And so is Charles Stross!
The 2007 SciFiNow awards have been announced in the latest issue. As you might have guessed from the title of this post, Charles Stross and Halting State, his latest novel, have been voted the fan favourites in the Best Author and Best Novel categories. Hurrah!
You can check out all the fantastic things Starburst, DeathRay and The Book Swede are saying about it here and pick it up at bookshops near you this month.
Tad Williams just relaunched his website over at www.tadwilliams.com!
Check it out to read his blog, visit the message board and learn more about his writing, including his latest novel, Shadowplay, which Orbit UK is publishing in paperback this March.
We’re delighted to announce that the UK’s bestselling SFF debut of 2007 was Karen Miller’s The Innocent Mage. It was a great year for new authors, but it was clear from the start that The Innocent Mage was something special. It went straight to the top of the SFF charts when it was first published, and the buzz has continued to build, with a stack of rave reviews, particularly online. All seemed to echo the same sentiment: that Karen Miller was an author with an incredible gift for creating characters that leap off the page — and for telling a story in a way that makes it ridiculously difficult to put the book down (and incredibly difficult to resist The Awakened Mage, the second book in the two-part series, which came out shortly after).
Congratulations from all of us to Karen, a new star of fantasy fiction.
And for all Karen Miller fans out there, three words: Empress, April, amazing.
Congratulations to Sue Guttridge from Dorset and Rob Davies from Massachusetts, our winners in the competition for a free advance copy of Matter (UK | US ) by Iain M. Banks.
Thanks to everyone who entered!
It’s only a …er… matter of weeks before Matter arrives in bookstores. The first Culture novel since Look to Windward, Matter is one of the most anticipated science fiction novels coming out this year. We’re thrilled to be publishing it, and thrilled to offer a first look at the stunning prologue.
Click here to read the prologue of Matter, out this February from Orbit in the UK and the US.
Brian Ruckley’s fantastic debut novel, Winterbirth, is now on Facebook. Visit the page here to become a fan, read extracts and find out all the latest news about The Godless World series!
Don’t have a Facebook account? You can still get all the latest news and extracts by visiting Brian Ruckley website.
Wonderful news just in that Sean Williams’ Saturn Returns has made the final ballot for the Philip K. Dick Award, presented annually for distinguished science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States.
Sean is quite naturally extremely pleased and reports receiving “a wave of Dick jokes, the likes of which I haven’t seen since High School”.
Many congratulations to Sean and all of the shortlisted authors.
Matter (UK | US ) the new Culture novel by Iain M. Banks, is set to hit shelves in three weeks. Can’t wait? Then send us your name, email, and place of residence in an email with the subject ‘Matter contest’ for a chance to win a free advance copy. One (1) lucky US and one (1)lucky UK winner will get a copy sent directly to them — so be sure to let us know where you’re emailing from! The contest closes at midnight (GMT) on Sunday, January 13th. Good luck!
Orbit UK’s parent company, Little, Brown Book Group, is now on Facebook! You can take a look and become a fan here.
Debatable Space, by debut author Philip Palmer, is available this month from Orbit UK and US and it’s already getting some fantastic praise. SFRevu says:
Seldom have I read anything so relentlessly energetic, inventive and shamelessly ambitious – all highly laudable qualities…This is one of those rare books that holds your focus on every page, and feeds your imagination as it does so…Palmer is a new, fresh, entirely original voice in British science fiction, and one that looks like he will be around, like Lena, for some considerable time.
And Fantasy Book Critic calls it:
One heck of a trip. It’s ambitious, original, a self-contained story, laugh-out-loud funny, gleefully violent, and wildly unpredictable…much more than a typical science fiction novel and I think readers would be making a huge mistake in overlooking Philip Palmer’s excellent debut.
Interested in checking out one of the most exciting new SF novels of 2008? You can check out an extract here or pick up a copy at a bookstore near you later this month!
