Posts Tagged ‘science fiction’

An update regarding THE CULTURE: NOTES AND DRAWINGS by Iain M. Banks and Ken MacLeod

We are pleased to share an exciting publication update with everyone who has been looking forward to the release of The Culture: Notes and Drawings by Iain M. Banks and Ken MacLeod.

As fans of Iain M. Banks’ vastly popular Culture series will be aware, Iain painstakingly designed every element of the Culture’s universe long before the novels were first published. From ships to weapons, language to nomenclature, flora to fauna, the whole of the Culture existed in the form of intricate sketches, notes, tables and charts, many years ahead of its appearance in fiction.

This archival material provides a fascinating insight into Iain’s extraordinary mind. It was originally due to be published as a single volume, accompanied by text from the award-winning Ken MacLeod, who was a close friend of Iain’s. However, to ensure that Iain’s exceptionally detailed drawings can be appreciated in their original format and scale, we are delighted to announce that the material will now be published as two separate editions.

The first release will be a beautiful, full-colour, large-format landscape artbook called The Culture: The Drawings, which will present Iain’s drawings exactly as he intended them to be seen.

Following this, we will publish a Culture companion book that celebrates the world of the Culture through Iain’s own writing. With accompanying text from Ken MacLeod, it will include an extensive selection of Iain’s notes, tables and charts relating to the Culture universe, as well as extracts from the novels.

Given these changes in our publication plans, we are now cancelling the single edition entitled The Culture: Notes and Drawings that was scheduled for 14th October 2021. We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who had pre-ordered this single edition, and we’ll soon be announcing the release dates for the two new publications mentioned above, so please follow @orbitbooks on Twitter for updates.

Cover Launch: FAR FROM THE LIGHT OF HEAVEN by Tade Thompson

We’re thrilled to announce that Arthur C. Clarke winner Tade Thompson is making a triumphant return to science fiction with FAR FROM THE LIGHT OF HEAVEN (US | UK: link coming soon), an unforgettable vision of humanity’s future among the stars. If you can’t wait until October 2021, head on over to io9 to see the spectacular cover and read an exclusive excerpt.

The colony ship Ragtime docks in the Lagos system, having travelled light years from home to bring one thousand sleeping souls to safety among the stars.

Some of the sleepers, however, will never wake – and a profound and sinister mystery unfolds aboard the gigantic vessel. Its skeleton crew are forced to make decisions that will have repercussions for all of humanity’s settlements – from the scheming politicians of Lagos station, to the colony planet of Bloodroot, to other far flung systems and indeed Earth itself.

Praise for Tade Thompson:

‘Tade Thompson is a writer of enormous heart and talent. Just brilliant’ Dave Hutchinson

‘Smart. Gripping. Fabulous!’ Ann Leckie on Rosewater

‘A magnificent tour de force, skilfully written and full of original and disturbing ideas’ Adrian Tchaikovsky on Rosewater

‘Mind-expanding and utterly addictive’ Mark Haddon, author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, on Rosewater

You can find Tade Thompson on Twitter @tadethompson.

Cover Launch: THE FIRST OMEGA by Megan E. O’Keefe

Megan E. O’Keefe proved she’s a science fiction master with her debut trilogy The Protectorate and now she’s bringing her prodigious talents to bear in this razor-sharp, action-packed new dystopian novella: The First Omega. Get excited to meet Riley—a hunter of men, a protector of the wasteland, and a goddamn force of nature—on March 30th.

Cover design by Lauren Panepinto and Lisa Marie Pompilio
Cover images by Shutterstock

Mad Max meets X-Men in this high-octane new dystopian novella by the Philip K Dick award-nominated author of Velocity Weapon.

It doesn’t matter what you call her. Riley. Burner. She forgot her name long ago. But if you steal from the supply lines crossing the wasteland, her face is the last one you’ll see. She is the force of nature that keeps the balance in the hot arid desert. Keep to yourself and she’ll leave you well enough alone. But it’s when you try to take more than you can chew that her employers notice and send her off to restore the balance. Then she gets the latest call. A supply truck knocked over too cleanly. Too precise. And the bodies scattering the wreckage weren’t killed by her normal prey of scavengers. These bodies are already rotting hours after the attack. Cowering in the corner of the wreckage is a young girl. A girl that shouldn’t be there. A girl with violently blue eyes. Just like hers.

Want to read more from the author? Check out VELOCITY WEAPON (US | UK) book one of The Protectorate.

Cover Launch: SHARDS OF EARTH by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Arthur C. Clarke award-winning author, Adrian Tchaikovsky has written his most visionary and exciting space opera yet. The start of a new series, SHARDS OF EARTH is a tale of ancient alien enemies, heroes long forgotten, and a strange artifact buried on the far outskirts of space that could harbinger a new intergalactic war. This sparkling, inventive novel for fans of James S. A. Corey and John Scalzi is a joy from start to finish and sure to be on your shelf of all-time space opera greats! While you wait for it to publish on August 3rd, check out the book’s incredible cover!

Cover Design © Steve Stone

The war is over. Its heroes forgotten. Until one chance discovery . . .

Idris has neither aged nor slept since they remade him in the war. And one of humanity’s heroes now scrapes by on a freelance salvage vessel, to avoid the attention of greater powers.

After earth was destroyed, mankind created a fighting elite to save their species, enhanced humans such as Idris. In the silence of space they could communicate, mind-to-mind, with the enemy. Then their alien aggressors, the Architects, simply disappeared – and Idris and his kind became obsolete.

Now, fifty years later, Idris and his crew have discovered something strange abandoned in space. It’s clearly the work of the Architects – but are they returning? And if so, why? Hunted by gangsters, cults and governments, Idris and his crew race across the galaxy hunting for answers. For they now possess something of incalculable value, that many would kill to obtain.

ICYMI: THE BODY SCOUT by Lincoln Michel

Orbit is thrilled to share the cover for Lincoln Michel’s diamond-sharp sci-fi neo-noir, THE BODY SCOUT. When his brother is murdered at home plate, a hardboiled baseball scout will have to plumb the underbelly of a New York transformed by climate change body modification to get revenge—but this is a game far bigger and more dangerous than he could have imagined.

Lithub unveiled the striking cover for The Body Scout, designed by Orbit’s own Lauren Panepinto, along with an early excerpt—click through for a sneak peek of the first chapter!

The Body Scout will be out in print, ebook, and audio in October. Read on for a short description of this unmissable near-future thriller:

In the future you can have anybody you want–as long as you can afford it.

In a New York ravaged by climate change and repeat pandemics, Kobo is barely scraping by. He scouts the latest in gene-edited talent for Big Pharma-owned baseball teams, but his own cybernetics are a decade out of date and twin sister loan sharks are banging down his door. Things couldn’t get much worse.

Then his adoptive brother—Monsanto Mets slugger J.J. Zunz—is murdered at home plate.

Determined to find the killer, Kobo plunges into a world of genetically modified CEOs, philosophical Neanderthals, and back-alley body modification, only to quickly find he’s in a game far bigger and more corrupt than he imagined. To keep himself together while the world is falling apart, he’ll have to navigate a time when both body and soul are sold to the highest bidder.

Diamond-sharp and savagely wry, The Body Scout is a timely science fiction thriller set in an all-too-possible future.

 

 

Cover Launch: THE WORLD GIVES WAY by Marissa Levien

A surreal world, a fatal secret, and a woman on the run against time itself come together in Marrisa Levien’s stunning debut, THE WORLD GIVES WAY. Bursting with evocative worldbuilding and beautifully drawn characters, this novel is an unforgettable exploration of a society in freefall, and finding humanity in the most unlikely of places.

This incredible story now has an equally gorgeous cover—feast your eyes on THE WORLD GIVES WAY below, coming to your nearest bookstore June 2021. And be sure to say hello to Marissa on Twitter at @marissalevien after preordering or adding it to your TBR!

Cover design by Lisa Marie Pompilio

In a near-future world on the brink of collapse, a young woman born into servitude must seize her own freedom in this stunning debut with an unforgettable twist

In fifty years, Myrra will be free.

Until then, she’s a contract worker. Ever since she was five, her life and labor have belonged to the highest bidder on her contract–butchers, laundries, and now the powerful, secretive Carlyles.

But when one night finds the Carlyles dead, Myrra is suddenly free a lot sooner than she anticipated–and at a cost she never could have imagined. Burdened with the Carlyles’ orphaned daughter and the terrible secret they died to escape, she runs. With time running out, Myrra must come face to face with the truth about her world–and embrace what’s left before it’s too late.

A powerful novel with a darkly glimmering heart, The World Gives Way shows us an impossible world that uncannily reflects our own, and embraces the fierce drive to live even at the end of it all.

 

 

 

 

 

Cover Launch – INHIBITOR PHASE by Alastair Reynolds 

Orbit is proud to be publishing a stellar new science fiction adventure from the author who redefined space opera, Alastair Reynolds – set in his bestselling Revelation Space universe! Feast your eyes on the stunning, star-studded cover for INHIBITOR PHASE, coming to shelves near you next year on July 27th, 2021.

Eager to learn more about Alastair Reynolds’ Revelation Space universe before INHIBITOR PHASE launches next summer, but not sure where to start? Learn all about Reynolds’ novels here – for fans of Mass EffectLeviathan WakesSix Wakes, and more!

 

Design by Lauren Panepinto
Art by Shutterstock

Praise for Alastair Reynolds

“A terrific treat. I was hooked from page one.” ―Stephen Baxter on Revelation Space

“A delight. A refreshing and entertaining reconsideration of some of the genre’s oldest tropes. Quite possibly the space opera of the year.”―Locus on Revelation Space

“Something new and exciting…absolutely first-rate.”―The Cleveland Plain Dealer on Revelation Space

“This is science fiction on a large, cosmological scale, and Reynolds does not lack in big ideas…Many of the ideas in Revelation Space are awe-inspiring…cutting-edge and convincingly rendered.”―SF Site on Revelation Space

“[A] sci-fi tour de force… Clearly intoxicated by cutting-edge scientific research in bioengineering, space physics, cybernetics Reynolds spins a ravishingly inventive tale of intrigue.”―Publishers Weekly on Revelation Space

“Clearly one of the year’s major science fiction novels…The book Reynolds’s readers have been waiting for.”―Locus on Redemption Ark

“If you like hard SF…with fast-paced action and hard-boiled characters…you’re in for a great ride.”―SF Site on Redemption Ark

“The best of the new breed of space opera. Wild action on a grand scale spans well-imagined and developed worlds-bold and new with sharply defined differences in both characters and the changed definitions of humanity.”―The Denver Post on Redemption Ark

“A large, sprawling tale of war, politics, ideology and alien invasion. Skilled narrative technique and well-developed characters make this a novel most readers will find absorbing.”―Booklist on Redemption Ark

“With this complex, thoughtful sequel to his highly praised Revelation Space, British author Reynolds confirms his place among the leaders of the hard-science space-opera renaissance…. It’s rare to find a writer with sufficient nerve and stamina to write novels that are big enough to justify using words like “revelation” and “redemption.” Reynolds pulls it off.”―Publisher Weekly on Redemption Ark

“Alastair Reynolds [is] one of the leading lights of the New Space Opera Movement.”— Locus on Revenger

 “Reynolds has sketched in a galaxy littered with the relics of former civilizations (human and alien), with plenty left to the reader’s imagination, and room for a sequel.” — Library Journal on Revenger

Acquisition Announcement: THE BODY SCOUT by Lincoln Michel

If you’re looking for something truly one-of-a-kind to add to your TBR, scroll no further. Orbit is thrilled to announce the acquisition of Columbia University and Sarah Lawrence MFA instructor Lincoln Michel’s sci-fi thriller THE BODY SCOUT, a diamond-sharp and savagely wry portrait of an all-too-possible future where the human body is just another product.

Set in a future New York ravaged by climate change and repeat pandemics, The Body Scout follows hard-boiled cyborg scout Kobo. Kobo has some problems. His cybernetics are a decade out of date, he’s got a pair of twin sister loan sharks knocking on his door, and his work scouting for a baseball league run by pharmaceutical companies is about to go belly-up. Things couldn’t get much worse. Then his childhood best friend–Monsanto Mets slugger J.J. Zunz–is murdered at home plate. Determined to find the killer, Kobo plunges into the dark corners and glittering cloud condos of a world where genetic editing and advanced drugs mean you can have any body you want-as long as you can afford it. But even among the philosophical Neanderthals, zootech weapons, and genetically modified CEOs who decorate their offices with living bio-sculptures, there’s a curveball he never could have called, and a sordid secret he’ll have to risk everything to uncover.

This is a truly can’t-miss literary thriller that explores the gloriously weird intersection of biopunk, baseball, and the human condition—follow the author on Twitter so you don’t miss any updates!

Acquisition News: Orbit to publish a new science fiction trilogy from Adrian Tchaikovsky!

We are thrilled to announce that we have acquired three new science fiction novels by Adrian Tchaikovsky, the Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author of CHILDREN OF TIME and CHILDREN OF RUIN, for publication in the US. The books were acquired from Pan Macmillan, who will publish the novels on the Tor imprint in the UK, by Orbit senior editor Brit Hvide.

The new far-future science fiction trilogy begins with SHARDS OF EARTH, which will be published worldwide in spring 2021. The novel is set fifty years after a war that nearly extinguished humanity, when the enemies of the human race reappear after a long silence.

Adrian Tchaikovsky says: “I am absolutely delighted to launch this new space opera. I had a blast writing the first volume and I’m looking forward to everywhere the series is going to go.”

Tchaikovsky’s next work is THE DOORS OF EDEN, which will be published by Orbit in the US on September 22, 2020.

Praise for Adrian Tchaikovsky: 

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

“Brilliant science fiction and far out world building” —James McAvoy

“A refreshingly new take on post-dystopia civilizations, with the smartest evolutionary worldbuilding you’ll ever read” — Peter F Hamilton

“A magnificently imaginative space opera.” — B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog

“Like a Stephen Baxter novel with an epic sweep of history, added to a broad cast of a Peter Hamilton Space Opera and the narrative drive of, say, a David Brin or a Greg Bear old style SF novel, Children of Time soon got me hooked.” SFF World

“Children of Time has that essence of the classic science fiction novels, that sense of wonder and unfettered imagination but combined with this is the charm of a writer who really knows how to entertain, how to spin a good story. Essential science fiction, a book not to be missed.” — SF Book

“The novel’s clever interrogation of the usual narrative of planetary conquest, and its thoughtful depiction of two alien civilisations attempting to understand each other, is an exemplar of classic widescreen science fiction.” —New Scientist

“This is superior stuff, tackling big themes – gods, messiahs, artificial intelligence, alienness – with brio.” —Financial Times

“An entertaining and thought provoking novel of post humanity, survival and legacy.” — SF Signal

“Tchaikovsky’s prose is superb, and his world-building was exceptional, brilliantly realized on the page, and both fascinating and original.” — Civilian Reader

THE MINISTRY FOR THE FUTURE is available now for pre-order!

From legendary science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson comes a vision of climate change unlike any ever imagined.

THE MINISTRY FOR THE FUTURE (US | UK) is now available for pre-order. Learn more about this new project from the author at Newsweek and reserve a signed copy for yourself exclusively from Barnes & Noble.

Pre-order in the US:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble (exclusive signed edition) | Google Play | iBooks | Kobo | More Stores

Pre-order in the UK:
Amazon | Google Play | iBooks | Kobo | Waterstones | More Stores

Established in 2025, the purpose of the new organization was simple: To advocate for the world’s future generations and to protect all living creatures, present and future. It soon became known as the Ministry for the Future, and this is its story.

The Ministry for the Future is a masterpiece of the imagination, using fictional eyewitness accounts to tell the story of how climate change will affect us all over the decades to come. Its setting is not a desolate, postapocalyptic world, but a future that is almost upon us — and in which we might just overcome the extraordinary challenges we face.

It is a novel both immediate and impactful, desperate and hopeful in equal measure, and it is one of the most powerful and original books on climate change ever written.

Praise for Kim Stanley Robinson:

“A sweeping, optimistic portrait of humanity’s ability to cooperate in the face of disaster. This heartfelt work of hard science-fiction is a must-read for anyone worried about the future of the planet.” —Publishers Weekly (starred)

“Robinson has established himself as the great humanist of speculative fiction.”—Village Voice

“One of the world’s finest working novelists, in any genre.”—Guardian

“If I had to choose one writer whose work will set the standard for science fiction in the future, it would be Kim Stanley Robinson.”—New York Times

“Kim Stanley Robinson is generally acknowledged as one of the greatest living science-fiction writers. . . . He is also, for my money, one of the most important political writers working in America today.”—New Yorker

“One of the finest writers of his generation.”—Locus

“Another stellar effort from one of the masters of the genre.”—Booklist

“[A] near—perfect marriage of the technical and the psychological.”—NPR Books