stars by Megan E. O'Keefe

Cover Design by Lauren Panepinto; Cover Illustration by Jaime Jones

When a spy is stranded on a dead planet with her mortal enemy, she must first figure out how to survive before she can uncover the conspiracy that landed them there. This first book in a new epic space opera trilogy by award-winning author Megan E. O’Keefe is perfect for fans of Children of Time, Semiosis, and Ancillary Justice.

She’s a revolutionary. Humanity is running out of options. Habitable planets are being destroyed as quickly as they’re found and Naira Sharp thinks she knows the reason why. The all-powerful Mercator family has been controlling the exploration of the universe for decades, and exploiting any materials they find along the way under the guise of helping humanity’s expansion. But Naira knows the truth, and she plans to bring the whole family down from the inside.

He’s the heir to the dynasty. Tarquin Mercator never wanted to run a galaxy-spanning business empire. He just wanted to study rocks and read books. But Tarquin’s father has tasked him with monitoring the settlement of a new planet, and he doesn’t really have a choice in the matter.

Disguised as Tarquin’s new bodyguard, Naira plans to destroy the settlement ship before they make land. But neither of them expects to end up stranded on a dead planet. To survive and keep her secret, Naira will have to join forces with the man she’s sworn to hate. And together they will uncover a plot that’s bigger than both of them.

Cover Launch: THE COMBAT CODES by Alexander Darwin

The Combat Codes (US | UK) is the first book in a debut, action-packed and character-driven science fiction trilogy set in a far future world where the fate of nations is determined by battle-hardened warriors who are trained to compete in brutal single combat. Take a look at the stunning cover below and pick up a copy when it arrives in bookstores June 2023.

The Combat Codes by Alexander Darwin

Cover Design by Lauren Panepinto; Cover Illustration by Peter Bollinger

Hundreds of years ago on a planet once ravaged by war, the nations swore an armistice never to use weapons of mass destruction again. Today, battle-hardened warriors known as Grievar Knights train to represent their nations’ interests in brutal hand-to-hand combat.

Murray Pearson was once a famed Knight until he suffered a loss that crippled his nation—but now he’s on the hunt to find and train the next champion.

In underground and ruthless combat rings, an orphaned boy called Cego is making a name for himself. Murray believes Cego has what it takes to make it in the world’s most prestigious combat academy—but Cego has to fight his way out of the underground first.

Cover Launch: BEYOND THE REACH OF EARTH

We’re thrilled to share the cover for BEYOND THE REACH OF EARTH (UK) by Ken MacLeod, the second book in the Lightspeed trilogy, a gripping tale of first contact and dark conspiracies set among the stars.

BEYOND THE REACH OF EARTH hits shelves in March 2023, and is available for pre-order now. You can check out the stunning cover, designed by Duncan Spilling L,BBG below and read on for a taste of what’s in store. . .

A book cover of Beyond the Reach of Earth by Ken MacLeod that shows a small spaceship flying at hyper-speed towards a large blue gas giant planet.

With the invention of faster-than-light travel there is nowhere that humanity cannot go. New worlds are discovered, but with them come new dangers.

At the heart of the discovery is the Fermi, mysterious beings that have survived on alien worlds for longer than humanity has existed. But now the Fermi are awakening, and they do not seem pleased to find humans in their midst.

But for Lakshmi Nayak and the crew of the Fighting Chance, danger is a lot closer to home. Their search for answers will take them to places, and worlds, they never expected.

Praise for Ken MacLeod:

‘An exceptional blend of international politics, hard science, and first contact’ Michael Mammay, author of the Planetside series on Beyond the Hallowed Sky

‘MacLeod is up there with Banks and Hamilton as one of the British sci-fi authors you absolutely have to read’ SFX

‘Prose as sleek and fast as the technology it describes. . . watch this man go global’ Peter F. Hamilton on Star Fraction

‘Ken MacLeod has an enviable track record of extrapolating from current trends to produce mind-bending novels of ideas’ Guardian

Acquisition Announcement: TRANSLATION STATE by Ann Leckie

Ann Leckie
Photo Credit: MissionPhoto.org

ANN LECKIE RETURNS!

After winning the trifecta of the Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke awards for her groundbreaking debut Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie has gone on to sell millions of copies worldwide, becoming a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and firmly establishing herself as one of the most lauded, inventive, and powerful voices of modern SFF. As John Scalzi so aptly put it, “There are few who write science fiction like Ann Leckie can. There are few who ever could.”

2023 will mark ten years since Ancillary Justice published and changed the sci-fi landscape. It will also be the year that Leckie’s brand-new novel, Translation State, hits shelves. That’s right! In summer 2023, Ann Leckie returns…

Set in the celebrated world of the Imperial Radch novels, Translation State follows an entirely new cast of characters, masterfully merging space adventure, mystery, and a poignant exploration about relationships and belonging. We cannot wait for current fans and new readers to fall in love with this sensational standalone. And the great news is, it’s available for pre-order now (US)!

Says Leckie: “These are characters I’ve lived with a long time, and it’s been so wonderful to finally put them down on the page. It’s been a pleasure to return to the world of the Imperial Radch, and I’m excited and hopeful that readers will have as much fun with Translation State as I have.”

Orbit US Senior Editor Priyanka Krishnan acquired World English Rights to Translation State and a second standalone novel from Seth Fishman at The Gernert Company. Orbit UK Editorial Director Jenni Hill acquired UK rights.

 

The mystery of a missing translator sets three lives on a collision course that will have a ripple effect across the stars in this powerful new novel by award-winning author Ann Leckie.

Qven was created to be a Presger translator. The pride of their Clade, they always had a clear path before them: learn human ways, and eventually, make a match and serve as an intermediary between the dangerous alien Presger and the human worlds. The realization that they might want something else isn’t “optimal behavior”—it’s the type of behavior that results in elimination.

But Qven rebels. And in doing so, their path collides with that of two others. Enae, a reluctant diplomat whose dead grandmaman has left hir an impossible task as an inheritance: hunting down a fugitive who has been missing for over 200 years. And Reet, an adopted mechanic who is increasingly desperate to learn about his genetic roots—or anything that might explain why he operates so differently from those around him.

As a Conclave of the various species approaches—and the long-standing treaty between the humans and the Presger is on the line—the decisions of all three will have ripple effects across the stars.

Acquisition announcement: INFINITY GATE by M. R. Carey

M. R. Carey is back! And in colossally epic style . . .

You might know M. R. Carey from his million-copy bestseller The Girl With All the Gifts, or perhaps his brilliant The Book of Koli, which received the special citation at the Philip K. Dick Awards.

He’s been said to heft ‘astonishing storytelling power’ by Locus and has been described as ‘one of the most inventive voices in contemporary fiction’ by i09.

Well now we’re excited to announce a brand new novel from Mike that’s going to knock your science fictional socks off.

Releasing in March 2023, Infinity Gate (UK|US) is a major new SF novel set in the multiverse. It’s the first book in a duology called the Pandominion, with the second book due to release in Spring 2024.

We’re excited to show you the cover for Infinity Gate below, from our very talented designer Nico Taylor.

Book cover for INFINITY GATE by M. R. Carey showing Earth from space, with different coloured sections to represent alternate versions of Earth in other dimensions

Infinity Gate is a thrilling tale set of humanity’s expansion across millions of alternate dimensions, and the AI technology that might see it all come to an end . . .

INFINITY IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.

The Pandominion is a political and trading alliance of a million worlds – except that they’re really just the one world, Earth, in many different realities. And when an AI threat arises that could destroy everything the Pandominion has built, they’ll eradicate it by whatever means necessary, no matter the cost to human life.

Scientist Hadiz Tambuwal is looking for a solution to her own Earth’s environmental collapse when she stumbles across the secret of inter-dimensional travel. It could save everyone on her dying planet, but now she’s walked into the middle of a war on a scale she never dreamed of.

 

Here’s what the esteemed Tade Thompson has to say about it:

‘Infinity Gate is a powerful exploration of the near-future, skilfully and seamlessly weaving different realities and different iterations of AI . . . Carey has the experience, imagination and verve to pull it off. A compelling entry and a must-read!’ Tade Thompson, Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author of Rosewater

Infinity Gate is coming in March next year. It’s available for pre-order now (UK|US).

Acquisition Announcement: Children of Memory by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Orbit is thrilled to announce our acquisition of Children of Memory (US), the unmissable follow-up to the highly acclaimed Children of Time and Children of Ruin, by Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author Adrian Tchaikovsky. In this modern classic of space opera, humanity continues to battle for survival in the stars.Children of Memory by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Earth failed. In a desperate bid to escape, the spaceship Enkidu carried its precious human cargo to a potential new paradise. Generations later, this fragile colony has managed to survive, eking out a hardy existence. Yet life is tough, and much technological knowledge has been lost.

 Then strangers appear. They possess unparalleled knowledge and thrilling technology—and they’ve arrived from another world—to help humanity’s colonies. But not all is as it seems, and the price of the strangers’ help may be the colony itself.

 

Children of Memory (US) will be on shelves in January 2023. While you wait, check out Children of Time and Children of Ruin. And if you want more Adrian Tchaikovsky, look no further than his new space opera trilogy, The Final Architecture—Shards of Earth and Eyes of the Void available now.

Children of Time by Adrian TchaikovskyChildren of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Shards of Earth by Adrian TchaikovskyEyes of the Void by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Praise for Adrian Tchaikovsky:

“Brilliant science fiction and far-out worldbuilding.” —James McAvoy on Children of Time

“One of the most interesting and accomplished writers in speculative fiction.” —Christopher Paolini

“A novel of sublime plot twists and spectacular set pieces, all underpinned by great ideas.” —Stephen Baxter on Children of Ruin

“Children of Time is a joy from start to finish. Entertaining, smart, surprising, and unexpectedly human.” —Patrick Ness

 

*Children of Memory is published by Pan Macmillan in the UK.

Acquisition Announcement: SOME DESPERATE GLORY by Emily Tesh

Orbit UK is  delighted to announce the acquisition of  World Fantasy Award-Winning author Emily Tesh’s highly anticipated debut novel, SOME DESPERATE GLORY. A thrillingly told queer space opera full of complex characters and boundless imagination. By turns epic and intimate, it’s coming-of-age story about what empires and systems of war do to the young soldiers in their care. It’s about overcoming indoctrination and who you must become when every choice is stripped from you.

Read on for a taste of what’s in store:

Kyr lives in the bowels of Gaea Station alongside the last scraps of humanity, training for the day she can avenge the destruction of planet Earth at the hands of the all-powerful, reality-shifting weapon known as the Wisdom. She trusts and even loves Command, but when they assign the wrong missions – her beloved brother Magnus to a useless suicide and her to bear sons until she dies trying – she knows she has to take humanity’s revenge into her own hands.

But she soon learns that not everything she’s been raised to believe is true and the Wisdom is far more complex and dangerous than she could ever have imagined.

 

Emily Tesh, a two-time Astounding Award finalist, is the author of the World Fantasy Award-winning Greenhollow Duology. She grew up in London and studied Classics at Trinity College, Cambridge, followed by a Master’s degree in Humanities at the University of Chicago. She now lives in Hertfordshire, where she passes her time teaching Latin and Ancient Greek to schoolchildren who have done nothing to deserve it. She has a husband and a cat. Neither of them knows any Latin yet, but it is not for lack of trying.

We can’t wait to share Some Desperate Glory with you next year! In the meantime, please join us in welcoming Emily to Orbit. You can find her on Instagram and at emilytesh.net.

Cover Launch: BEYOND THE HALLOWED SKY by Ken MacLeod

We’re delighted to reveal the cover for BEYOND THE HALLOWED SKY, the first novel in the Lightspeed trilogy, from science fiction legend Ken MacLeod.

Humankind is on the precipice of a great discovery – the invention of faster-than-light travel – that will unlock a universe of new possibilities, and new dangers. BEYOND THE HALLOWED SKY hits shelves in November and you can pre-order your copy now! Read on for a taste of what’s in store. . .

Cover design by Duncan Spilling

When a brilliant scientist gets a letter from herself about faster-than-light travel, she doesn’t know what to believe. The equations work, but her paper is discredited – and soon the criticism is more than scientific. Exiled by the establishment, she gets an offer to build her starship from an unlikely source. But in the heights of Venus and on a planet of another star, a secret is already being uncovered that will shake humanity to its foundations.

Praise for Ken MacLeod:

‘Ken MacLeod is up there with Banks and Hamilton as one of the British sci-fi authors you absolutely have to read’ SFX

‘He is writing revolutionary science fiction. A nova has appeared in our sky’ Kim Stanley Robinson, on The Star Fraction

‘Prose as sleek and fast as the technology it describes . . . watch this man go global’ Peter F. Hamilton on The Star Fraction

‘Science fiction’s freshest new writer . . . MacLeod is a fiercely intelligent, prodigiously well-read author who manages to fill his books with big issues without weighing them down’ Salon  

You can find Ken MacLeod on Twitter @amendlocke