Archive for Orbit US

Coming this Spring from Orbit US

An unseasonably warm day here in New York has us looking forward to spring — and our spring list — here at Orbit US HQ. Starting this April, look for the first book in a new trilogy from Karen Miller, the first US publication of Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Last Wish, and new books from Jeff Somers, Marie Brennan, Lilith Saintcrow, and more!

Click here for our Spring 2008 list
Click here for our Fall 2007, Winter 2008 list
Visit us at librarything.com/catalog/orbitbooks

Get Cultured

Matter by Iain M Banks

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!

Debatable Space launches this month!

Debatable Space by Philip Palmer

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!

Podcasts with Karen Miller and Tim Holman

Karen Miller talked with The Dragon Page Radio about The Innocent Mage and The Awakened Mage, as well as her upcoming Godspeaker trilogy, which will launch this Spring with Empress. You can listen to the podcast here.

And Orbit Publishing Director Tim Holman had a long ranging interview with Rick Kleffel at the Agony Column podcast. They talk about the launch of Orbit US and the future of genre fiction publishing. If you’re interested in the strategy behind Orbit’s publishing program, or the future of the genre, don’t miss it! Link.

The Escapement Arrives

International Covers for The Escapement

K.J. Parker’s Engineer Trilogy continues to wow the critics. In the Locus review of Evil for Evil (US, UK) and The Escapement (US, UK) Faren Miller says of the trilogy:

“The whole thing is brilliant – disturbingly so, since these fantasies (without a whit of magic) explore the human condition and reveal it all, brain, heart, guts and bowels, with a startling precision.”

And over at Strange Horizons, Farah Mendlesohn has a fascinating review of the trilogy that gets at the heart of what makes these books so compelling:

“The trilogy format of Parker’s work is deceptive: it both does, and doesn’t conform to recognisable fantasy trajectories. Yes, in almost all of the books there is at least one person who rises to power or moves towards the centre of the action; there is always big landscape; there are wars and many nameless people die. But the stories which form the plot are interlocked through future, present and past. Parker writes stories in which individuals become enmeshed in the machine, and in which economics is the god on which all the principals are sacrificed. ”

Read the whole review here.

You can find the first chapter of Devices and Desires here. Book three, The Escapement, is out this month.

Vampires, Snowmen, Vampire Snowmen?

Over at SF World Mark Yon (clearly skeptical about any urban fantasy starring a Vampire) finds a lot to like in Jennifer Rardin’s Once Bitten, Twice Shy:

“This is one that should be read: one for me that stands with my current faves Jim Butcher and Mike Carey.”

Another One Bites the Dust

At Scifichick.com Angela has a review of the next book in the Jaz Parks series, Another One Bites the Dust,

“With more action and tougher bad guys, this sequel doesn’t disappoint.”

And for a chance to win a copy of the first two books in the series (plus what looks like a very tasty chocolate snowman) visit Urbanfantasy.blogspot.com

How do you eat an elephant?

Innocent Mage coverKaren Miller, the bestselling author of the Kingmaker, Kingbreaker duology, has just written a fantastic Quote of the Week piece over at The Book Swede.

“How do you eat an elephant? One mouthful at a time.”

I don’t know the source of the above quote, but it’s become one of my mantras as I really settle down into this writing gig. Writing novels is a major commitment of time, of energy and most of all, of faith. Sure, if you’re looking purely at word count, one average novel of 30 chapters is the same as someone writing 30 short stories. And there are lots of people out there who’ve written 30 and more short stories, so … there’s no difference, right?

Wrong.

Read more >>

Midnight is in fact coming to Orbit!

Midnight Never ComeWe are delighted to confirm Orbit UK’s acquisition of Marie Brennan’s Midnight Never Come and sequel – two dark and fantastical stories of the faerie court, the first book being set in Elizabethan England.

Midnight Never Come is a lyrical and sinister tale of intrigue and betrayal, seamlessly weaving historical detail with the fantastic. And don’t miss Marie’s massively impressive academic credentials either – a B.A. in anthropology, folklore & mythology from Harvard University, with current projects including a Ph.D. in anthropology and folklore. Whew! As you’d expect with author who bears comparison with authors such as Neil Gaiman, in-house feedback has been just great. ‘Had me hooked from the start’, ‘clever and convincing’ and ‘wonderfully atmospheric’ are just some of the comments received, and I’m looking forward to when it’s unleashed for review.

To give you a taster of the plot, I can reveal the following details . . . In hidden catacombs beneath London, a second Queen holds court: Invidiana, ruler of faerie England, and a dark mirror to the glory above. In the thirty years since Elizabeth ascended her throne, fae and mortal politics have become inextricably entwined, in secret alliances and ruthless betrayals whose existence is suspected only by a few.

That’s it for now but be sure to let us know if you want to know more!