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Cover Launch: WAKE OF VULTURES by Lila Bowen

We’re thrilled to be able to show you the cover for WAKE OF VULTURES: a rich, dark fantasy of destiny, death and the supernatural world beneath the surface, coming from Orbit in October 2015.

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Cover design by Lauren Panepinto.

We are unbelievably excited for this truly one of a kind fantasy, and we know you will be too! Because as Chuck Wendig put it, “Hot damn, this book is good.”

Advance praise for WAKE OF VULTURES:

“I don’t care what else you’ve seen in the bookstore today. Buy this book because it’s the thrilling, delightfully written, and important one you’ve always wanted to read.”
— Kevin Hearne

Wake of Vultures doesn’t just fly — it soars. Lila Bowen brings in a wild fantasy quite unlike anything I’ve ever read, with a voice that’s weird and wonderful. Bowen is truly a talent to watch. Hot damn, is this book good.”
— Chuck Wendig

“Sharp as a silver Bowie and unsentimental as a stray bullet, Lila Bowen’s Nettie Lonesome earns a place among the legends of the Weird West.”
   — Matthew Stover

Wake of Vultures is a ferocious, fascinating take on the magical Old West – creatively and unsentimentally grim, yet rich with hope and heart.”
       — Cherie Priest

 

Meet Alex Marshall: author of the spectacular A CROWN FOR COLD SILVER

A CROWN FOR COLD SILVER (US | UK |AUS) is a particularly special new epic fantasy, and we’re thrilled to be releasing it today in hardcover, e-book and audio formats. NPR Books published a glowing review this morning, saying “It’s a vibrant book, and a generously lush one…A Crown for Cold Silver drags epic fantasy through the mud — but it does so with wit, wonder, and wisdom.”

A Crown for Cold Silver will grab you from its first bloody pages and surprise you many times over as unconventional hero and supreme badass Cold Zosia embarks on her quest to destroy those who have taken everything from her.  To celebrate the release of this spectacular story, we’d like you to meet the author, Alex Marshall!

How did the idea for A CROWN FOR COLD SILVER form – was it a particular scene or character that occurred to you, or was there a particular moment when you knew that this was the book you were going to write?

I work in a very linear fashion, so the first things that came to me became the first scenes in the book: the classic fantasy set-up of a bloodthirsty horde descending on a tranquil hamlet, but with an older woman as the sole survivor of the assault, instead of a young hero.

Is that something that appeals to you, subverting the tropes of the genre?

I’d say my chief concern is always to create interesting characters and present them with interesting problems. I do my best to let the characters determine the plot, whether that means subverting the conventions of the genre or playing along with them. That said, I’m trying to tell new stories here instead of just retelling old ones, so Crom help any innocent tropes that might get in the way.

There are so many formidable and fantastic characters in this book – a barbarian addicted to intoxicating insects, a shaman who eats demons for breakfast, a retired warrior queen who faked her own death – do you have favourites?

My favourite may be Zosia, the former warrior queen with the devilish canine companion, Choplicker – she’s the lynchpin to the whole novel, a very conflicted character, and writing her scenes was always intense and illuminating.

Read the full interview here.

Gemmell Awards Voting Now Open

The first round of voting for the David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy is now open, and Orbit is very pleased to say we have a range of authors across the three categories: the Legend Award, the Morningstar Award and the Ravenheart Award.

Voting is open until 15 May, and the shortlist for each of the three categories will be announced on the 1 June. Winners will be announced at the Nine Worlds Geekfest in August.

 

Gemmell Legend Award – Best Novel

THE WIDOW’S HOUSE by Daniel Abraham (UK | US | AUS)

THE HIGH DRUID’S BLADE by Terry Brooks (UK | AUS)

THIEF’S MAGIC by Trudi Canavan (UK | US | AUS)

A DANCE OF GHOSTS by David Dalglish (UK | US | AUS)

JUSTICE by Ian Irvine (UK | US | AUS)

THE LASCAR’S DAGGER by Glenda Larke (UK | US | AUS)

THE CRIMSON CAMPAIGN by Brian McClellan (UK | US | AUS)

REIGN OF ASH by Gail Z. Martin (UK | US | AUS)

THE FALCON THRONE by Karen Miller (UK | US | AUS)

CROWN OF RENEWAL by Elizabeth Moon  (UK | AUS)

ARCANUM by Simon Morden  (UK | US | AUS)

THE FREE by Brian Ruckley (UK | US | AUS)

TOWER LORD by Anthony Ryan (UK | AUS)

THE BROKEN EYE by Brent Weeks (UK | US | AUS)

Vote today 

 

Morningstar Award: Best Debut Novel

AGE OF IRON by Angus Watson (UK | US | AUS)

Vote today

 

Ravenheart Award: Best Fantasy Book Cover Art

Kirk Benshoff: THE WIDOW’S HOUSE by Daniel Abraham (UK | US | AUS)

Kirk Benshoff, Gene Mollica, and Michael Frost: A DANCE OF GHOSTS by David Dalglish (UK | US | AUS)

Kirk Benshoff and Raphael Lacoste: THE FALCON THRONE by Karen Miller (UK | US | AUS)

Nick Castle and Nik Keevil: TOWER LORD by Anthony Ryan (UK | AUS)

Wendy Chan: JUSTICE by Ian Irvine (UK | US | AUS)

Bastien Lecouffre Deharme: THE HIGH DRUID’S BLADE by Terry Brooks (UK | AUS)

Lee Gibbons and Duncan Spilling: THIEF’S MAGIC by Trudi Canavan (UK | US | AUS)

Lauren Panepinto and Larry Rostant: THE FREE by Brian Ruckley (UK | US | AUS)

Lauren Panepinto, Gene Mollica, and Michael Frost: THE CRIMSON CAMPAIGN by Brian McClellan (UK | US | AUS)

Lauren Panepinto, Silas Manhood, and Shirley Green: THE BROKEN EYE by Brent Weeks (UK | US | AUS)

Larry Rostant and Sean Garrehy: REIGN OF ASH by Gail Z. Martin (UK | US | AUS)

Larry Rostant and Ceara Elliot: AGE OF IRON by Angus Watson (UK | US | AUS)

Duncan Spilling: ARCANUM by Simon Morden  (UK | US | AUS)

Steve Stone: THE LASCAR’S DAGGER by Glenda Larke  (UK | US | AUS)

Paul Young: CROWN OF RENEWAL by Elizabeth Moon  (UK | AUS)

Vote today

Garden of Dreams and Desires — Available Now!

“With the Crescent City series, Painter proves herself a master of Urban Fantasy, creating a darkly gorgeous new world, richly drawn characters, and nonstop action.”
— Kristen Callihan

“[Kristen Painter’s] rich, modern storytelling lays out an intricate plot layered with plenty of action and intrigue. Exquisite characters lie at the center of this story… From the first page, House of the Rising Sun is truly a superb and exciting read.”
— RT Book Reviews (4.5 Stars), Top Pick!

Readers and reviewers alike have been raving about Kristen Painter’s Crescent City series, and as of this week, the wait is over! GARDEN OF DREAMS AND DESIRES (US | UK | AUS) is available, and now you can collect the entire trilogy from any of your favorite retailers.

New to the series? Read an excerpt from the first book, HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN, here!

Praise for the Crescent City series:

“I tore through Painter’s new series. Best new urban fantasy out there!”
       — Kresley Cole, New York Times bestselling author 

“Urban fantasy fans will enjoy entering Painter’s vividly drawn world.”
       — Library Journal

“Painter creates an intricate, well-crafted plot, along with compelling, distinctive characters and an enthralling twist… this story will definitely have readers turning pages all night!”
       — RT Book Reviews

Carey, North and Leckie honoured in UK SF awards

Following on from the successes of Glenda Larke and Trudi Canavan in two important Australian fantasy awards, we’ve also had fantastic news regarding two UK SF awards.

Today, the shortlist for this year’s Arthur C. Clarke awards has been announced. Both THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS (UK | US | ANZ)  by M. R. Carey and THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST (UK | US | ANZ) by Claire North are amongst the six titles nominated for this prestigious prize. The winner will be announced at the awards ceremony on 6th May 2015.

The Girl with all the Gifts by M R Carey and The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, borth shortlisted for the Arthur C Clarke Awards 2015

On the weekend, ANCILLARY SWORD (US | UK | ANZ) by Ann Leckie also won the BSFA award for Best Novel, voted on by members of the British Science Fiction Association and Eastercon. Ann Leckie’s first novel ANCILLARY JUSTICE (US | UK | AUS) also won this award last year, (along with every other major SF award in 2014!). Here are both of Ann’s raygun-tastic awards looking all nice and shiny together . . .

Ancillary Sword by Ann leckie, winner of the BSFA best novel award 2014 and 2015

Congrats to Ann Leckie, Claire North, M. R. Carey and all the other shortlisted authors!

Glenda Larke and Trudi Canavan Sweep Australian Awards

We’re excited to announce that Glenda Larke’s fantasy epic THE LASCAR’S DAGGER has won the Best Long Written Work 2014 in the Tin Duck Awards, as well as winning, in a tie with Trudi Canavan’s superb THIEF’S MAGIC, the Best Novel of 2014 in the Ditmar Awards!

The Tin Duck Awards are the Western Australian science fiction achievement awards, given out annually at Swancon. The Ditmar Awards are an Australia-wide award and are given out every year at Natcon, the Australian National Science Fiction Convention. Both are reader-voted awards.

Big congratulations go to Glenda, Trudi and all the other winners!

If you’ve already read and enjoyed THE LASCAR’S DAGGER and THIEF’S MAGIC, watch out for their sequels, THE DAGGER’S PATH (released January this year) and ANGEL OF STORMS (coming in November).

THE LASCAR'S DAGGER and THIEF'S MAGIC

Hugo Award Nominations

We’re thrilled that two Orbit books made the shortlist for this year’s Hugo Awards! Both Ann Leckie’s ANCILLARY SWORD (US | UK | ANZ) and Jim Butcher’s SKIN GAME (UK | ANZ) have been nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel.

ANCILLARY SWORD’s nomination follows Ann Leckie’s Hugo Award win last year for her debut ANCILLARY JUSTICE.

Congratulations to Ann, Jim, and the rest of the nominees!

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New signings announced: Jim Butcher Tour 2015

Jim Butcher, one of the undisputed masters of urban fantasy and creator of the one and only Harry Dresden, touches down on UK shores tomorrow. He’ll be appearing at Eastercon 2015 this weekend and then embarking on tour as detailed below:

Tuesday 7th April, 6pm
Forbidden Planet, London (179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8JR) @ForbiddenPlanet

Wednesday 8th April, 7pm
Waterstones Deansgate, Manchester (91 Deansgate, Manchester M3 2BW) @WaterstonesMCR

Thursday 9th April, 6:30pm
Waterstones Liverpool One (12 College Lane, Liverpool L1 3DL) @L1Geekery

Friday 10th April, 7pm
Waterstones Piccadilly (203/206 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9HD) @WaterstonesPicc

On Friday Jim says goodbye to the UK and hits Sweden, with two more signings at SF Bokhandeln!

Saturday 11th April, 3pm
SF Bokhandeln Stockholm (Västerlånggatan 48, 111 29 Stockholm, Sweden) @sfbok

Sunday 12th April, 3pm
SF Bokhandeln Gothenburg (Östra Larmgatan 16, Gothenburg, Sweden) @sfbok

 

For all the latest Jim Butcher news and events, sign up to the Jim Butcher UK newsletter:

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PRUDENCE is a NYT bestseller!

We’re thrilled to announce that Gail Carriger’s PRUDENCE, hit the New York Times hardcover fiction bestseller list at #19!*  Congratulations Gail Carriger!

This marks Gail’s sixth appearance on the New York Times bestseller list for Orbit, following her 5-book Parasol Protectorate series (SOULLESS, et al.). Gail’s Finishing School series for LBYR also hit the children’s list.

If you have not picked up the first book of Gail’s charming new series, get yourself to a bookstore forthwith! Prudence is a delightful read, and one that you’ll have a hard time putting down once you crack open its pages. Start by reading an excerpt now.

*Goes live on Sunday the 5th!

More about the story: 

Introducing the Custard Protocol series, in which Alexia Maccon’s daughter Prudence travels to India on behalf of Queen, country…and the perfect pot of tea.

When Prudence Alessandra Maccon Akeldama (“Rue” to her friends) is bequeathed an unexpected dirigible, she does what any sensible female under similar circumstances would do — she christens it the Spotted Custard and floats off to India.

Soon, she stumbles upon a plot involving local dissidents, a kidnapped brigadier’s wife, and some awfully familiar Scottish werewolves. Faced with a dire crisis (and an embarrassing lack of bloomers), Rue must rely on her good breeding — and her metanatural abilities — to get to the bottom of it all…

 

THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS film adaptation to star Gemma Arterton, Paddy Considine and Glenn Close

We’re delighted to share some news on the upcoming film adaptation of THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS by M. R . Carey. The film is to star Gemma Arterton, Paddy Considine and Glenn Close, and is to be directed by Colm McCarthy – best known for his work on Sherlock, Peaky Blinders and Doctor Who.

Here is a press release which has gone out today from Altitude Film Entertainment:

 

ALTITUDE BOARDS ‘SHE WHO BRINGS GIFTS’ TO BE DIRECTED BY COLM MCCARTHY AND STARRING GEMMA ARTERTON, PADDY CONSIDINE AND GLENN CLOSE

Feature from bestselling Mike Carey novel marks highly anticipated feature debut by director Colm McCarthy

LONDON – Monday 23 March 2015. Altitude Film Sales has boarded SHE WHO BRINGS GIFTS, one of last year’s Brit List selected screenplays, adapted by acclaimed novelist M. R. Carey from his bestselling novel The Girl with all the Gifts.

Director Colm McCarthy lauded helmer of hit British TV shows including Peaky Blinders starring Cillian Murphy and Tom Hardy, Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, Doctor Who, Endeavour and The Tudors, will direct his first major feature. The cast includes Gemma Arterton (Tamara Drewe, The Disappearance of Alice Creed) who is currently starring in Marjane Satrapi’s The Voices following her West End musical stage debut in Made in Dagenham; Paddy Considine from BAFTA-winning British hit Pride, a BAFTA award-winning director for Tyrannosaur and soon to be seen in Macbeth with Michael Fassbender; and the multi-award-winning and six-time Oscar® nominated actress Glenn Close, soon to be seen in Tim Blake Nelson’s Anesthesia, Bjorn Runge’s The Wife, last year’s Guardians of the Galaxy and a just-completed starring run on Broadway in A Delicate Balance.

Mike Carey first came to prominence within the world of comic books, writing the Lucifer series at DC Vertigo, Hellblazer for DC, X-Men, Fantastic Four and adapting Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Shadow for Marvel amongst other titles. He also wrote The Unwritten which has made the New York Times graphic novel bestseller list and was awarded Comic Con’s Inkpot Award in 2012. More recently, Carey has moved into prose fiction with thrillers such as The Dead Sea Deception (under the pseudonym of Adam Blake), fantasy novels The City of Silk and Steel and The House of War and Witness and the Felix Castor novels. The Girl with all the Gifts is his most recent novel, published in 2014 to critical acclaim and attracting multitudes of fans including writer-director Joss Whedon who proclaimed it to be: “Heartfelt, remorseless and painfully human . . . as fresh as it is terrifying. A jewel.”

SHE WHO BRINGS GIFTS is due to shoot in the UK in May 2015 and is produced by Camille Gatin, co-producer of James Marsh’s Shadow Dancer and Ricky Gervais’s Special Correspondents co-starring Eric Bana, and Angus Lamont, producer of the Berlin Competition Jury award-winning ’71 directed by Yann Demange. The feature has been developed with the support of the BFI Film Fund.

SHE WHO BRINGS GIFTS is the story of Melanie, a girl who is full of questions about the world. Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into a wheelchair. She thinks they don’t like her. She jokes that she won’t bite. But they don’t laugh.

Melanie is a very special girl.

Camille Gatin says, “It’s hugely exciting to combine Mike Carey’s truly original script and Colm McCarthy’s dynamic yet sensitive style, with such a terrific cast.” (more…)