Archive for Orbit US

COLD STEEL: The Exciting Conclusion to the Spiritwalker Trilogy

Kate Elliott was one of my favorite authors growing up. I wrote a gushing letter in the front of COLD MAGIC (US | UK | AUS) that she still tortures me about to this day. Let’s see if I can find it! Ah. Here it is:

I was 13 years old when I first fell head over heels in love with Kate Elliott’s Jaran. I still remember sitting on the floor of my local library one minute, and being transported to another world the next. Over the years, I’ve gone back and read the series again and I still love it as much today as I did then. So it is an absolute privilege and a pleasure for me to welcome Kate Elliott to the Orbit list.

Kate is known for her enormous epic fantasy tales, full of brilliant characterization, in-depth politics and mind-blowing plot twists and turns. Now, in Cold Magic, she’s created an alternate Victorian England where airships rule the skies and Cold Mages will do anything to keep technology from getting into the wrong hands. It’s a world where magic rules the day and science hides at night, and where one young woman must discover her destiny.

Kate has outdone herself, creating an intricately detailed and lavish world where technology mixes with magic, and our own history is rewritten in an alternative world.

Many readers spend their adult lives trying to rediscover the feeling of the books that first transported them as readers. I can safely report that this book did just that for me, and I hope it does the same for you.

WHOA!

And to think that I wrote this three years ago! A whole series has passed! And with it, comes the conclusion of this fantastic series that everyone has been raving about. Mysterious men? Check. Airships? Check. Steampunk? Check. Kate Elliott tells a wonderful story that culminates in COLD STEEL (US | UK | AUS). It was many years in the making and when you reach the end, it is everything that a satisfying series should be. Plus just a bit more.  I love the experience of working with her on this series — and I can’t wait to tell you more about her new one! Though that will wait for a bit. But here’s a bit about COLD STEEL:

Trouble, treachery, and magic just won’t stop plaguing Cat Barahal. The Master of the Wild Hunt has stolen her husband Andevai. The ruler of the Taino kingdom blames her for his mother’s murder. The infamous General Camjiata insists she join his army to help defeat the cold mages who rule Europa. An enraged fire mage wants to kill her. And Cat, her cousin Bee, and her half-brother Rory, aren’t even back in Europa yet, where revolution is burning up the streets.

Revolutions to plot. Enemies to crush. Handsome men to rescue.

Cat and Bee have their work cut out for them.  

I hope you have as much fun with this series as I did.

cold magic    cold fire    Elliot-Cold Steel-TP

Cover Story: LOVE MINUS EIGHTY by WILL McINTOSH

McIntosh_LoveMinusEighty_TPThis is one of those books you start working on, and once it starts gaining momentum, turns into one of your favorite projects. LOVE MINUS EIGHTY (US | UK | AUS) is a shining example of just that. The final product ended up being a combination of a two concepts using the transparent vellum as a way to play off those concepts together. Getting a chance to do a design with vellum paper is a designer dream.

Having such beautiful material to work with only made this project easier. LOVE MINUS EIGHTY is an absolutely wonderful story. Then, pairing this amazing story with the photography by Erin Mulvehill, a Brooklyn based photographer, kicked the package for this book up a whole new level. Her photography is as vivid and beautiful as the text.

The jacket is a subtle interaction between the female in the picture and the reader/viewer. She’s reaching out and pressing this button in order to start something.

I wanted the rest of the design to really take advantage of the vellum. I wanted the reader to explore the book and find all the subtle details.

To really appreciate the book is to hold the book in your hands and roll the book around. When you look at spine and the back cover on the jacket, you see elements from the books cover peaking through. Here are a couple videos showing the cover.

  

We have an amazing team here at Orbit. Our editors really saw the potential and worked with design to create a stunning package. Erin was a joy to work with. Our production team was a great liaisons to the printer keeping track of all the details and making sure everything was addressed that need to be addressed. LOVE MINUS EIGHTY is a great example of everyone just having fun!

Sneak Peek for REIGN OF ASH by Gail Z. Martin

The Hawthorn Moon Banner

ICE FORGED (US | UK | AUS) launched the popular new Ascendant Kingdoms Saga in January 2013, and Book Two, REIGN OF ASH, is coming in early 2014.  Author Gail Z. Martin is doing her annual “sneak peek” Hawthorn Moon event featuring REIGN OF ASH beginning June 21 with an international blog tour, podcasts, excerpts, readings, giveaways and more.  We asked her what readers should expect from Reign of Ash and afterwards show off the fantastic cover of the upcoming novel.

Reign of AshQ:  What can you tell us about where Reign of Ash will take Ascendant Kingdoms readers?

A:  Reign of Ash picks up right after Ice Forged, with Blaine McFadden’s quest to restore his homeland of Donderath.  As Ice Forged readers know, the quest isn’t completed at the end of Book 1 because there is so much more to do, so much damage to overcome.  It’s going to take all that Blaine and his friends have to give to survive!

Q:  How have Blaine, Kestel, Piran and the other Ice Forged characters changed going into Reign of Ash?

A:  Exile and prison brought Blaine’s group together, so they’re used to having each others’ backs.  That serves them well in the very dangerous and unstable conditions in post-war Donderath.  Now that they’re free, there will be choices to make.  Blaine is still very much at the center of the group, and in Reign of Ash, several new characters get added to the circle, some old friends and new allies.  Going forward, they will be at the heart of bringing the ruined kingdom back to life, and the paths they choose will determine Donderath’s future.

Q: Will we see more of Connor and Lord Penhallow?

A:  Absolutely! Bevin Connor remains an important viewpoint character.  We met him in Ice Forged fleeing for his life when Donderath fell, and see him emerge as an unexpectedly heroic person.  No one is surprised at that more than Connor himself!  In Reign of Ash, Connor grows into an even more important role, playing an enormously important part in the book’s life-or-death climax.

Q:  Will Ice Forged’s bad guys be back for more?

A:  Bet on it! Pentreath Reece and Vedran Pollard have their own agenda for the post-war wreckage, and their vision involves seeing themselves emerging as the ultimate power players. Anarchy breeds opportunists, so Reece and Pollard are in their element, and the only thing standing in their way is Blaine McFadden.  Expect serious fireworks! (more…)

The Future of Social Media in SF

Love Minus Eighty by Will McIntosh for fans of Black MirrorIt’s incredible when we look at how much Facebook, Twitter – and yes even the humble and now bizarrely relaunched MySpace – have changed our world and the way we interact within it, all in no more than a decade. It’s easy to see why some of the best science fiction has recently focused on the future of social media and technology in the hands of individuals, rather than governments or militant groups.

This year has seen the release of Google Glass – one of the most sci-fi-feeling inventions ever – which is a wearable computer intended to ‘free data’ from your desktop, and bring it right in front of your eyes.

Google Glass could be considered the first step toward what Will McIntosh calls a ‘system’ in his debut novel LOVE MINUS EIGHTY (UK | US | AUS).

Systems are lightweight and near-invisible personal kits that envelop your entire body, allowing you to overlay your world with virtual reality. This virtual overlay has become such a part of individuals’ daily life that the characters in LOVE MINUS EIGHTY (or the ones wealthy enough to afford them, anyway) feel stunted and naked without it.

These systems give users the ability to open a floating virtual screen anywhere in front of them and talk ‘face-to-face’ with multiple people at one time, to mute other people’s conversations on the street, to access personal information about anyone they pass in the street.

It’s possible to build your number of ‘followers’ in the near future too – but this no longer just means your fans will see everything you post in your stream. People can now genuinely ‘follow’ you around, with floating virtual screens that can wink open at any moment, anywhere, to hover around you as you go about your daily business, watching your life actions in real-time. You can follow others in the same way – if you care enough about what they’re up to. And if someone manages to gain enough followers, that’s when the advertising credits start to roll in . . .

The way Will McIntosh chillingly blends concepts from reality TV and social media highlights certain truths about how interact with one another: that the actions we take online are performed for an audience, and that our tendency toward voyeurism is increasing. As social media develops further and increases its prevalence in our lives, so too the implications of these changes will leach outward in speculative fiction.

In science fiction today, gone are the adorable sentient toasters of Red Dwarf, replaced with figures representing something much more sinister . . . Think of the chilling episode “Be Right Back” from Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror  – where after a loved one’s death, reincarnation is possible by uploading their online persona into a disturbingly realistic organic robot. This reality really isn’t far away, given that tech such as Liveson exists now to look after your social afterlife – a service whose slogan is ‘when your heart stops beating, you’ll keep tweeting’. It makes Will McIntosh’s musings about social media and reanimation after death feel chillingly real . . .

With the mind-blowing advances in technology and the explosion in the amount of time we spend on the internet in recent years, it’s not so much of a stretch to assume this complete integration of our on and offline lives could happen well before LOVE MINUS EIGHTY predicted in 2103.

Read more about where social media is taking us in LOVE MINUS EIGHTY.

Top 10 Worst Ways to Die in a Science Fiction Setting

Abaddon's GateWe’re thrilled to announce that ABADDON’S GATE (US | UK | AUS) is a New York Times Bestseller hitting the extended trade paperback list at #22. Congratulations to James S. A. Corey – the pen name of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck.

ABADDON’S GATE is the third and latest installment in James S. A. Corey’s breakneck space opera that began with LEVIATHAN WAKES (US | UK | AUS). If you are a fan of science fiction and its subgenres, then you know that there are a thousand and one ways to die a horrible death.  James S. A. Corey breaks down some of the worst ways to go.

…

10) Energy Monsters

Classic Trek all the way, here.  Let’s face it, half the planets in the galaxy have some form on nasty energy monster on them, and they all kill in nasty ways.  Sucking out the iron from you hemoglobin, frying your nervous system, disintegrating you.  Your phaser won’t work on it.  But take comfort in knowing that the exact horrific manner of your death will give the important characters clues on how to defeat the creature.  So thanks for that.

9) Id monsters

The most famous examples (and still the best) are the monster in Forbidden Planet and Mr. Hyde.  The Id monster is someone else’s fault and your problem.  It’s not that is doesn’t want anything.  It wants to strip you into ribbons in a rage haze because of an unresolved Oedipal complex.  As you’re being ripped apart, you’ll know that this is happening because of unexpressed and unrealized frustrations of some other person, and knowing won’t help.  Kind of like working tech support, only literal.

8) Sandworms

Sandworms don’t chew.  They just have a thousand meters of digestive tract.  Enough said.

7) Sarlacc

Speaking of digestion, Jabba the Hutt claims that you digest in the belly of the Sarlacc for a thousand years.  Figure you die of thirst after three days.  That’s still a rough three days.

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BEFORE THE FALL – the exceptional follow-up to FADE TO BLACK

Have you heard what people have been saying about Francis Knight’s debut fantasy novel FADE TO BLACK (UK|US|ANZ)? Here’s a clue . . .

Word cloud for reviews of FADE TO BLACK, the fantasy debut by Francis Knight - a noir fantasy adventure that's "powerful", "emotional" "Distinctive", "brilliant", "Inventive"

If you’re amongst the hoard of readers who loved this thrilling and original tale set in the vertigo-inducing fantasy world of Mahala, you’ll be interested to hear that the follow-up BEFORE THE FALL (UK|US|ANZ) is released today.

Fade to Black, book one of the Rojan Dizon novels, by Francis Knight - a dark, noir fantasy series with a dystopian feel - perfect for fans of Scott Lynch, Douglas Hulick, Benedict Jacka and Ben Aaronvitch
Fade to Black – out now
Before the Fall, book two of the Rojan Dizon novels, following Fade to Black by Francis Knight - a dark, noir fantasy series with a dystopian feel - perfect for fans of Scott Lynch, Douglas Hulick, Benedict Jacka and Ben Aaronvitch
Before the Fall – released today
Last to Rise, book three of the Rojan Dizon novels following Fade to Black and Before The Fall, by Francis Knight - a dark, noir fantasy series with a dystopian feel - perfect for fans of Scott Lynch, Douglas Hulick, Benedict Jacka and Ben Aaronvitch
Last To Rise – released November

 

The latest book again features the reluctant hero, bounty hunter and pain mage Rojan Dizon. He’d love to keep his head down and out of trouble – but he needs to get some power back to the city, and his worst nightmare is just around the corner . . .

Then there’s not long to wait until the third and final book in the trilogy is released. It’s called LAST TO RISE – and it’s a truly explosive finale (yes I did cry…)

If you haven’t checked this series out yet, you don’t know what you’re missing.

Will Hinton Joins Orbit

will-hintonWe would love to introduce the readers of Orbit Books to Will Hinton, our new Editor! Will comes to us from afar — a few blocks down and to the west from Voyager where he has worked with such talents such as Richard Kadrey, Kim Harrison, Jeff VanderMeer and Brom. He doesn’t like desserts — so try not to bribe him with cookies — but he’s keen on martinis (shaken, of course). We hope you’ll wave to him when you see him around (at conventions and such!).

We’re very excited to have him join the team!

Will said, “Orbit has an outstanding author roster and team so it’s a thrill to have the chance to contribute to their mission to publish superb speculative fiction.”

The Top Five Most Compelling Romances in Science Fiction

Love-Minus-EightySince my first novel for Orbit Books deals with how the technology of the future has changed our most basic human relationships, I thought I’d pay homage to some of the great love stories in science fiction, be they in books, on film, or on TV.  Needless to say, these are my top five choices.  Your mileage may vary.

1. Desmond and Penny in Lost

There’s something about waiting for your true love that is especially poignant, that feels like undeniable proof of the power and purity of that love.  When Desmond tells Penny he’ll call her–in eight years–and eight years later Penny answers the phone, and they shout “I love you” into the phone, back and forth, back and forth, until the tenuous telephone connection fails, they had me.

19842. Winston Smith and Julia in 1984 by George Orwell.

In the darkest future imaginable, a woman Winston Smith barely knows slips him a note that says, simply, I love you.  In the lingo of the rom com, this is their meet, and it’s a beautiful one.  Their love is what ultimately leads to their downfall; they betray each other, and when they meet on the other side of re-education, their lack of feeling for each other is so incredibly devastating because their love was so convincing.

eternal-sunshine3. Joel and Clementine in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Joel and Clementine’s love is tumultuous, to say the least.  Clementine is a force of nature, wild and unpredictable.  She probably suffers from bipolar disorder.  Joel is tight, introverted, and private; yet when they fight, Joel’s words are, if anything, more cutting than Clementine’s.  They fight often, but somehow the passion in their arguments convinces us of the intensity of their love as much as their tender moments do.  They erase their memories of each other, yet meet and fall in love all over again.  These are two people who were meant to be together. (more…)

Cover reveal: The Girl With All the Gifts

It is my great delight to reveal the cover for the book that everyone will be talking about in 2014.

The Girl With All The Gifts

Melanie is a very special girl. Dr Caldwell calls her ‘our little genius’.

Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don’t like her. She jokes that she won’t bite, but they don’t laugh.

Melanie loves school. She loves learning about spelling and sums and the world outside the classroom and the children’s cells. She tells her favourite teacher all the things she’ll do when she grows up. Melanie doesn’t know why this makes Miss Justineau look sad.

The Girl With All the Gifts will be published by Orbit worldwide in 2014.

 

It’s time to wake up. LOVE MINUS EIGHTY is available now.

Love-Minus-EightyToday is the worldwide release of LOVE MINUS EIGHTY (US | UK | AUS) by Hugo Award-winning author Will McIntosh. Will is a truly original voice in SF and with this novel he’s given us a terrifying, uplifting, daring, and compulsively readable vision of where our path is leading.

Three hundred years in the future, technology has extended the lives of the rich and attractive decades. The wealthy can arrange to be reanimated multiple times, while in cryogenic dating farms, dead women await lonely suitors to resurrect them and take them home. In this big-hearted novel, the lovelorn navigate a world in which technology has found the outer limits of decency and love.

LOVE MINUS EIGHTY explores a time where we are completely entangled in social media, where life is a performance and privacy has lost all meaning, where our romances and relationships are choreographed in secret, and freedom is found in the ever-shrinking spaces off the grid. A time we can all relate to.

Read a sample, look at the amazing trailer and here is just some of the glowing praise the book has received so far:

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