Shirley Jackson Award-winner Robert Jackson Bennett’s new novel THE TROUPE (US | UK | AUS)– a tale of Gothic intrigue set during the Vaudeville era — is coming in February 2012. But to whet your appetite the author has launched an evocative new website about the book. Visit www.silenustroupe.com for a sneak peek, and be sure to have your speakers on!
Finally! I’m very excited to announce the release of THE HEDGEWITCH QUEEN by Lilith Saintcrow at ebook retailers in the US and the UK. This is Orbit’s first ebook only publication, and if you are curious to read a bit before hitting buy–you can read an excerpt here.
Lili also has a short fiction piece, Unfallen, that is available now in the US and to come in the UK.
After winning much critical acclaim for her Coldfire trilogy, Celia Friedman embarked on a new, epic tale of a dangerous world where to use magic is to sacrifice your own vitality . . . or that of an unwitting victim. The first novel in the Magister trilogy, FEAST OF SOULS [UK | ANZ], introduced us to Andovan, a prince suffering from a terrible disease, and Kamala, a young woman whose magical powers threaten centuries of tradition. Their fates – and those of many others – become entwined as a ancient force awakens to threaten their world. WINGS OF WRATH [UK | ANZ] continued the story, raising the stakes as the horrifying might of the Souleaters is gradually revealed.
Now, in LEGACY OF KINGS [UK | ANZ], the final confrontation is at hand. Secrets will be spilled, blood will run and magic will be unleashed. The fate of the world lies in the hands of a select few . . . but will their powers be enough to hold back the darkness?
Praise for Celia Friedman’s Magister trilogy:
Perhaps the most staggering achievement of FEAST OF SOULS is how purposeful every scene feels. There is no filler in this book — Ms. Friedman’s prose is crisp and to the point, just as every scene in this book serves as an integral part to the novel as a whole . . . FEAST OF SOULS is a fantastic, superior work of speculative fiction’ – THE BOOK SMUGGLERS
‘Friedman has her hands firmly on the reins and delivers scenes that are tightly controlled while sparkling with vitality’ – GRAEME’S FANTASY BOOK REVIEW
‘Friedman truly knows what she is doing as a storyteller, since she is following one of the great axioms: “Always leaving them wanting more.” I, for one, want more; especially after reading the last couple of exhilarating chapters’ – SFF WORLD (more…)
There are a lot of Felicia Day fans here in the Orbit office, so we were excited to see that she loved James S.A. Corey’s Le
viathan Wakes (US | UK | ANZ). Here’s what she had to say:
I loved this book because in a lot of ways it humanized a BIG SF world in a way that is normally tough. I cared about the characters, I yelled at them a lot, and I enjoyed every minute!
You can read the rest of her review on GoodReads. Look out for book 2, Caliban’s War, in June of 2012!
The Griffin Mage (US | UK | ANZ) by Rachel Neumeier is now out!
It contains the full Griffin Mage Trilogy: Lord of the Changing Wind, Land of the Burning Sands and Law of the Broken Earth.
When I first read the book, I thought her writing style was exactly like Patricia McKillip — and instead of Naomi Novik’s dragons — we have griffins. And of course, the griffins put me in the mind of another popular series: Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern.
Orbit announces the international launch of its digital short fiction publishing program.
Last April, Orbit US launched Orbit Short Fiction, publishing digital editions of original short fiction written by its authors. Starting in 2012 Orbit UK will be joining the initiative. Stories published under the program will be released simultaneously in the US, UK, and other markets in which its ebooks are routinely distributed.
Anne Clarke, Editorial Director, Orbit (UK) said: “The digital short fiction market is clearly gaining momentum, and I’m delighted that we’ll now be able to make our authors’ stories available internationally. The success of the program in the US has been very encouraging, and we’re very much looking forward to working with our authors and colleagues in the US on this next stage in its development.”
Tim Holman, Orbit VP & Publisher (US and UK), said: “From the outset we hoped to expand the Orbit Short Fiction initiative, and we feel that now is the time to do it. Stories will be available far more widely, and through all major ebook retailers, which is good for our authors, for fans, and for the publishing program.”
Orbit (UK) is the Science Fiction and Fantasy imprint at Little, Brown Book Group, a leading trade publisher based in London. Little, Brown Book Group is a division of Hachette UK, the largest book publisher in the UK.
Orbit (US) is the Science Fiction and Fantasy imprint at Hachette Book Group, a leading trade publisher based in New York. HBG publishes under the divisions of Little, Brown and Company, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, Grand Central Publishing, FaithWords, Center Street, Orbit, and Hachette Digital.
In case you haven’t spotted it yet, Shadowheart (UK / ANZ) was released this month in paperback. It’s the breathtaking conclusion to Tad Williams’ sweeping epic fantasy, the Shadowmarch series. The finale to this tale sees Barrick Eddon, prince of Southmarch, choosing where his loyalties lie – with the humans, or with the dark Qar race, whose legacy he has promised to safeguard . . .
It’s a fantastic ending to a knock-out series and, as a massive Tad Williams fan, I must say this is certainly not to be missed. A few other people think so too:
‘Rich in detail and exploding with imagination. Dive in there and lose yourself’ SFX
‘It’s always bittersweet to see a series come to an end; as fans, we are always eager to find out what happens to our heroes and heroines, but, equally, we don’t want them to ever leave our lives . . . Williams convinced me to care utterly for his characters and there’s a hole now in my life where they once lived. Few storytellers can do that. Williams does it with alarming regularity’ A Dribble of Ink
‘Shadowrise and Shadowheart are as good an ending to a fantasy saga as I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading . . .’ Fantasy Book Critic
Read an extract right here. Tad Williams has also been under the Orbit spotlight this month, so if you haven’t tried Tad yet, go here to see just what you’re missing.
I’m very happy to announce that Orbit UK has acquired Bitter Seeds plus two further novels by the highly talented Ian Tregillis.
Bitter Seeds is an audacious fantasy retelling of the events of World War II – where Nazis create superhumans that can throw fire, see the future and turn invisible, whilst the British warlocks use dark magics to hold back the German invasion. I was totally wowed by the deliciously sinister atmosphere of this novel, with its endlessly imaginative plot twists and awesome superhero-like characters. Ian has a very bright future ahead of him and I’m so glad that we’ve been able to take him on in the UK.
Bitter Seeds was released in the US last year to huge acclaim – here’s what people have said so far:
‘A major talent… I can’t wait to see more’ George R. R. Martin
‘Mad English warlocks battling twisted Nazi psychics? Yes please, thank you. Tregillis’s debut has a white-knuckle plot, beautiful descriptions, and complex characters– an unstoppable Vickers of a novel’ Cory Doctorow
‘Tregillis delivers a dynamite first novel in Bitter Seeds’ SFRevu.com
‘Bitter Seeds is hands down the best debut of 2010 so far’ Fantasy Book Critic
‘The crème de la crème of SFF debuts this year!’ Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist
Look out for Bitter Seeds in December next year! Its sequels The Coldest War and Necessary Evil will be released in February 2013 and April 2013 respectively.
It’s down to
the final round in the 2011 GoodReads Choice Awards, and some Orbit books are still going strong. Keep voting for your favorites!
In Paranormal Fantasy: Ghost Story (UK | ANZ) by Jim Butcher and River Marked (UK | ANZ) by Patricia Briggs.
In Science Fiction: Leviathan Wakes (US | UK | ANZ) by James S.A. Corey.
In Horror: Deadline (US | UK | ANZ) by Mira Grant and Eat Slay Love (US) by Jesse Petersen.
Wallpaper time again, guys and gals, and more epic fantasy for all your fancy devices. This fine art is for THEFT OF SWORDS by Michael J. Sullivan, which is the first book in the Riyria Revelations. The art is by Larry Rostant, and depicts the duo at the heart of the books. I don’t want to give too much away, but these books were so good, we just had to give them the special Orbit 3-in-3-months treatment so you could get the whole epic in your hands right away.
There’s a bit of a difference in the US/UK versions of the cover – we like to do that sometimes just to keep you all on your toes – but the illustration is the same, so both sides of the pond can enjoy. Check out both covers and read an excerpt here.
Here’s all the wallpaper download links…if anyone needs a specific dimension made, let us know!
1024 x 768 | 1280 x 800 | 1440 x 900 | 1680 x 1050 |1920 x 1200 | iPhone | iPad
