Cover Launch: THE WITCHER: THE TIME OF CONTEMPT Media Tie-In Edition by Andrzej Sapkowski

Take your first look at the cover of The Time of Contempt media tie-in edition (US) by Andrzej Sapkowski! You can pick up this edition in June 2023.

The Witcher: The Time of Contempt Media Tie-In Edition by Andrzej Sapkowski

Andrzej Sapkowski’s New York Times bestselling Witcher series has transported millions of fans around the globe to an epic, unforgettable world of magic and adventure. The Time of Contempt is the second novel in the Witcher Saga, following Blood of Elves, and is the inspiration for season 3 of the hit Netflix series coming in summer 2023!

Geralt the Witcher has fought monsters and demons across the land, but even he might not be prepared for what is to come.

The kings and their armies are maneuvering for position, each fearing invasion from across the river, each fearing their neighbors more. And after decades of oppression, the elves and other races are fighting back and fighting one another. With growing numbers preparing for battle, the threat of a devastating war looms ever greater. Intrigue, dissent, and rebellion fester on all sides.

Against this backdrop of fear, Geralt must protect his ward, Ciri, the orphaned heir who is sought by all. A child of prophecy, she will have the power to change the world—but only if she lives to use it.

For her safety, Geralt sends her to train with the sorceress Yennefer. But all is not well within the Council of Wizards.

THE CULTURE: THE DRAWINGS by Iain M. Banks

Orbit is delighted to announce the release date for the hugely anticipated book The Culture: The Drawings by Iain M. Banks.

Packshot of The Culture: The Drawings by Iain M. Banks, showing a landscape-format book with green cover and spaceship drawingWidely acknowledged as the modern master of science fiction, Iain M. Banks created extensive original drawings detailing the universe of his bestselling and beloved Culture novels. Now these illustrations are being published together for the very first time in a book celebrating Banks’s grand vision.

The Culture: The Drawings will release on 7th November 2023. This large-format, landscape artbook will faithfully reproduce Iain’s exceptionally intricate drawings in their original format, and at their original scale.

A deluxe limited edition of The Culture: The Drawings, containing the same extraordinary illustrations, will also be available worldwide for purchase exclusively from the Orbit UK store. Beautifully bound in foiled cloth and displayed in a luxurious presentation box, this heirloom edition will be something to treasure.

 

Orbit UK Publisher Anna Jackson says: “As many fans of Iain M. Banks’ vastly popular Culture series will already know, Iain meticulously designed every element of the Culture’s universe long before the novels were published. The whole of the Culture – from language to nomenclature, from ships to weapons – already existed as intricate sketches, notes, and tables many years before it appeared in any of his fiction. This wealth of material, generously released by the Estate, provides a fascinating insight into the workings of Iain’s extraordinary mind. It will be an essential addition to the collection of any Iain M. Banks fan.”

Further good news for Banks fans is that in late 2024, Orbit is planning to publish the definitive Culture companion book, celebrating the Culture through Iain’s own writing. Curated by Ken MacLeod, it will include all of Iain’s notes, tables and charts relating to the Culture universe. More information about this book will be released in due course.

Find out how to pre-order here, and follow the Iain M. Banks Facebook page here.

Cover Launch: SHADOW BARON by Davinia Evans

Take your first look at the cover of Shadow Baron (US | UK) by Davinia Evans! You can pick up this sequel to Notorious Sorcerer in November 2023.

Shadow Baron by Davinia Evans

Cover Design by Stephanie Hess

Strap in for a thrilling adventure in the sequel to Davinia Evans’s wickedly entertaining debut fantasy that follows our favorite irreverent alchemists, high society ladies, and swashbuckling street gangs as they wrestle with the nature of reality itself. 

Siyon Velo might be acknowledged as the Alchemist. He may have even stabilized the planes and stopped Bezim from ever shaking into the sea again. But that doesn’t mean he has any idea what’s he doing—and it won’t be long before everyone knows it.

To make things worse, mythical creatures once confined to operas and myths are spotted around Bezim. A djinn invades Zagiri’s garden party, and whispers of a naga slither across Anahid’s Flower District card tables. Magic is waking up in the Mundane. It’s up to Siyon to figure out a way to stop it, or everything he’s worked hard to save will come crashing down.

Praise for The Burnished City: 
“I loved getting lost in this dazzling debut.” ―Shannon Chakraborty, author of The City of Brass

“A firework of a fantasy novel: vibrant, explosive, deliciously dangerous, and impossibly fun.” ―Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine Throne

“Sheer, glorious fun!” ―Freya Marske, author of A Marvellous Light

The Burnished City
Notorious Sorcerer (US | UK)
Shadow Baron (US | UK)

Acquisition Announcement: SIX WILD CROWNS by Holly Race

Orbit is delighted to announce that we’ve acquired Six Wild Crowns by Holly Race, the first book in a trilogy that reimagines the Tudor queens with an exciting fantasy twist; a story of brave women, courtly love, sexy yearning, tricksy prophecies and dragons. It’s the perfect read for fans of The Priory of the Orange Tree, Wild and Wicked Things and Six the musical.

Zoë Plant at the Bent Agency sold World English rights in Six Wild Crowns plus two further novels in the series to Commissioning Editor Nadia Saward at Orbit, Little, Brown Book Group in a six-figure pre-empt deal. Executive Editor Brit Hvide has acquired for Orbit US and publication is planned for Spring 2025.

Author portrait photo of Holly Race. Holly is waring a navy blue top and is looking to the camera. She has dark red hair
Photo credit: Alex Beckett

The Tudor queens as you’ve never seen them before. . . Henry VIII had it coming.

As tradition has it, the king of Elben must marry six queens and magically bind each of them to one of the island’s palaces or the kingdom will fall.

Clever, ambitious Boleyn is determined to be her beloved Henry’s favourite queen. She relishes the games at court and the political rivalries with his other wives. Seymour is the opposite – originally sent to Boleyn’s court by another queen as a reluctant spy and assassin, she ends up catching Henry’s eye and is forced into a loveless marriage with the king.

But when the two queens become the unlikeliest of things – friends and allies – the balance of power begins to shift. Together, they uncover a dark and deadly truth at the heart of the island’s magic. Boleyn and Seymour’s only hope of survival rests on uniting all six of the rival queens – but Henry will never let that happen.

We can’t wait to share Six Wild Crowns with you in 2025! In the meantime, please join us in welcoming Holly to Orbit! You can find her on Twitter @ecarylloh and at her website.

Acquisition Announcement: THE HONEY WITCH by Sydney J. Shields

Sydney Shields
Photo Credit: Will F. H. Jones

Warm, sun-dappled queer love stories, masquerade balls, and folk magic, you say? A story about a honey witch cursed never to fall in love? To that, we say yes! A million times yes!

When we first heard this pitch on TikTok we knew immediately that we had to read the manuscript, and it was everything we’d dreamed of and more. Redhook is thrilled to have bought The Honey Witch, Sydney J. Shields’s debut novel about a honey witch cursed never to find love and the woman who she’ll risk anything to save. For fans of Practical Magic and Bridgerton we’re so excited for this book to sweep you off your feet in Summer 2024.

 

Twenty-one-year-old Marigold Claude is entering another season without any intentions of accepting a proposal. When her eccentric grandmother Althea visits and finally provides an explanation for Marigold’s strange magical abilities, they return to the Lake Isle of Innisfree where she begins training as a Honey Witch—an apothecary and alchemist who uses her magical connection with the bees to create enchanted honey for her spells. While this lovely power leaves her especially adept at helping others find love, it also comes with an ancient curse that none have been able to break: no one can fall in love with the Honey Witch.

When Lottie Burke, a notorious grumpy skeptic who doesn’t believe in magic, accompanies her best friend to the cottage for a love spell, Marigold can’t resist the challenge to prove to her that magic is real. She invites Lottie and her best friend, August Owens, to stay with her for the summer to prove her abilities, but Marigold begins to care for Lottie in a way she never expected. She longs to break the curse and escape her lonely fate, but when darker magic awakens and threatens to destroy her home, she must fight for much more than her freedom—at the risk of losing her magic and her heart.

 

While you wait, feel free to reach out and say “hi” to Sydney at her website, on Instagram @sydneyjshields, or on TikTok @sydneyjshields.

Acquisition Announcement: BETWEEN DRAGONS AND THEIR WRATH by Devin Madson

Devin Madson
Photo Credit: Leah Ladson

Orbit is thrilled to announce the acquisition of Between Dragons and their Wrath, a new epic fantasy from Devin Madson, the Aurealis Award-nominated author of the Reborn Empire series. A rip-roaring tale full of dragons, alchemical magic, and forbidden romance, Between Dragons and their Wrath is the first book in the Shattered Kingdom trilogy that is set to be a new fan favorite.

 

Conquest long ago split the old kingdom of Paicha into city states, but there are those who seek to reunite the shattered realm—by force if necessary. Amidst the turmoil, three will find their destinies inextricably tangled.

 Tesha, a glassblower’s apprentice, becomes a false tribute bride as part of a desperate political plot. In the enemy’s court, she’s perfectly placed to sabotage them, but her heart has other plans.

 Naili is laundress to an eccentric alchemist, a job that has left her with strange new powers and a price on her head. When she joins the city’s underworld, she’ll have to choose between keeping her magic secret and changing the world.

 And in the desolate Shield Mountains, sharp-shooting dragon rider Ashadi protects the cities from the monsters of the Iipao Sands beyond, but when an impossible shot pierces his dragon’s glass scales, he becomes the hunted one.

 As war sweeps across the land, Tesha, Naili, and Ashadi must survive political enemies, long-buried secrets, and monsters both within and without. 

 

Look out for Between Dragons and their Wrath in 2024! While you wait, check out The Reborn Empire series: We Ride the Storm (US | UK), We Lie with Death (US | UK), We Cry for Blood (US | UK), and We Dream of Gods (US | UK). You can find Devin on Twitter @DevinMadson and find out more at www.devinmadson.com.

We Ride the Storm by Devin Madson We Lie with Death by Devin Madson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We Cry for Blood by Devin MadsonWe Dream of Gods by Devin Madson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Praise for the Reborn Empire series:

“A complex tale of war, politics and lust for power.” ―The Guardian

“An exciting new author in fantasy.” ―Mark Lawrence

“Imaginative world

building, a pace that builds perfectly to a heart-pounding finale and captivating characters. Highly recommended.” —John Gwynne

“Intricate, compelling, and vividly imagined.” –Anna Stephens

 

Orbit US senior editor Nivia Evans acquired World rights from Julie Crisp at Julie Crisp Literary Agency. Orbit UK commissioning editor Emily Byron has secured UK rights.

Cover Launch: TONIGHT, I BURN by Katharine J. Adams

Take your first look at the cover of Tonight, I Burn (US | UK) by Katharine J. Adams and pick up your copy in November 2023! Catch the synopsis below.

Tonight, I Burn by Katharine J. Adams

Cover Design by Lisa Marie Pompilio

A thorn witch with the power to walk between the realms of Life and Death finds herself at the center of a magical rebellion—and a dangerous romance—that could destroy her coven and her soul in this dark and decadent debut. 

Thorns, Tides, Embers, Storms, and Ores. All five covens are bound in servitude to the tyrant High Warden of Halstett.

Penny Albright is a daughter of the thorn coven, forced to patrol the veil between the realms of Life and Death. Each night, one thorn witch—and only one—must cross the veil by burning at the stake. Each morning, that witch draws on their magic to return. Failure to follow the rules risks the veil and risks them all.

But one morning, Penny’s favorite sister Ella doesn’t return. And that night, determined to find her, Penny breaks the rules. She burns in secret. And she discovers that all isn’t as it seems in Life or Death.

Her journey leads her to Malin, a devastating lord with too many secrets; to Alice, a mysterious captive prophet; and to a rebellion brewing in the shadows beneath the city. And as Penny’s world splits, she’ll face a devastating choice. Because it’s not just her sister’s life that hangs in the balance. It’s the fate of all magic.

All it takes is one witch—and one spark—to set the world ablaze.

Acquisition Announcement: THE PHOENIX KEEPER by S.A. MacLean

S.A. MacLean

Orbit US has acquired the irresistible queer debut romantasy The Phoenix Keeper by ecology professor and debut author S.A. MacLean!

This effervescent standalone is set in a magical zoo of mythical creatures and follows the academic rivals-to-lovers slow burn romance between socially anxious phoenix keeper Aila and hotshot fan-favorite griffin keeper Luciana.

Perfect for fans of cozy fantasy reads like Legends & Lattes and The Undertaking of Hart & Mercy, The Phoenix Keeper is set in a world teeming with all your favorite mythical beasties, from dragons and unicorns to kelpies and krakens. MacLean has drawn on her formidable decade of experience in researching and teaching ecology and environmental science to weave a story of hope, courage, and conservation that is, at its heart, an ode to queer joy.

The Phoenix Keeper will hit shelves in Summer 2024. For more information, check out the press release on The Bookseller website.

Editorial Director Bethan Morgan pre-empted World All Language rights for Gollancz from John Baker at Bell Lomax Moreton, with Priyanka Krishnan, senior editor, acquiring North American rights for Orbit US.

Acquisition Announcement: AN INHERITANCE OF MAGIC by Benedict Jacka

We’re excited to announce that Orbit UK has acquired a new series by Benedict Jacka, author of the vastly popular Alex Verus novels! This new dark academia-inspired fantasy is set in a world where anyone can use magic – if they can afford the price.

Benedict Jacka author of The Alex Verus series and An Inheritance of Magic.
Photo credit: Chris Murray Photography

The series sees magical power bought and sold by aristocratic dynasties and vast mega-corporations. It tells the story of Stephen, who has a minimum wage job and a cat, but who has inherited an unusual talent for magic from his father, and realises that unlocking that potential will take money and training. The first book – An Inheritance of Magic – will be out in October 2023, with the dates for the next two books as-yet undisclosed.

Jacka said: “With the Alex Verus series complete, I decided for my next series to try something different: a story where the mundane and supernatural worlds were integrated through trade and where you could buy magical powers out of a catalogue.”

Acquiring editor Jenni Hill said: “An Inheritance of Magic shows us a world where the super-rich control everything – including magic. There’s a lot to love here for fans of Benedict’s previous series, as well as fans of dark academia.”

See more info on the Bookseller, and look out for An Inheritance of Magic this October! It’s available for pre-order now.