Get acquainted with Orbit author Gail Carriger in the most recent episode of Sword & Laser! Gail joined Veronica and Tom for tea and to talk about her Parasol Protectorate series (starting with SOULLESS [US | UK | ANZ]) and other projects.
Hey everybody! It’s the time of year again when we can release a sneak peak of what we’ve been doing to earn our keep in the Art Department! Here are the finalized covers from Orbit US’s Spring/Summer 2013 so far. We’re still finishing up a few more — including Mur Lafferty’s The Shambling Guide to New York City, Daniel Abraham’s Tyrant’s Law, and Fortune’s Pawn by Rachel Bach — so look for those in the weeks to come. In the month’s ahead we’ll also have detailed posts about the design process behind many of these covers, with interviews with the artists, details about the photo shoots, videos, and more.
We’ve uploaded these new covers to our US Pinterest page , so dive in there to admire the full size images. And keep an eye out for more fun stuff on the Pinterest page in the months to come!
Enjoy!
We’re very excited to release Orbit UK’s January-June 2013 covers! We’re still finalising a few, but we’ll include them as they come in. We’ll be posting more about our 2013 covers in the months ahead, including behind the scenes photo shoots, interviews and inspiration for the covers.
To view these covers individually and in a larger size, check out our UK Pinterest page for the full selection.
For the second year running, Fantasycon – one of the UK’s biggest genre events – returned to Brighton, so the Orbit UK team descended on the south coast one gloriously sunny late September weekend for some fun, fantasy-fuelled revelry. In other words: panels, signings and catching up with friends and colleagues from the publishing world (the fact that this last activity always seemed to happen in the bar was completely coincidental, we assure you).
There was a sizeable crowd of Orbit authors at Fantasycon this year: Brent Weeks stopped by to conclude his hugely successful UK tour, while Kate Griffin, Benedict Jacka, Francis Knight, Mike Carey and Philip Palmer were all involved in the weekend’s programme. Tim Lebbon took on the responsiblity of Master of Ceremonies, and did a superb job – as did all the volunteers who helped out.
Here are some photos from our Fantasycon 2012!
Mike Carey (far left) and Brent Weeks (centre) take part in the ‘Culture Shock’ panel
Brent being interviewed by Alasdair Stuart, in which he talked in detail about how he got published and his approach to writing
On the Friday Kate Griffin read from her upcoming urban fantasy novel STRAY SOULS [UK | US | ANZ]
Benedict Jacka (second left) and Brent (second right) take part in the ‘Fantasy Fiction: Keeping it Real’ panel
Brent rounded off the Saturday evening with a reading from his New York Times bestseller THE BLINDING KNIFE [UK | US | ANZ]
On Tuesday, i09 posted an article called “10 Tips for Generating Killer Science Fiction Story Ideas”. The first tip, right bang at the top is “Look at the big unanswered questions – Like, why haven’t we heard from other intelligent civilizations yet?”
It seems to me they’re taking their cue from one of science fiction’s great masters there, as David Brin asks exactly that question his latest novel EXISTENCE (UK | ANZ).
Into his plot, David weaves a number of possible answers to the “Fermi Paradox” – the conundrum of why we haven’t we heard from any alien life forms yet when it’s scientifically probable that they do exist. And the story that results is certainly killer. In fact it’s pretty darn mind-blowing.
But importantly, behind David’s writing is an extremely rich, in-depth scientific understanding of the world and the patterns of our progress within it (he is, after all, a real-life astrophysicist and consultant to NASA).
However, out there on the interwebs, there are also a multitude of fun conspiracy theories about where the aliens are hiding. And some of these are, in my humble opinion, just a tad more unlikely. . . Not that we don’t love hearing about them!
I trawled the internet looking for these theories, and here’s a run-down of my personal top 5 for your reading pleasure . . .
1. WORLD LEADERS = SHAPE-SHIFTING REPTOIDS. . .
There exists a rather widespread theory stating that thousands of years ago, extraterrestrials from the “Draco” constellation came to earth and mated with humans, forming reptilian-human crossbreeds.
These beings are hiding amongst us, and they only serve the agenda of the reptilian race. Famous such reptilian-human hybrids include: George W. Bush, Tony Blair, The Rothschilds, Vladimir Putin, The British Royal Family (I’m assuming including Kate Middleton?) etc.
Perhaps this could explain a lot? (more…)
Iain M. Banks’s brilliant new Culture novel THE HYDROGEN SONATA (UK | US | ANZ), just published last week, is delighting fans and critics alike and will hit #4 on the Sunday Times bestseller chart this weekend. Everyone at Orbit would like to offer our congratulations to Iain for this wonderful achievement, which continues the stellar success of the Culture novels.
THE HYDROGEN SONATA has already received some high praise:
“Banks has created one of the most enduring and endearing visions of the future . . . The Hydrogen Sonata confirms his pre-eminence in the field” – GUARDIAN
“Fantastically good fun that throws in some big ideas about life, the universe and everything” – SCIFI NOW
“Banks’s charming prose and the scale of his imagination continue to delight Culture vultures” – SFX
“The action tumbles along at a dizzying pace, bouncing among a fascinating array of characters and locales. It’s easy to see why Banks’s fertile, cheerfully nihilistic imagination and vivid prose have made the Culture space operas bestsellers and award favorites” – PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY (starred review)
Iain has had a busy couple of weeks, taking part in a Google Hangout with fellow SF authors Peter F. Hamilton and Alistair Reynolds, before embarking on a UK signing tour that took in several cities and included an appearance at Manchester Literary Festival. Many thanks to everyone who attended!
Iain at his Waterstones Piccadilly signing
Iain with Paul and Marc from UK genre website Fantasy Faction
Orbit is going to New York Comic Con! We’ll be in the Hachette booth, #1027, with giveaways, raffles, and several author events, so be sure to stop by if you’re in town. Here’s the schedule of events:
Friday, October 12
1 PM: Kate Locke signing GOD SAVE THE QUEEN @ booth 1027
4 PM: Nicole Peeler signing TEMPEST’S FURY and TEMPEST RISING @ booth 1027
4 PM: Senior editor Devi Pillai will be on the panel “Publisher’s Paradise: Adult Publisher Spotlight” in Rm. 1A06
Saturday, October 13
12:15 PM: Nicole Peeler will be on the panel “Myth Mixology: How Urban Fantasists Create the Perfect Cocktail” in Rm. 1A08
1:30 PM: Creative director Lauren Panepinto will be on the panel “Ladies Who Steam: The Publishing Industry on Women in Steampunk” in Rm. 1A01
Sunday, October 14
11 AM: Michael J. Sullivan will be signing THEFT OF SWORDS @ booth 1027
4 PM: Michael J. Sullivan will be on the panel “The Brave New World of E-Book Publishing” in Rm. 1A07
We’ll also be running raffles every day of the convention, with prizes including books by Gail Carriger, Joe Abercrombie, Iain M. Banks, and Rachel Aaron. See you there!
This doesn’t seem possible to me, but Iain M. Banks’ first Culture novel, CONSIDER PHLEBAS (UK | US | AUS), was published 25 years ago – making this year, according to our calculations, the 25th anniversary of the Culture. For anyone who has experienced the ridiculous awesomeness of the Culture novels, this is of course a rather special occasion demanding a hearty cheer at the very least – and a large statue at most. Or something in between, such as these cupcakes we made to celebrate in our own way.
But what better way to celebrate than with a brand new Culture novel? None! Conveniently released this month around the world, THE HYDROGEN SONATA (UK | US | AUS) is a science fiction-shaped marvel that is already grabbing the attention of reviewers. Look at these for starters:
“This rich, sweeping panorama of heroism and folly celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Culture, Banks’s far-future semi-utopian society…. The action tumbles along at a dizzying pace, bouncing among a fascinating array of characters and locales. It’s easy to see why Banks’s fertile, cheerfully nihilistic imagination and vivid prose have made the Culture space operas bestsellers and award favorites.” — Publishers Weekly
“Banks’ Culture yarns … brim with wit and wisdom, providing incomparable entertainment, with fascinating and highly original characters, challenging ideas and extrapolations, and dazzling action seamlessly embedded in a satirical-comedy matrix.” — Kirkus Reviews
“One of Banks’ best Culture novels to date.” — Booklist
“A supremely enjoyable read … Banks’ charming prose and the scale of his imagination continue to delight Culture vultures” – SFX
“It’s fantastically good fun” — SciFi Now
To help celebrate the release of THE HYDROGEN SONATA and the 25th anniversary of the Culture, you have three basic options:
Choose wisely.
October 4-7: Jaye Wells and Nicole Peeler at Bouchercon, Cleveland, OH
Friday, October 5: N.K. Jemisin at Parnassus Books, Nashville, TN, 6:30 PM
October 11-14: Kate Elliott at Sirens, Stevenson, WA
October 12-14: Rachel Neumeier at Archon, St. Louis, MO
October 19-20: Amanda Carlson at Florida Writers Association Annual Conference, Orlando, FL
Stay tuned for information about what Orbit will be up to at New York Comic Con this year!
After two weeks spent travelling around the US on his 15-date book-signing tour, Brent Weeks hopped across the pond to meet his UK fans and sign copies of his New York Times bestselling novel THE BLINDING KNIFE [UK | US | ANZ].
Brent’s UK tour took in nine cities in eight days and involved hundreds of fans who enjoyed a brilliant reading (with a shocking twist for which his editor still hasn’t forgiven him!) before chatting with Brent and getting their books signed. Brent also spent a full day at Fantasycon in Brighton, where he was a Guest of Honour and took part in a variety of panels.
We thought the tour was a huge success – thanks to everyone who attended! – and Brent clearly thought so too:
Here are some photos from Brent’s week in the UK.
We thought we ought to help Brent acclimatise to the UK, so before his tour began we invited him and his wife Kristi along to Orbit HQ in London where we drank tea while discussing the weather.
Brent’s first call of duty was a signing at Forbidden Planet’s flagship store in London, where a huge crowd turned up to meet him. (more…)
