It’s that time of the year — good cheer, decorations, warm fires, and of course: Loot! We’ve traveled deep into the Orbit HQ dungeon and returned with a chest of magnificent offerings that we’ll be giving away over the next few weeks. So check back here (or follow us on twitter or facebook) for updates, and chances to win.
Epic Loot 1: Win The Griffin Mage Trilogy!
N.K. Jemisin and Gail Carriger are chatting away over at Babel Clash as Gail starts off with “Lonely Writer Seeks Supportive Technology.”
Souls are at stake, demons are about to escape, and the fate of the world hangs in the balance in the third riproaring adventure, The Spirit Eater, in the Eli Monpress series.
The fourth book, The Spirit War, will be out in September 2011.
With the pressure on after his success in Gaol, Eli Monpress, professional thief and degenerate, decides it’s time to lie low for a bit. Taking up residence in a tiny seaside village, Eli and his companions seize the chance for some fun and relaxation.
Nico, however, is finding it a bit hard. Plagued by a demon’s voice in her head and feeling powerless, she only sees herself as a burden. Everyone’s holiday comes to an untimely close, though, when Pele arrives to beg Eli’s help for finding her missing father.
But there are larger plans afoot than even Eli can see, and the real danger, and the solution, may lie with one of his own and her forgotten past.
If only Nico could remember whose side she’s on.
If you would like to read the first chapter, find it here!
A romp of a lighthearted fantasy starring an absolutely delightful rogue…Aaron’s breezy style at times tends toward the farcical and absurd, which may not be what she intended but will keep humor-loving readers looking out for subsequent volumes in the planned trilogy.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLYA charming and fast-paced caper with intriguing worldbuilding and interesting characters. Eli and Miranda have palpable chemistry. The supporting characters are complex, complete with their own motivations, which is always a bonus, and the villain of the piece is delightfully nasty.
ROMANTIC TIMES (4 stars)The first wizard thief fantasy is an amusing tongue in cheek thriller. The story line is fast-paced as readers will be mesmerized by Eli as he and Miranda play a satirical game of cat and mouse. Lighthearted throughout, fans who appreciate a jocular satire loaded with charm and irony will want read The Spirit Thief and look forward to more capers by Eli with the serious Miranda in pursuit.
ALTERNATIVE WORLDS
I’m not sure there are words to describe how much this book delighted me. I’ll try very hard, however.
BSC REVIEW
My only disappointment in the story is that it ended, and now I find myself having wait for the next part of the series to be published (such a bummer), thank god it comes out next week.
THE CAJUN BOOK LADYWith wry humour, interesting characters, realistic dialogue and a fast-moving and fun plot, The Spirit Thief was exactly what I needed, and I recommend it to all fans of fantasy who’d like something a little lighter.
CIVILIAN BOOK READER
The Spirit Thief was a great page turner and the characterization was well done, though a bit predictable. Rachel Aaron’s greatest strength is that she has written a very engaging tale and the world scenario seems to have more surprises in store for the readers as the storyline will be unraveled in the future books. This book was a nice surprise and a complete winner for me. Rachel Aaron has written a fun story which can be best described as “Terry Brooks Meets Scott Lynch” in a lighter vein.
FANTASY BOOK CRITIC
I actually had a great time reading ‘The Spirit Thief’ and am looking forward to picking up it’s sequel (‘The Spirit Rebellion’) as soon as I can. ‘The Spirit Thief’ is one mad roller coaster ride of a book that flies along almost faster than you can read it.
GRAEME’S FANTASY BOOK REVIEWRachel Aaron’s debut novel, The Spirit Thief is fun fantasy. She has a lighthearted, fanciful storytelling style that will likely get her labeled as an “escapist” writer, but that this reviewer found to be reminiscent of the tales of David Eddings. Aaron wants to entertain the reader with a delightful romp of a tale, providing comfortable tropes, wry humor, and a fast pace that have you finishing the book before you even realize it.
GRASPING FOR THE WIND
Full of humor and suspense, this action-packed fantasy adventure is highly enjoyable. If anything, this fast-paced novel was too short, having read it in just a few short hours. Fantasy fans will love this extraordinary new series. The sequel, The Spirit Rebellion, is slated to release later this year.
SCIFICHICK.COM
Jesse Petersen is the author of MARRIED WITH ZOMBIES and the forthcoming FLIP THIS ZOMBIE. Like many of us here at Orbit HQ, she’s also a fan of The Walking Dead on AMC. She’ll be offering recaps of each week’s episode here every Monday. This post will contain SPOILERS (also zombies). For previous recaps see 1.01 , 1.02, , 1.03, 1.04, and 1.05.
Wow, I can’t believe how fast these six episodes have flown by, yet here we are at the finale for the first fantabulous season of “The Walking Dead” on AMC. I’d love to hear what you zombiephiles thought of it and how excited you are for Season 2 (even thought we have to wait until NEXT OCTOBER to see the second 13 episodes, dab nabbit!). (more…)
Amanda Downum’s debut novel, The Drowning City, came out last fall to stellar reviews. The blend of investigation, intrigue, and magic– all in a distinctly exotic fantasy setting really set it apart from the field and got people’s attention.
“THE DROWNING CITY is a compelling fantasy in a richly imagined setting dripping with visceral detail, building to a conclusion at once unexpected, appropriate and moving.” — Jacqueline Carey
“Like the worlds she imagines, the words of Amanda Downum are lyrical, persuasive, and evocative. If you read only one first novel this year, read this one. I promise it’s good.” — Elizabeth Bear
“Lush, evocative. Amanda Downum creates a richly realized, refreshingly Eastern world full of charms and spirits, espionage and intrigue and the wars of great powers fought by proxy.” — Brent Weeks
“Downum effectively combines action, magic, police procedure and political intrigue in this complex and striking debut.” — Publishers Weekly
Now, Amanda has outdone herself with the stunning sequel The Bone Palace. Isyllt Iskaldur returns home and must investigate a royal conspiracy. (more…)
The conclusion to the Griffin Mage series, The Law of the Broken Earth, is available now!
I loved these books from the the second I got my hands on them. They remind of me so much of Robin McKinley and her wonderful book, The Hero and the Crown. I love the fresh new take on griffins and how human — and alien — they are.
We are very excited to announce that the print edition of The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi hits retailers in the UK today, fabulously garbed in it’s wonderful cover as seen in this spiral of windup-ness here …
We released the book in ebook form prior to the print edition, so those of you teched up with e-devices might already have had the pleasure, but it was very exciting to see the print edition enter the office still cold from the warehouse. Not sure what kind of preservation method they use on them there. You can get a FREE EXTRACT here, and in case this multiple award-winning book needs further introduction, here are just some of the highlights below:
Time Magazine named The Windup Girl as one of its ten best novels of the year
The book has also won five of 2010’s major international SF awards: the Hugo (as covered in the Guardian here), Nebula, Locus, Compton Crook Award and John W. Campbell Memorial Award
‘Bacigalupi is a worthy successor to William Gibson: this is cyberpunk without computers’ Time Magazine
‘Not since William Gibson’s pioneering cyberpunk classic, Neuromancer (1984), has a first novel excited science fiction readers as much’ The Washington Post
‘Heart-thudding action sequences, sordid sex, and enough technical speculation for two lesser novels’ Cory Doctorow
‘One of the finest SF novels of the year’ Publishers Weekly
‘It’s ridiculous how good this book is’ Techland
In the wake of her earlier novel, THE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS, being selected as one of the top five sf/f novels of 2010 by Publishers Weekly and by Amazon as one of the top ten best sf/f novels for this year as well, praise for N.K. Jemisin’s newest novel, THE BROKEN KINGDOMS is now spreading across the web.
Today Charlie Jane Anders at io9.com calls it “a thought-provoking, haunting story” and observes that when it comes to narrative “the key is just to tell a great, exciting, engaging story that keeps you turning pages long past your bedtime. And Jemisin has definitely done that here.”
And, meanwhile, at Explorations, the Barnes & Noble Book Club sf/f blog, Paul Goat Allen wraps his review by noting that “those readers who are drawn to storylines featuring strong, heroic female characters – looking for a beautifully written and highly intelligent series should make it a point to seek out and read [THE BROKEN KINGDOMS and THE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS]. These will be some of the very best fantasy novels you’ll read this year.”
We couldn’t agree more!
Every year the blog All Things Urban Fantasy has Cover Art Awards and there’s a gaggle of Orbit Books nominated. Please go vote! It’s a simple survey form, and every cover is shown in the category, so it’s actually a fun review whether you want to cast your vote or not. Voting closes on December 29th.
BLAMELESS by Gail Carriger is up for “Best Paranormal Steampunk Cover”
THE MIDNIGHT MAYOR by Kate Griffin is up for “Best Male with Animal Cover”
And last but not least, my favorite category….
MARRIED WITH ZOMBIES by Jesse Petersen and TRACKING THE TEMPEST by Nicole Peeler are up for “Most Unique Cover”…tough choice!
So go vote already!
Note: There is not a “Best Title” category, but Saltwater Vampires would definitely win.
Ok, definitely winner for my favorite title this year is Eat, Slay, Love by Jesse Petersen, the third book in the Zombie Therapy series. These books are incredibly fun, and I think the covers do a good job of showing it. When I was designing the first two books, Married With Zombies and Flip This Zombie, I was definitely going for a bit of a spoof of self-help books rolled up in a Shaun of the Dead kind of aesthetic, while punking on chick lit a bit. The genius of this one tho, is all in the title. Come on, you can’t not laugh, just a little…
In other zombie-related news, Married With Zombies is up for a “Most Unique Cover” award at All Things Urban Fantasy’s 2010 Cover Awards. And Jesse Petersen has been doing great recaps of The Walking Dead on AMC every Monday after the show Sunday nights.
