Archive for Orbit US

The Expanse at SDCC!

It was great seeing so many of you at San Diego Comic-Con last weekend. For those of you who couldn’t make it this year, we brought you back a souvenir!

Check out DRIVE by James S. A. Corey on Syfy.com. This free short story is set 150 before the events of LEVIATHAN WAKES (US | UK | AUS) and concerns the invention of the Epstein Drive.

We also brought back pictures of Syfy’s Expanse Cafe, which you can check out on the James S. A. Corey Facebook fan page.

The main event of the weekend was The Expanse panel where the first episode was screened in its entirety. While you’ll have to wait until December to see it on television, you can check out some of the panel highlights and reviews by io9 and B&N’s Sci-Fi & Fantasy blog right now!

Last but certainly not least, Entertainment Weekly has the exclusive on a new extended trailer. Go. Now. Watch. Is it December yet?

San Diego Comic-Con 2015!

SDCC 2012The Orbit team has arrived in San Diego, and we have an action-packed weekend planned for those of you who will be attending the convention.

Be sure to check out the Hard Rock Cafe, which Syfy has decked out Expanse-style for the occasion. We’re also giving away an exclusive short story by James S. A. Corey at the Orbit booth.

Here is our schedule of events and signings. We hope you’ll stop by and say hello at the booth #1116. (We’re listed as Hachette Book Group in the guide in case you get lost.) See you at the show!

THURSDAY

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM: Authors of Epic Fantasy with Kate Elliott in Room 24ABC

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Kate Elliott signing in Autograph Area 09

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Sleeping with the Lights On with Mira Grant Room 25ABC

5:30 PM – 6:30 PM: Mira Grant signing in Autograph Area 09

FRIDAY

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Romantic Adventure with Sam Sykes in Room 32AB

11:00 AM: Kate Elliott signing at the Orbit booth (#1116)

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM: Sam Sykes signing in Autograph Area 09

3:00 PM: Mira Grant signing at the Orbit booth (#1116)

SATURDAY

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Book to Screen with James S.A. Corey in Room 7AB (

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM: James S. A. Corey signing in Autograph Area 09

2:00 PM: James S.A. Corey signing at the Orbit Booth (#1116)
All Expanse books will be available for purchase during the signing.

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Syfy’s The Expanse with James S.A. Corey in the Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront

4:00 PM: Sam Sykes signing at the Orbit booth (#1116)

 

Orbit launches a Fantasy Writing Workshop with Karen Miller

The Falcon Throne, a new epic fantasy novel from Karen Miller
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This summer, Orbit is launching an online fantasy writing workshop, hosted on OrbitBooks.net. It will be led by Karen Miller – the million-copy bestselling author who rose to fame with her debut The Innocent Mage, and whose most recent release is the critically acclaimed epic fantasy The Falcon Throne (UK | US | ANZ).

The free week-long event, which starts on 27th July 2015, will invite aspiring authors to take part in a communal online “write-along” challenge, during which they will each be encouraged to pen their own sample of a new fantasy novel. They will also be invited to submit this sample into a competition at the end of the week.

Miller will be kicking off the writing workshop by setting a writing challenge for aspiring fantasy authors on 27th July, and will be providing advice and words of encouragement throughout the week. She will also taking part in a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” session on 29th July, during which time participants will be able to put their own questions on writing to her.

Miller said: “One of the hardest things about starting a writing career is the feeling that you’re alone, that nobody understands what you’re going through, and that it’s really hard to figure out how to do it right! That’s why I’m so excited to share a little of what I’ve learned since I wrote my first fantasy novel. It’s been a wild ride, these past few years, and if a new writer can be helped by something I’ve said, it will make all the hard work worthwhile.”

Any aspiring authors interested in taking part should follow @OrbitBooks on Twitter and look for the hashtag #OrbitFantasyWorkshop for updates, or sign up to the Orbit newsletter here.

For further information contact gemma.conley-smith@littlebrown.co.uk or anna.jackson@littlebrown.co.uk

Blog tour for debut SF thriller TRACER

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Who said that in space, no one can hear you scream?

Next month Orbit is very proud to be publishing TRACER, a heart-stopping science fiction thriller set in the claustrophobic world of Outer Earth – a space station containing the last surviving humans in the universe…

To launch his debut, Rob Boffard will be embarking on an out-of-this-world blog tour across twenty-six sites over six days, starting on the publication day of 16th July.

Rob will also be visiting the UK in July, so stay tuned for events in your area. Follow him on Twitter (@RobBoffard) for all the latest news on publication.
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THE FIRST LAW TRILOGY COMES TO ORBIT!

THE FIRST LAW TRILOGY is being released this September from Orbit! This is the original grim dark trilogy that inspired a new generation of fantasy writers. We envy the readers who have yet to meet the infamous barbarian Logen Ninefingers, the dashing Captain Jezal dan Luthar, the wizard Bayaz and the sinister Inquisitor Glokta for the first time…

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Murderous conspiracies rise to the surface, old scores are ready to be settled, and the line between hero and villain is sharp enough to draw blood.

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Ancient secrets will be uncovered. Bloody battles will be won and lost. Bitter enemies will be forgiven — but not before they are hanged.

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The king lies on his deathbed, the peasants revolt, and the nobles scramble to steal his crown. Only the First of the Magi can save the world, but there are risks. There is no risk more terrible, than to break the First Law…

“Bloody and relentless.” – George R. R. Martin

“Delightfully twisted and evil.” – The Guardian

“Heroic fantasy without conventional heroes…Full of cynicism and wit.” – RT Book Reviews

“Bold and authentically original.” – Jeff VanderMeer

“Compelling characters, a complex plot, and style to burn.” – Strange Horizons

“There is a gritty edge to his world and an awareness of the human cost of violence that is very contemporary.” – The Times

“Truly wonderful.” – Forbes

Cover design by Laura Brett

In Case You Missed It: June 2015

Mark Zuckerberg selects THE PLAYER OF GAMES (US | UK | AUS) by Iain M. Banks as his next Book of the Year.

The Evolution of a Space Epic: The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey via Barnes & Noble Scifi & Fantasy blog.

Relive the hilarity and the horror of Phoenix Comic Con’s annual Author Batsu Game hosted by Sam Sykes.

Anthony Ryan participated in an AMA on /r/Fantasy answering a ton of great questions about Blood Song, Tower Lord, and the upcoming Queen of Fire (out in July).

Also on /r/Fantasy, readers discussed who they think will be the next big name in epic fantasy.

New DLC content was released this month for the Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt. If you’re a fan of the game then you should definitely check out the novels.

Forbes takes a look at the fantasy genre from a scientific perspective with a shout-out for Brian McClellans’s Powerder Mage novels.

Julius Thomas, Tight End for the Jacksonville Jaguars, gave a shoutout to A DANCE OF BLADES by David Dalglish.

 

NEW ADVENTURE FANTASY ON THE ORBIT LIST!

Jon Skovron - cr Ryan BenyiWe pre-empted a manuscript a few months ago that we read and loved instantly. The reads were unanimous — it was perfect!!  It reminded us of Brent Weeks’s original Night Angel Trilogy, mixed with a drop of Scott Lynch’s The Lies of Locke Lamora and the brilliant characterizations of Brandon Sanderson.   But to be honest, we just fell in love with the characters, HOPE & RED. Red is a thief — and Hope is a trained warrior.  Their meeting — and their adventures will become a legend. . .

So we are over the moon to introduce you to a new author in the adult world, Jon Skovron and his novel, HOPE & RED, which we will be publishing in the summer of 2016.

In a fracturing empire spread across savage seas, two young people from different cultures find common purpose.

A nameless girl is the lone survivor when her village is massacred by biomancers, mystical servants of the emperor. Named after her lost village, Bleak Hope is secretly trained by a master Vinchen warrior as an instrument of vengeance.

A boy becomes an orphan on the squalid streets of New Laven after drugs and disease take the lives of his bohemian parents. He is adopted by one of the most notorious women of the criminal underworld, given the name Red, and trained as a thief and con artist.

When a ganglord named Deadface Drem strikes a bargain with the biomancers to consolidate and rule all the slums of New Laven, the worlds of Hope and Red come crashing together, and their unlikely alliance takes them further than either could have dreamed possible.

Cover Launch: Shades in Shadow by N. K. Jemisin

Coming out next month from Orbit is SHADES IN SHADOW which will feature three short stories by Hugo, Nebula & World Fantasy Award nominated author N. K. Jemisin set in the Inheritance trilogy world.  Salon.com says it all when they call N. K. Jemisin “one of the most celebrated new voices in epic fantasy.”  And John Scalzi says: “One of the most accomplished and exciting fantasy writers to arrive in the last few years.”

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From the shadows of the greater stories, away from the bright light of Sky and wending ’round the sagas of the Arameri, come three quieter tales. A newborn god with an old, old soul struggles to find a reason to live. A powerful demon searches for her father, and answers. And in a prequel to the Inheritance Trilogy, a newly-enslaved Nahadoth forges a dark alliance with a mortal, for survival… and revenge.

Return to the world of THE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS (US | UK | AUS) in these three interconnected short tales.

Cover Launch: SKYBORN by David Dalglish

I was fortunate enough to art direct David’s first series, the Shadowdance novels, so when I heard we were ready to work on his next series I was super excited. SKYBORN (US | UK | AUS)  is about the Seraphim, an elite military force protecting a floating island of Weshern. The Seraphim guard the remnants of mankind, defying gravity using ancient wings and mastering powerful elements to wage war in the skies.

The new series has been a different design challenge from the Shadowdance books in that we wanted to convey a different feel for the cover art. In David’s first series, we wanted emphasis on the main character, a ninja-like assassin, and the books’ energetic action. In Skyborn, the characters are a bit more unique in that they have metal wings to fly, wield swords, and wear military uniforms. Ultimately, the new series needed to convey high adventure.

In what I would call serendipitous timing, the work of Tommy Arnold came across my desk as we were discussing the covers. His style just hit the nail on the head for this project. His ability to illustrate characters was spot on. He could also handle textures beautifully: fabrics, metals, flames, etc. And most importantly, his illustrations really pull the viewer in and engage you. It was a no brainer in reaching out to get Tommy on board.

So after settling on what we wanted for the covers, we got Tommy moving. I couldn’t have had more fun designing David’s super fun new series with such a talented artist!

I’m thrilled to present the cover to Skyborn by David Dalglish!

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Skyborn, the first volume of a new series by David Dalglish, will be hitting shelves November 2015.