And here it is in all its beauty – the cover for the second book in the Assassini trilogy by Jon Courtenay Grimwood. We showed you the new cover for THE FALLEN BLADE (US | UK | ANZ) earlier this week – now here, as promised, is the cover for the sequel THE OUTCAST BLADE, coming from Orbit in trade paperback in May 2012. If you haven’t read THE FALLEN BLADE yet, try the first chapter here. Enjoy!
Hype continues to build for the movie adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s classic novel Ender’s Game. It’s due for release in 2013 and will be directed by Gavin Hood, whose previous work includes X-Men Origins: Wolverine. This is one of the most highly anticipated book-to-movie adaptations ever – and all over the interwebs fans have been getting excited that this book will finally be reaching the big screen.
Following the news that the role of Ender will be played by Asa Butterfield, star of Martin Scorsese’s Hugo, rumours are circulating about who will feature alongside him. The Hollywood Reporter announced recently that True Grit’s Hailee Steinfeld is likely to play the role of Petra, and just today we’ve heard the news that Ben Kingsley, known for movies such as Schindler’s List, Shutter Island and Species, is also in talks to star in the movie. Even Harrison Ford has been mentioned as a possible Colonel Hyrum Graff.
We here at Orbit just can’t wait to see how it turns out, and I’m sure Card’s legion of fans can’t either. But who else would you like to see starring in this movie? Personally, I’m intrigued to see who will play Valentine and Peter . . .
In the meantime, look out for our reissue of Ender’s Game the novel (UK / ANZ), released this month in a shiny new package, and with a boy on the cover who looks not too dissimilar to Asa Butterfield coincidentally . . . (we must be psychic)
The latest Kristen Painter title is now out! BAD BLOOD is now available (US/UK/AUS)!
We are super excited to publish Kristen — so excited that we decided to publish the first three of her quintet in three consecutive months. These novels are lush, fabulous and hearken back to classic vampire novels like Anne Rice — but with a Gothic, near-future edge that grabs readers from the get-go.
A bit about the story:
Samhain approaches, bringing with it the final melding of the mortal and othernatural worlds. No one knows just how much power the night holds…
Violent murders occur in Paradise City as counterfeit comarré are systematically hunted. The police and the Kubai Mata have more than enough trouble to keep themselves occupied. As war erupts at home, Malkolm and Chrysabelle head to New Orleans to recover the Ring of Sorrows. Chrysabelle is forced to make a life and death decision and will realize that her relationship to Malkolm may have fatal consequences.
The clock is ticking . . .
The full series is shown below:
Read an extract of Blood Rights (US/UK/AUS) here!
The fourth novel, Out For Blood, will be out in November 2012.
Tom Bouman has joined Orbit US as an Editor, reporting to Publisher Tim Holman. In his previous role as an Editor at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Bouman worked with a wide array of authors including Robert Stone, Lou Beach, and Elizabeth Speller, as well as Otto Penzler’s mystery and thriller imprint.
Tim Holman said: “We’re delighted to have Tom join Orbit US. His editorial experience and enthusiasm for science fiction and fantasy make him a great addition to the editorial team, and we’re very much looking forward to working with him.”
Says Tom Bouman: “I’ve always valued fiction that is alive, expertly crafted, and adventurous–and have long enjoyed speculative fiction—so I feel most fortunate to be joining Orbit. What an outstanding list! I am keen to work with authors already signed up, and to bring new authors to the table.”
‘Gritty, grimy, decadent and compelling’ the Sunday Times said of Jon Courtenay Grimwood’s fantasy novel THE FALLEN BLADE. The same can be said for the fabulous new cover art for the UK mass market paperback edition, created by our wonderfully talented in-house designer Emma Graves.
Emma kindly agreed to speak about her creation:
“To redesign the Grimwood series was an exciting and interesting project. We wanted a cover which gave the reader a taste of the gripping setting of this series as well as reflecting the dark and dangerous surroundings and characters. Having visited Venice myself, I knew the challenge was to find images and textures to project this captivating city with its narrow streets and alleys to the reader.
Before deciding what each cover in the series would feature, I set up mood boards of visual ideas, photographs, colours and typefaces inspired by the storylines and the atmosphere of the books.
We wanted the new style to be appealing to both existing Grimwood fans as well as new readers. By choosing sophisticated images and colours, and mixing this with typefaces with a historical feel, the design sits well both within its genre and the larger historical fiction market. The textured frames tie the books together as a series and I am really looking forward to getting my hands on the third book in the set and creating another cover to match the first two.”
Many thanks to Emma, whose cover we feel perfectly encapsulates the brooding atmosphere of Jon Courtenay Grimwood’s alternative Venice!
THE FALLEN BLADE (UK | US | ANZ) will be released in mass market paperback in the UK on 5 April 2012. The second novel in the trilogy, THE OUTCAST BLADE – with a similarly fantastic cover! – will follow in trade format everywhere in May 2012.
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UK Cover
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US Cover
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You’ve read Theft of Swords, which came out from Orbit last month, and now we’re proud to announce the release of Rise of Empire, [US | UK | ANZ] the second installment in the Riyria Revelations epic fantasy series.
The birth of the Nyphron Empire has brought war to Melengar. To save her kingdom, Princess Arista runs a desperate gamble when she defies her brother and hires Royce and Hadrian to perform a dangerous mission behind the enemy’s lines. As the power of the Nyphron Empire grows, so does Royce’s suspicion that the wizard Esrahaddon is using the thieves as pawns in his own shadowy struggle for power. To find the truth, he must unravel the secret of Hadrian’s past. What he discovers leads the thieves to the ends of the world on a journey amid treachery and betrayals, forcing Hadrian to face a past he hoped never to see again.
We know you’ll be pleased to see these characters back again, though perhaps not quite as pleased as the author’s wife (Michael recently wrote a guestpost for the Proud Book Nerd entitled ‘Why My Wife’s Love Affair is Entirely My Fault’).
Here’s what reviewers have had to say about the series:-
“I couldn’t get enough of ‘Theft of Swords’ and there is no way that I won’t be following this series through to its conclusion.” – Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review
“Great Fun and a romp end to end… highly recommended” – Fantasy Book Critic
You can find Michael on twitter @author_sullivan, and find out more about him and the Riyria Revelations at his website.
Artemis is the heroine of my fifth novel for Orbit Books, and she’s a lot like me in many ways. She’s a cool, sexy, superfit, ruthless, murdering bitch who loves reading books.
Okay, she’s a lot like me in ONE way. I also, um, love reading books.
I find I’m naturally attracted to characters with a hint of evil in their souls. Like Lena, or indeed Flanagan, in DEBATABLE SPACE. Or Saunders in RED CLAW. Even Sharrock in HELL SHIP is a warrior, and hence a cold blooded killer.
Some of the characters I’ve created in these books are, however, Good Guys. Version 43, for instance, in the novel called (would you credit it?) VERSION 43 is an honest cop in a dishonourable world. He may have flaws but he’s not corrupt. In fact his main flaw is that he’s not nearly corrupt enough. He is, exasperatingly, too good to be true; because he’s a cyborg and not a true human. But, as time goes by, he gets more and more human…and that makes him, in my view, easier to warm to. And he’s also very good at his job, of enforcing law and order, usually by killing people.
Artemis, though, is very much at the ultraviolet end of the spectrum of amorality. She is a one woman killing machine. But does that make her an unsympathetic character? Well, I’d argue not. Because she has reasons for what she does. Good reasons…
But she’s flawed, without a doubt. Highly flawed. Murderous – sometimes selfish – obsessive – and vengeful. I like characters with flaws; perhaps because I am myself a character with many flaws… And I believe firmly that characters who are nice and full of virtue aren’t the ones we root for when we read stories. That’s why Satan is the one we cheer on in Paradise Lost, not those wretched angels; certainly not God.
Mulling on this theme, I’ve coined the term ‘Rootability’, to refer to that special quality in a character that makes us want to root for him, or her. Tyrion Lannister (in George R. R. Martin’s Games of Thrones series) has it in abundance. Eddard Stark is far more heroic. Daenerys is more exotic, and has those wonderful dragons. But Tyrion is the evil dwarf we love to hate; he’s the underdog; he’s the smart one.
Harry Potter, for my money, DOESN’T have Rootability. He’s too powerful. He’s too nerdy. He has those glasses. I’d like those stories much more if Hermione were the heroine – the ‘little girl’ who no one takes seriously but who always wins the day. But then again I’m strange; and JK Rowling’s fans seem to like Harry’s books just the way they are. (more…)
Shirley Jackson Award-winner Robert Jackson Bennett’s new novel THE TROUPE (US | UK | AUS)– a tale of Gothic intrigue set during the Vaudeville era — is coming in February 2012. But to whet your appetite the author has launched an evocative new website about the book. Visit www.silenustroupe.com for a sneak peek, and be sure to have your speakers on!
Finally! I’m very excited to announce the release of THE HEDGEWITCH QUEEN by Lilith Saintcrow at ebook retailers in the US and the UK. This is Orbit’s first ebook only publication, and if you are curious to read a bit before hitting buy–you can read an excerpt here.
Lili also has a short fiction piece, Unfallen, that is available now in the US and to come in the UK.
After winning much critical acclaim for her Coldfire trilogy, Celia Friedman embarked on a new, epic tale of a dangerous world where to use magic is to sacrifice your own vitality . . . or that of an unwitting victim. The first novel in the Magister trilogy, FEAST OF SOULS [UK | ANZ], introduced us to Andovan, a prince suffering from a terrible disease, and Kamala, a young woman whose magical powers threaten centuries of tradition. Their fates – and those of many others – become entwined as a ancient force awakens to threaten their world. WINGS OF WRATH [UK | ANZ] continued the story, raising the stakes as the horrifying might of the Souleaters is gradually revealed.
Now, in LEGACY OF KINGS [UK | ANZ], the final confrontation is at hand. Secrets will be spilled, blood will run and magic will be unleashed. The fate of the world lies in the hands of a select few . . . but will their powers be enough to hold back the darkness?
Praise for Celia Friedman’s Magister trilogy:
Perhaps the most staggering achievement of FEAST OF SOULS is how purposeful every scene feels. There is no filler in this book — Ms. Friedman’s prose is crisp and to the point, just as every scene in this book serves as an integral part to the novel as a whole . . . FEAST OF SOULS is a fantastic, superior work of speculative fiction’ – THE BOOK SMUGGLERS
‘Friedman has her hands firmly on the reins and delivers scenes that are tightly controlled while sparkling with vitality’ – GRAEME’S FANTASY BOOK REVIEW
‘Friedman truly knows what she is doing as a storyteller, since she is following one of the great axioms: “Always leaving them wanting more.” I, for one, want more; especially after reading the last couple of exhilarating chapters’ – SFF WORLD (more…)
