Awards Round Up

Orbit have entered Awards Season in style this year! You’ve already heard that N. K. Jemisin and Ann Leckie have been nominated for the Nebula Awards, but here’s a round up of our books on other glittering awards lists . . .

Kim Stanley Robinson’s AURORA (UK|US|ANZ) and Ann Leckie’s ANCILLARY MERCY (UK|US|ANZ) are shortlisted in the Science Fiction category of this year’s Audie Awards for outstanding audiobooks, with N. K. Jemsin’s THE FIFTH SEASON (UK|US|ANZ) shortlisted in the Fantasy category too.

Glenda Larke is up for a slew of Australian awards with THE DAGGER’S PATH (UK|US|ANZ), sequel to THE LASCAR’S DAGGER, shortlisted for the Ditmar, the Aurealis and the Norma K. Hemming awards! Her Watergivers trilogy is also up for the Sarah Douglass Award for complete series.

On top of her Nebula  and Audie nominations, N. K. Jemisin’s (literally) groundbreaking fantasy THE FIFTH SEASON has also been shortlisted for Best Novel by the judges of the Kitschies Awards! The Kitschies are awarded to ‘progressive, intelligent and entertaining’ works of SFF, and will be announced just next week, Monday 7th March.

‘A spectacular thriller’ – THE WATER KNIFE book trailer

From the international bestselling author of the Hugo and Nebula award-winning THE WINDUP GIRL [UK |ANZ] comes an electrifying thriller set in a world on the edge of collapse. THE WATER KNIFE [UK|ANZ] is published in paperback this week and we’re very excited to present to you the thrilling book trailer for Paolo Bacigalupi’s incredible novel.

When the water runs out blood will flow.

To celebrate release, Paolo Bacigalupi will be touring in the UK. Click here for event information in your area.

Introducing A TALE OF THE FREE: CORSAIR by Brian Ruckley

  • Buy the Book
  • US
  • UK

Last year we published Brian Ruckley’s superb adventure fantasy THE FREE [UK/US/ANZ]. Featuring desperate battles, terrifying magic and a host of memorable characters, THE FREE follows the adventures of the kingdom’s greatest mercenary company, as they take on a final contract in an attempt to right past wrongs and erase the painful memories of their darkest hour.

Drawing comparisons to films like Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven, THE FREE received widespread critical acclaim upon publication, and received starred reviews from both Publisher’s Weekly and Library Journal.

The good news is that the adventures of The Free don’t end with this novel – far from it! The world that Brian has created is too large, and the history of the Free too bloody and tumultuous, to be explored in just a single novel. So we’re very pleased to announce three new novellas that will explore the eventful past of this famous mercenary company, all of which will be published this year.

The first action-packed novella is A TALE OF THE FREE: CORSAIR which publishes today, 1 March.

For years the Free have sold their martial and magical skills to the highest bidder, winning countless victories that have overthrown kings and shaken empires.  

Yulan is a newcomer to their ranks, keen to prove himself worthy of the Free’s name.  When corsair marauders ravage the Hommetic Kingdom’s coastline, Yulan gets his chance.

His mission is simple: travel to the corsairs’ island fortress, persuade their self-proclaimed king to sign a peace treaty, then head home with sword unbloodied.

Yet the crumbling fortress holds many secrets, and blades speak louder than words. Soon Yulan must fight not just for the glory of the Free, but for his very survival.

The second novella, A TALE OF THE FREE: EXILE, will follow in June. The third, A TALE OF THE FREE: TYRANT, will be published in September.

A TALE OF THE FREE EXILE  A TALE OF THE FREE TYRANT

Praise for Brian Ruckley:

‘The Free is a blast to read . . . phenomenal set pieces of warfare and magic’ – Justin Landon

‘No one who enjoys epic fantasy should miss this’ – The Times

‘Wonderfully composed action scenes and a thrilling climax’ – BookBag

‘Deliberate pacing, complicated characters and vivid descriptions elevate this far above run-of-the-mill epic fantasy’ – Library Journal

‘Mesmerising, magical and human’ – Publishers Weekly

 ‘Ruckley’s realistic characters and sparing use of magic breathe new life into well-trod epic territory’ – Entertainment Weekly 

Paolo Bacigalupi events in the UK

Paolo Bacigalupi, author of Nebula and Hugo award-winning THE WINDUP GIRL [UK|ANZ], will be touching down in UK shores this month with a series of events promoting the paperback release of his latest New York Times bestselling novel, THE WATER KNIFE. Don’t miss this chance to meet this visionary author who Time called ‘a worthy successor to William Gibson’.

30 March – Waterstones Covent Garden

Award winning speculative fiction writer Paolo Bacigalupi discusses works and his new novel, THE WATER KNIFE, with acclaimed journalist Alok Jha, author of THE WATER BOOK.
Doors open 6pm. Tickets £3 – available from the bookshop or online. More information

31 March – Waterstones Liverpool Level One

Paolo Bacigalupi, international best selling author of THE WATER KNIFE and THE WINDUP GIRL, will be appearing at Liverpool Waterstones L1 Geekery in conversation with Dr Chris Pak on Thursday March 31st at 6.30pm. Tickets £3 (£2 for Loyalty Card holders) and available in store or call 0151 709 9820. More information

2 April – Oxford Literary Festival

Novelist Paolo Bacigalupi talks to academic Ed Finn about science fiction, imagination, climate change and the role of storytelling in inspiring change. More information

Cover Launch for THE CORPORATION WARS: DISSIDENCE

The first instalment in the Corporation Wars trilogy, DISSIDENCE is a space opera giving a robot’s eye view of a robot revolt, from Arthur C. Clarke Award-nominated science fiction author Ken MacLeod.

Today we’re delighted to launch the cover, by the very talented Bekki Guyatt at Little, Brown Book Group UK.

The Corporation Wars: Dissidence

One of SFX magazine’s Top Ten Most Anticipated Books for 2016, DISSIDENCE will be released in May this year (UK|ANZ|US). INSURGENCE will follow at the end of 2016, with the final instalment in the trilogy, EMERGENCE, released Spring 2017.

They’ve died for the companies more times than they can remember. Now they must fight to live for themselves.

Sentient machines work, fight and die in interstellar exploration and conflict for the benefit of their owners – the competing mining corporations of Earth. But sent over hundreds of light-years, commands are late to arrive and often hard to enforce. The machines must make their own decisions, and make them stick.

With this newfound autonomy come new questions about their masters. The robots want answers. The companies would rather see them dead.

2015 Nebula Award Nominations

The 2015 Nebula Awards nominations were announced this weekend, and include a number of excellent books — including two from Orbit!

Best Novel Nominees

  • Raising Caine, Charles E. Gannon (Baen)
  • The Fifth Season, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit) [US | UK | AUS]
  • Ancillary Mercy, Ann Leckie (Orbit) [US | UK | AUS]
  • The Grace of Kings, Ken Liu (Saga)
  • Uprooted, Naomi Novik (Del Rey)
  • Barsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard, Lawrence M. Schoen (Tor)
  • Updraft, Fran Wilde (Tor)

JEMISIN_FifthSeason_TP copy Leckie_AncillaryMercy-TP copy

This is the third Best Novel nomination for both N.K. Jemisin and Ann Leckie (whose ANCILLARY JUSTICE [US | UK | AUS] won the Nebula Award two years ago).

The nominees for the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy also include an Orbit author: COURT OF FIVES was nominated, by Kate Elliott, author of last fall’s BLACK WOLVES (US | UK | AUS).

Congratulations to Ann Leckie, N.K. Jemisin, Kate Elliott, and the rest of the nominees!

Cover Launch: THE WAKING FIRE by Anthony Ryan

We’re thrilled to reveal the cover for THE WAKING FIRE (UK), Anthony Ryan’s spectacular new fantasy novel.

TheWakingFireFinal

The stunning illustration is courtesy of illustrator Jaime Jones, with the design handled by Little, Brown’s very own Nico Taylor.

THE WAKING FIRE – Book One of Draconis Memoria –  is an absolute blast (that’s the official scientific term). As the cover suggests, fire-breathing creatures of the draconic variety feature heavily, but it’s also packed with exploration, adventure and a furious battle for empire.

For decades the lands of the Ironship Syndicate have been defended by the ‘blood blessed’ – men and women able to channel the powers contained in the potent blood of wild drakes. Elite spies and assassins, their loyalty has established the Syndicate’s position as the greatest power in the known world.

Yet now a crisis looms. The drake bloodlines are weakening, and war with the Corvantine Empire seems inevitable. The Syndicate’s only hope of survival lies with the myth of a legendary drake, whose powerful blood might just turn the tide of the war – if it even exists.

The task of hunting down this fabled creature falls to Claydon Torcreek, a petty thief and unregistered blood blessed. He’s handled many valuable things in his time (most of them illegal) but nothing as priceless as his nation’s future.

THE WAKING FIRE will be published this July in hardback, trade paperback, ebook and audio formats.

Anthony Ryan is the author of epic fantasy sensation BLOOD SONG (UK | ANZ] as well as TOWER LORD (UK | ANZ) and QUEEN OF FIRE (UK | ANZ), which were both New York Times bestsellers. The Raven’s Shadow trilogy has sold over half a million English-language copies worldwide. Anthony lives in London and is a full time writer. He can be found online at his website and on Twitter as @writer_Anthony.

Praise for Anthony Ryan:

‘Blood Song is an amazing debut and Anthony Ryan is a master storyteller’ – Mark Lawrence, author of Prince of Thorns

‘An utterly engrossing high-fantasy from a major new talent’ – Buzzfeed

‘Anthony Ryan is David Gemmell’s natural successor, and epic fantasy’s best British talent’ – Fantasy Book Critic

‘Blood Song is a powerful epic’ – SFFWorld

‘Epic fantasy at its best’ – Bookbag

‘Compelling’ – SFX

 

Cover Launch: The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi

THE WATER KNIFE [UK/ANZ] is Paolo Bacigalupi’s first adult novel since his Hugo and Nebula-award winning debut THE WINDUP GIRL [UK/ ANZ]. It’s one of the must-read SF books of the year, but if you haven’t read it yet, do not despair. The paperback edition is out next month, providing an excellent opportunity to take immediate action. And so that you know exactly what to look out for, here is the cover, designed by Art Director Sean Garrehy in the UK:

THE WATER KNIFE

 

PS: If you are wondering why you should read it, here are some wise words from those who already have:

‘These days are coming, and as always fiction explains them better than fact. This is a spectacular thriller, wonderfully imagined and written’ – Lee Child

‘His use of water as sacred currency evokes Frank Herbert’s Dune. The casual violence and slang may bring to mind A Clockwork Orange. The book’s nervous energy recalls William Gibson at his cyberpunk best . . . But this is no pastiche; Bacigalupi weaves an engrossing tale all his own, crackling with edgy style’ – Los Angeles Times

‘A noirish cinematic thriller set in the midst of a water war between Las Vegas and Phoenix . . . Think Chinatown meets Mad Max’ – NPR

‘This is the best kind of science fiction. An intense thriller and a deeply insightful vision of the coming century, laid out in all its pain and glory. It’s a water knife indeed, right to the heart’ – Kim Stanley Robinson

‘A noir-tinged, apocalyptic vision of the near-future . . . Once I started, I couldn’t put it down’ – Kelly Link

‘Anyone can write about the future. Paolo Bacigalupi writes about the future that we’re making today, if we keep going the way we are. It makes his writing beautiful . . . and terrifying’ – John Scalzi

Introducing OlympusBound.com and THE IMMORTALS by Jordanna Max Brodsky

  • Buy the Book
  • US
  • UK

THE IMMORTALS (US | UK | AUS) is an extraordinary novel combining myth and the modern era in a pulse-pounding story, and we couldn’t be more thrilled by the buzz surrounding it. Visit OlympusBound.com to learn about the fascinating lives the ancient gods and goddess have been living since the fall of the Greek and Roman empires and read an excerpt. We know that once you’ve read the first chapter, you’ll be absolutely hooked.

The Immortals will be available next week in print, digital, and audio formats.

Praise:

“The Immortals is a lively re-imagining of classical mythology with an engaging premise, a page-turning plot, and an eye for the arresting and uncanny in contemporary urban life.”―Deborah Harkness, New York Times bestselling author of A Discovery of Witches

“Brilliantly conceived and tautly plotted, The Immortals is a pulse thrumming, fascinating novel. Selene is a perfect heroine for our times.”―Eliot Schrefer

Releases in the UK on Feb. 18th.
Releases in the UK on Feb. 18th.

“Imaginative and fast-paced, The Immortals is pulse-pounding entertainment.”―Kevin O’Brian, New York Times bestselling author of No One Needs to Know

“Brodsky’s writing has claws…They sink in with the first word and don’t let go until you are finished with the book.”―Darynda Jones, New York Times bestselling author

“Irresistible…a page-turner that deftly weaves action, romance, and a dash of intellectual heft into one seamless whole.”―Dustin Thomason, New York Times bestselling author

“Painstakingly researched, intellectually complex, and deeply rooted in the history and mythology of Ancient Greece, THE IMMORTALS is a richly imaginative, multi-layered tale that stimulates the heart and the mind in equal measure.”―Ian Caldwell, New York Times bestselling author

“Plays with more modern mythology, employing New York’s own secret places and storied history to great effect. This intelligent, provocative fantasy breathes exciting new life into old, familiar tales.”―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“This series launch is a wonderful choice for fans of Greek myths and urban fantasy readers looking for something different.”―Library Journal (starred review)

Cover Launch: HOPE AND RED by Jon Skovron

The Orbit offices in both the US and the UK haven’t stopped talking about this fantastic adventure fantasy since it first came in a year ago.  And we’re delighted to introduce it to you! Thanks very much to Lauren Panepinto and artist Bastien Deharme for the awesome cover.

Skovron_HopeAndRed-PMM.jpg

Here is a bit of a sneak peek as HOPE AND RED (US | UK) will be out this June:

A KILLER FANTASY ADVENTURE

HOPE, the lone survivor of a village massacred by the emperor’s forces, secretly trains asa  warrior and dreams of vengeance.

RED, an orphan adopted by a notorious matriarch of the criminal underworld, learns to be an expert thief and con artist.

TOGETHER THEY WILL TAKE DOWN AN EMPIRE.

If you’d like to know more — please visit the author’s website and sign up there! New newsletter subscribers will receive the first chapter in their inboxes this Monday.