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Epic Fantasy at its Finest – BLOOD SONG is out today!

BloodSongToday sees the publication of BLOOD SONG [UK | ANZ], Anthony Ryan’s superb debut novel which is set to be this summer’s blockbuster epic fantasy release.

I’ve been a huge fan of this genre for many years and, as both reader and editor, I’m not easy to please. I know exactly what I want from an epic fantasy novel: memorable characters (of both genders, thank you), a vivid setting and gripping action sequences balanced against razor-sharp intrigue.

BLOOD SONG offers all of these, and so much more.

One particular line jumped out at me when I was reading the novel on submission, and it still resonates in my mind now: “We have fought battles that left more than a hundred corpses on the ground, and not a word of it has ever been set down. The Order fights, but often it fights in shadow, without glory or reward. We have no banners.”

I love this line not just because it’s a great piece of dialogue, but also for the reason that it really represents the novel as a whole – it encapsulates both the story’s strong martial element as well as the healthy dose of intrigue that provides a perfect counterpoint to all the action.

Anthony Ryan’s writing carries echoes of the great David Gemmell, partly in his crisp prose and visceral action sequences, but mostly in how conflicted his protagonist is (Anthony himself talked more about Gemmell’s heroes in his recent article). Vaelin al Sorna is a classic Gemmellian hero: charismatic and courageous, very handy with a blade, and torn between his duty to the Realm and his loyalty to his friends.

BLOOD SONG is Vaelin’s story. About how he rose through the Sixth Order’s ranks to become their most feared warrior, how he became the focus of a war between powers both known and unknown, and how he learned that sometimes the truth can cut more deeply than any blade.

It’s a novel about loyalty, love and sacrifice – and it’s simply brilliant.

Praise for BLOOD SONG:

Blood Song is a tremendous debut . . . fast-paced, action-packed and character-driven” – FANTASY BOOK CRITIC

“A top contender for most impressive debut of the year . . . Blood Song is a powerful epic that, while ending with a sense of closure, hints at more to come” – SFFWORLD

“An utterly engrossing high-fantasy epic from a major new talent that explores themes of war, faith, and loyalty amidst incredible action scenes and artfully developed characters” – BUZZFEED

“I still love – and want – that feeling of completely absorbing escapism that good fantasy can supply – and Blood Song brings it in force” – PORNOKITSCH

“Ryan hits all the high notes of epic fantasy – a gritty setting, ancient magics, ruthless intrigue, divided loyalties and bloody action” – PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“A new master storyteller has hit the scene” – Michael J. Sullivan

BLOOD SONG is out now in hardback (UK), trade (ANZ) and ebook. Anthony Ryan can be found online at both his website and on Twitter.

Elizabeth Moon on Grit vs. Glory in Fantasy Writing

By Elizabeth Moon

When my first novel came out in 1988, SHEEPFARMER’S DAUGHTER (UK|ANZ), some readers commented favorably on its “gritty reality.”  People died in war, some gruesomely (one of a suppurating gut wound, a baby accidentally trampled, civilians made an example of by one or another mercenary force), and that included characters readers identified with as well as those they didn’t.  Later in that group of books, the protagonist suffered more wounds, unjust and cruel reactions as an aftermath of “treatment” for mental invasion, and torture.  Some readers were horrified that a woman would write such graphic violence; others admired an honest appraisal of the costs of both war and heroism.

“Some seem to believe that the good are just stupid, too stupid to realize that you have to be bad to survive”Yet the point of the story was not that war is hell, that people are capable of cruelty, that violence has unexpected costs that land unfairly on the innocent.  That’s common knowledge.  The point of the story was how people – as characters – deal with this reality.  How some become bitter, angry, resentful, and willingly participate in the cruelty.  How others do not, and instead work against the cruelty – sometimes violently and sometimes by choosing to stand with victims, without resisting.

"LIMITS OF POWER is part of a series that challenges adults – not kids becoming adults – to change repeatedly, to become more than they were."Gritty reality has been associated, in some other writers’ works, with a determination to deny the possibility of glory – of redemption, of steadfast adherence to good, of achievement.  Some even seem to believe that the good are just stupid, too stupid to realize that you have to be bad to survive.  That’s not my perspective.  I’ve known too many good people who were also intelligent and street-smart, surviving well without knifing everyone else in the back.  I’ve known too many other people who used the “good = stupid” argument to defend their own cowardice and complicity in evil.

“Some readers were horrified that a woman would write such graphic violence”Does good win easily?  Of course not.  Does good always win?  Of course not.  Does one battle win a war, or one war win anything forever?  Of course not.  But I stand on the side of those who think that good can win . . . if.  If what?  If those trying to make things better don’t give up, don’t sell out, don’t lose hope that their efforts are worthwhile.  If they learn enough about themselves to recognize where they are part of the problem . . . and then have the courage and will to change.  LIMITS OF POWER (UK|ANZ) is part of a series that challenges adults – not kids becoming adults – to change repeatedly, to become more than they were. (more…)

NEPTUNE’S BROOD publishes today!

The cover of Neptune's Brood, a brand new space opera from science fiction legend Charles StrossOur brand new space opera from science fiction master Charles Stross comes out today! Buy NEPTUNE’S BROOD (UK|ANZ) as an ebook today or pick up one of these gorgeous hardback editions!

Alastair Reynolds, author of the Revelation Space series, had this to say:

NEPTUNE’S BROOD is fast-paced and imaginative, with fascinating ideas about an interstellar society constrained by real physics. Above all else though, it’s just terrific fun.”

In NEPTUNE’S BROOD Charlie writes about spacefaring cultures with no faster-than-light travel, which makes for an unusually scientifically accurate space opera. Our protagonist, Krina ( a metahuman in a universe where humans went extinct five thousand years ago), embarks on a daring voyage across the star systems to find her missing sister. See Charlie, Reynolds and other science fiction authors discussing the science in this io9 article: How to Write a Killer Space Adventure Without Breaking the Speed of Light.

Charlie will be appearing at Waterstones Princes Street in Edinburgh this Thursday to sign NEPTUNE’S BROOD (buy your tickets here) and signing in London next month as well as appearing at Nine Worlds from 9–11 August. You can read the first chapter of NEPTUNE’S BROOD here.

Cover Story: ANCILLARY JUSTICE by ANN LECKIE

Leckie_AncillaryJustice_TP

The first volume of the Imperial Radch series, ANCILLARY JUSTICE (US | UK | AUS), by Ann Leckie will be hitting shelves October 2013.

This was one of those projects that when the editor started giving the description of the project, all of us in the art department started licking our chops to get our hands on it and start working. Space opera, psychological thriller, and “corpse soldiers”… what more can art directors want?!

Lauren had been looking for an excuse to use John Harris for some time and this ended up being that perfect opportunity. (She’s gonna write about John in a bit)  We decided to have John create a giant piece of artwork that would be divided up between the three covers in the series. In the end, when all three books are placed together, they will fit like a puzzle to create the single piece that John created.  Here’s a view of the complete piece of art from John Harris.

Once I got my hands on his artwork I started working on the design and typography. We wanted something that was going to ride the fine line of screaming big book, but not overpower Johns amazing artwork.  In the end, I couldn’t be happier with the final package.

Here’s Lauren to talk about working with John! (more…)

Charles Stross Wins A Locus!

The Apocalypse CodexWe’re absolutely delighted to announce that Charles Stross has won the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, with his supernatural spy thriller THE APOCALYPSE CODEX (UK|ANZ).

The 2013 awards were announced at the annual Locus Awards Weekend in Seattle this Saturday. Our congratulations go to all the other winners, and you can see the full list at Locus Online.

The Laundry Files are the story of Bob Howard, an I.T. geek and reluctant secret agent working for the Laundry – the British government agency tasked with defending the realm from occult threats.

The Files begin with THE ATROCITY ARCHIVES (UK|ANZ) and continue with THE JENNIFER MORGUE (UK|ANZ), THE FULLER MEMORANDUM (UK|ANZ) and THE APOCALYPSE CODEX. Starting tomorrow, you can now buy the entire series in the new cover style shown below (click on the image for the full size covers).

The covers for supernatural spy series The Laundry Files by Charles Stross

The next instalment in the series, THE RHESUS CHART, will be published summer 2014.

2012 vs 2312: Landmarks and Changes in Space Exploration

2312_MMThis week, Kim Stanley Robinson’s 2312 (US | UK |AUS) was released in paperback! Robinson’s beautifully crafted novel came out over a year ago, and what a year it’s been. 2312 has since won the Nebula Award, was nominated for the Hugo and Arthur C. Clarke Awards, and was a Tiptree Award honoree. So if 2312 has been on your radar, now is a pretty good time to pick it up in paperback.

The last twelve months have seen some pretty big triumphs and losses in the space sciences, too. Let’s take a moment to reflect on some of those historic developments.

1. Asteroid Miners Wanted: The private sector has taken some huge leaps forward this year. In fact, when 2312 was released in hardcover, an asteroid mining company called Planetary Resources launched with the goal of eventually mining precious resources from near-earth objects. The timing could not have been more fitting since one of the technologies explored in 2312 is the mining and terraforming of asteroids. Most recently, Planetary Resources is wrapping up a Kickstarter project to fund their ARKYD telescope raising over $1,000,000 in the process.

2. Here Be Dragons:  The private sector scored another big win that summer when Space X successfully launched and recovered their first Dragon spacecraft  — becoming the first commercial spacecraft to dock with the International Space Station. Space X has a lot of great footage of their missions on their website which you should really check out.

3. Retirement of the Shuttle Program: One of the sadder stories of the year was the retirement of NASA’s shuttle program. Although I’m tickled pink to be able to visit the Shuttle Enterprise at the Intrepid Museum here in New York ,it is somewhat depressing to realize that the shuttles have all been grounded permanently.

4. Curiosity Arrives on Mars: As one era closes, a new one begins.  On August 6th, 2012 Curiosity landed on Mars. Unlike Spirit, which landed in 2004 at a time when fewer of us had high-speed Internet and vast social networks, Curiosity’s exploration of the fourth planet from the sun is something we can all easily feel connected to.

5. Voyager Missions Celebrate 35 Years in Operation: Launched in 1977 (the same year as Star Wars: A New Hope!), Voyager 1 and 2 are both still flying strong. Although neither probe has reached interstellar space yet, Voyager 1 penetrated a new region of Deep Space in December 2012, which is reason enough to celebrate and break out the Romulan ale.

6. Sally Ride, Neil Armstrong, Janice E. Voss, and Alan Poindexter Pass Away: We sadly loar several pioneers of space exploration in 2012. May they rest in peace and may the mission continue.

7. Chris Hadfield becomes my new favorite person: There really isn’t a better way to close out this list than by directing you to Commander Hadfield’s Youtube channel and what might be the best cover ever.

I could probably go on – and on and on – about this, but I’ll stop there and turn it over to you. Let us know what made your highlight reel. Were you able to see any of the shuttle fly-overs? Show us some pictures!

Curiosity: The Hopkins Manuscript by R.C. Sherriff

My anthology, WASTELANDS: STORIES OF THE APOCALYPSE, contains most of my favorite examples of short-form post-apocalyptic fiction. And on the occasion of the UK release of WASTELANDS  (and my zombie anthology, THE LIVING DEAD), Orbit asked me to provide a guest post, so I thought I’d tell you about a curiosity of long-form post-apocalyptic fiction that I discovered during the course of my research into the genre.

Discovered in the ruins of Notting Hill at some unspecified future date, The Hopkins Manuscript is ostensibly a “day-to-day record,” written by retired school teacher/chicken breeder/amateur astronomer Edgar Hopkins, which chronicles the days immediately before and after the shocking discovery that the Moon’s decaying orbit will bring it crashing down into the Earth.

Doom is prophesized, but the world is not destroyed as expected.  Instead, the Moon strikes the Earth a glancing blow to the western coast of Europe .  Being nothing more than a “hollow body with a thick crust,” it collapses and forms a new landmass that bridges Europe and the Americas, like a cosmic puzzle piece settling into place.   Amicable plans are made by an international council to divide up ownership of this new land, but upon discovering that the Moon is not a lifeless rock—that instead it is rich in natural resources and possesses enough minerals “to give wealth to this world undreamed of”—the specter of war raises its ugly head in the immediate aftermath of the greatest cataclysm humanity has ever seen.

R.C. Sherriff (1896-1975)—a playwright, screenwriter, and novelist—is perhaps most remembered for his filmic collaborations with legendary Frankenstein (1931) director James Whale (1889-1957); the two worked together on several films, including an adaptation of Sherriff’s best-known play, Journey’s End (1930), The Invisible Man (1933), One More River (1934), and The Road Back (1937).  In The Hopkins Manuscript, Sherriff presents a dark vision that is both a reflection on humanity’s attitudes in the aftermath of The Great War and a portent of things to come when one considers its publication date of 1939—the year World War II began.  Though its science is obviously laughable, the novel remains thematically relevant and is an engaging read that I would highly recommend to anyone interested in seeing an historical view of the apocalypse through the literature of its time.

 

THE LIVING DEAD and WASTELANDS: STORIES OF THE APOCALYPSE are both now available as to buy digital-only editions in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

The Living Dead, an anthology edited by John Joseph Adams, featuring short stories abotu zombies from Stephen Kind, George R R Martin, Neil Gaiman, Laurell K Hamilton, Clive Barker, Nancy Holder, Joe R Landsdale, Joe Hill and many othersWastelands - an anthology of apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic short stories deaturing Stephen King, George R R Martin, Orson Scott Card, Paolo Bacigalupi, Gene Wolfe, Elizabeth Bear, Nancy Kress, Jonathan Lethem and many others

“A Sort of Geek Dare” – Kevin Hearne on his Iron Druid Urban Fantasy Series

HoundedThe Iron Druid Chronicles got started as a sort of Geek Dare. You know how geeks will sit around and throw out ridiculous hypotheticals to one another, like “What if Spock tried to make sense of a Doctor Who episode?” or “How many Jawas could you cram into a Volkswagen?” Usually you only have to throw out one or two of those per gaming session and you can spend all night arguing about them. Well, the hypothetical I threw out one night in 2008 was, “What if one of the old-school Druids were still alive in our modern world?”

The idea was immediately assaulted by my good friends on historical and biological grounds. “The Romans killed most of them and then St. Patrick finished them off,” I was told by Geek One. “And it’s generally agreed that humans don’t live for two millennia,” Geek Two pointed out.

I didn’t let it go, though. My research began the next morning, and I discovered that there were several methods by which someone could enjoy a very long life in the old stories of the Tuatha Dé Danann. That’s when I started thinking seriously about writing an urban fantasy novel. A truly ancient Druid walking among us, talking to his dog and shapeshifting like the old myths said they could? I couldn’t wait to write it! Atticus and his Irish Wolfhound, Oberon, were “born” right there.

HexedI still had to figure out what happened to get Atticus out of Ireland, how he survived centuries of war and why he hasn’t saved all our forests. Further immersion in old Irish tales gave me a lead: I read of a magical sword named Fragarach that could cut through any armor. It was originally the sword of Manannan Mac Lir, god of the sea, but he gave it to another god, Lugh Lámhfhada, and Lugh gave it to the legendary first-century Irish king called Conn of the Hundred Battles. There is no record of Conn ever giving it back, nor of anyone using it after that time. Aha, I said to myself, now there’s a story waiting to be told.

If Atticus took that sword from Conn and the Tuatha Dé Danann wanted it back, that would explain why he had to flee Ireland and lie low. And when he finally gets tired of running and decides to make a stand against his old gods—well, that’s going to be a fight worth watching.

The Consistency Gremlin spoke up at that point and said if I was going to treat Irish myths like history, then I’d have to do it for all myths. All pantheons would be alive, all gods equally valid, just as their worshipers imagined them. Whoa. (more…)

July Events

There are plenty more exciting author events in July!

Tuesday, July 2
Kate Elliott (with E. C. Ambrose) @ the New York Review of Science Fiction, New York, NY, 7 PM

Thursday, July 4
Charles Stross launch event @ Waterstones West End, Edinburgh, UK, 6 PM

Saturday, July 6
James S.A. Corey @ Page One, Albuquerque, NM, 2 PM

Monday, July 8
Kate Elliott @ University Bookstore, Seattle, WA, 7 PM

Tuesday, July 9
Kate Elliott and Lilith Saintcrow @ Powell’s Cedar Hill Crossings, Beaverton, OR, 7 PM

Thursday, July 11 – Sunday, July 14
Michael J. Sullivan will be guest of honor @ ConnectiCon, Hartford, CT
Amanda Downum will be @ ReaderCon, Boston, MA

Wednesday, July 17 – Sunday, July 21
Amanda Carlson, Kate Locke, and Kristen Painter will be at RWA, Atlanta, GA
Daniel Abraham, James S.A. Corey, Mira Grant, and Marlene Perez will be at San Diego Comic-Con, San Diego, CA

Neptune’s Brood: First Chapter and Short Story

The cover of Neptune's Brood, a brand new space opera from science fiction legend Charles StrossOur brand new space opera from Charles Stross, NEPTUNE’S BROOD (UK|ANZ), will be released next week!

To help you occupy the time between now and the July 2nd release date, there’s not only a sample chapter up on the Orbit site, but Charlie has posted an entire short story set in the same universe, ‘Bit Rot’, at his blog!

“I can get you a cheaper ticket if you let me amputate your legs: I can even take your thighs as a deposit,” said the travel agent. He was clearly trying hard to be helpful: “It’s not as if you’ll need them where you’re going, is it?”

 “Is it possible to find a better price by booking me on a different routing?” I asked. “I’m very attached to my limbs.” (Quaint and old-fashioned, that’s me.) “Also,” I hedged, “I don’t have much fast money.”

 The agent sighed. His two eyes were beautiful: enormous violet photoreceptors that gleamed with a birefringent sheen. “Ms. Alizond. Krina. How can I put this? That could be a problem.” [READ THE REST OF THE SAMPLE CHAPTER HERE]