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Two Orbit Authors on BSFA Shortlist

Congratulations to two Orbit authors who have had their titles shortlisted for this year’s BSFA Awards!

Claire North’s THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST (UK | US | ANZ) and Ann Leckie’s ANCILLARY SWORD (UK | US | ANZ) have both been nominated in the Best Novel category.

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North and Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie - both nominated for the BSFA Award 2014

You can see the full list of nominees here.

Voting will now be opened to BSFA members and attending members of Eastercon. The winner will be announced at a ceremony at the 66th Eastercon, aka Dysprosium, taking place from 3-6 April 2015.

This May: Resistance is Futile

Here’s a little sum for you:

What do you get if you take the square root of a love story, multiply by an awkward mathematician, add on extra-terrestrial life-forms and cringe-worthy close encounters?

You get Resistance is Futile! A whirlwind adventure about love, friendship . . . Oh yes, and the total obliteration of mankind.

It’s due for release in May this year – and we can’t wait.

RESISTANCE IS FUTILE is the SF debut of Sunday Times bestselling author Jenny Colgan. SF fans may know Jenny as the author of the Doctor Who tie-in novel Dark Horizons and the Doctor Who short stories Into the Nowhere, Long Way Down and All the Empty Towers. And if you like Doctor Who, there’s a good chance you’ll love this too!

Check out what some incredibly funny, successful and really very clever people have already been saying about this stormer of a book:

‘It’s not very often that I fall in love so completely with book . . . Resistance is Futile is bright, charming, intelligent, funny, moving and beautiful, full of wonderful imagination and expert storytelling. I think Jenny was born to write this book’ Rowan Coleman, author of The Memory Book

‘Resistance is Futile is funny, romantic and just the right side of geeky. Set phasers to ‘fun’…’ Danny Wallace, comedian, author and presenter 

‘A riotous cocktail of action, maths geeks, and kissing. I enjoyed every single page. Resistance really is futile’ Matt Haig, author of The Humans

We couldn’t agree more!

Follow Jenny on Twitter as @jennycolgan (she’s highly amusing indeed).

And get ready to let your defences down in May . . .

THE AUTUMN REPUBLIC – the exciting conclusion to the Powder Mage trilogy is out now!

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It has been quite the journey for Tamas and the many other wonderful (and/or despotic) characters inhabiting Brian McClellan’s Powder Mage trilogy. This week brings it all to a final, dynamic end, but before that…woah. Tamas and his allies are in for the the fight of their lives!

On February 24th, we’ll be hosting Brian McClellan and Sam Sykes on our Google+ to discuss their new books  – one which concludes a trilogy, and the other that is the start of something new! Shots will be fired. Epic fantasy will be discussed. RSVP on Google+ today, and start following Brian and Sam on Twitter for a preview of the main event.

But if you just can’t wait that long to ask Brian your burning questions, check out his AMA on Reddit today.

Praise for the Powder Mage trilogy:

“A slam-bang conclusion to an outstanding trilogy.”—Kirkus on The Autumn Republic

“Promise of Blood is a hugely promising debut. Guns, swords, and magic together? What more could you want? How about tense action, memorable characters, rising stakes, and cool, cool magic? Not only the finest flintlock fantasy I’ve read, but also the most fun. Brian McClellan is the real thing.”—New York Times bestseller Brent Weeks on Promise of Blood

“This book is just plain awesome. I found myself enjoying every moment of it. Innovative magic, quick-paced plot, interesting world. I had a blast.”—Brandon Sanderson, New York Times bestselling author on Promise of Blood

“Gunpowder and magic. An explosive combination. Promise of Blood is the best debut I’ve read in ages.”—Peter V. Brett

“I love the world Brian McClellan builds, Powder Mages with flintlock pistols against white-gloved Privileged for the fate of a nation and more. Promise of Blood feels like the start of something amazing.”—Django Wexler

“Brings a welcome breath of gunpowder-tinged air to epic fantasy.”—Anthony Ryan on Promise of Blood

Announcing Jim Butcher’s New Series and UK Tour

We have two Butcher-tastic* announcements to share with you today!

The first is that Jim Butcher will be coming to the UK – he will be a Guest of Honour at Eastercon, Dysprosium, which is taking place in London from 3rd-6th April. In the days following he will be touring the country with exact dates yet to be announced. Watch this space!

We can also announce the publication date for THE CINDER SPIRES: THE AERONAUT’S WINDLASS, the first book in Jim’s brand new series of airborne adventure and mad sorcery. The book will be released in hardback and ebook on the 29th of September 2015 and it’s available to preorder now from major retailers.

In Jim’s own words, it’s “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen meets Sherlock meets Hornblower. There are goggles and airships and steam power and bizarre crystal technology and talking cats, who are horrid little bullies.”

For all the latest updates on the new series and the UK tour, become a fan of Orbit UK on Facebook, and sign up to our newsletter.

 *Butcher-licious? Butcher-ageous?

 

Cover Launch: The Good, the Bad and the Smug by Tom Holt

The Good, the Bad and the Smug: comic fantasy by Tom Holt

We’re feeling pretty good (one might even say a little smug) about launching this gorgeous cover by Lauren Panepinto, for Tom Holt’s newest comic fantasy, THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE SMUG.  The only bad news is, you’ll have to wait until 28th July to read it…

New Evil.
Same as the Old Evil, but with better PR.

Mordak isn’t bad, as far as goblin kings go, but when someone, or something, starts pumping gold into the human kingdoms it puts his rule into serious jeopardy. Suddenly he’s locked in an arms race with a species whose arms he once considered merely part of a calorie-controlled diet.

Helped by an elf with a background in journalism and a masters degree in being really pleased with herself, Mordak sets out to discover what on earth (if indeed, that’s where he is) is going on. He knows that the truth is out there. If only he could remember where he put it.

Cover launch: Tracer by Rob Boffard

Tracer by Rob Boffard

We’re excited to be able to show you cover for TRACER: a blockbuster SF thriller coming up from Orbit in July 2015.

It’s set in a future when our planet is in ruins, and all that’s left of humanity is jammed into a space station called Outer Earth – floating three hundred miles above the surface of the planet.

Our main character Riley is a tracer, a courier – and when you need something taken to another part of Outer Earth, she’ll sprint through the corridors and catwalks to get it there fast. But when her latest cargo turns out to be something rather gruesome, she realises she’s taken on more than she bargained for . . .

I can’t express how awesome this book is. And we are: Very. Excited. Indeed.

The author is Rob Boffard, a journalist who’s written for people such the Guardian and Wired, and TRACER is his first novel. Find him on Twitter as @robboffard.

And get ready for a thrill ride when his book releases this July.

Cover design by Nico Taylor, Little, Brown Book Group UK.

Cover Launch: Clash of Iron and Reign of Iron

Angus Watson’s Iron Age trilogy burst onto the epic fantasy scene last September with AGE OF IRON, an action-packed adventure in which battle-hardened warriors take on a ruthless warlord and his sadistic druids. Today we’re proud to launch the next two covers in the series! CLASH OF IRON continues the story in April this year, and the epic finale REIGN OF IRON will end the series in September.

Read AGE OF IRON today, or see what people are saying…

‘Unflinchingly bloodthirsty and outrageously entertaining’ Christopher Brookmyre

‘It simply grabbed me by the throat and wouldn’t let go’ Bibliosanctum (five stars)

‘Watson’s tale is gore soaked and profanity laden – full of visceral combat and earthy humor, and laced with subtle magic’ Publishers Weekly

‘Would I read the next one? Yes, absolutely. Bring me my hammer, bring my beer, bring it on!’ SF Crowsnest

‘A fun and addictive read’ Fantasy Faction

CLASH OF IRON and REIGN OF IRONCovers by Larry Rostant, designed by Ceara Eliot.

M. R. Carey Shortlisted for the James Herbert Award

The Girl With All The Gifts by M. R. Carey
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Orbit is incredibly proud to announce that M. R. Carey’s THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS has been shortlisted for the James Herbert Award for Horror Writing.

Published globally last year, THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS went on to become a paperback bestseller in the UK and was selected for the Waterstones Summer Book Club. It has gained high profile fans across the world, from screenwriter Joss Whedon to bestselling crime author Martina Cole, and has sold over 200,000 copies across editions to date. The US paperback edition will be published in April 2015.

The prize, which is awarded annually, aims to discover and publicise a new generation of horror authors and celebrate the boldest and most exciting talent in the genre. The winner of the 2014 prize will be announced at a ceremony in central London in March 2015.

Congratulations to M. R. Carey, and to all the shortlisted authors!

The full shortlist:
THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS – M. R. Carey
THE TROOP – Nick Cutter
CUCKOO’S SONG – Frances Hardinge
THE LONEY – Andrew Michael Hurley
BIRD BOX – Josh Malerman
AN ENGLISH GHOST STORY – Kim Newman

Cover launch: VEILED by Benedict Jacka, coming August 2015

We’re delighted to launch the cover for the sixth novel in the Alex Verus series by Benedict Jacka. VEILED will be released in August this year.

In VEILED, probability mage Alex Verus has agreed to join the Keepers, the magical police force who can protect him and his friends from his old master, Richard Drakh. Going legit was always going to be difficult for an outcast like Alex, and there are some in the Keepers who aren’t keen to see an ex-Dark mage succeed, especially when the Dark is making a play for a seat on the mages’ council, for the first time in history.
Alex finally has the law on his side – but trapped between Light and Dark politics, investigating a seedy underworld with ties to the highest of powers, will a badge be enough to save him?

VEILED – the new Alex Verus novel by Bendict Jacka, coming August 2015 Cover designed by Ceara Elliot.

London-based urban fantasy at its best – the Alex Verus series by Benedict Jacka

THE CITY STAINED RED — available now!

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How many adventurers to does it take to bring a corrupt city to its knees? Read THE CITY STAINED RED by Sam Sykes and you’ll find out!  This action-packed adventure fantasy is the kind of story that once you start, it’s impossible to put down. So whether you’re buried under a few feet of snow right now or just craving a new book to sink your teeth into, check it out in print and e-book!

More about the story: 

After years in the wilds, Lenk and his companions have come to the city that serves as the world’s beating heart.

The great charnel house where men die surer than any wilderness.

They’ve come to claim payment for creatures slain, blood spilled at the behest of a powerful holy man.

And Lenk has come to lay down his sword for good.

But this is no place to escape demons.

Praise for THE CITY STAINED RED: 

“Action fantasy with soul-albeit a small, dirty, funny soul.”—Brent Weeks

“Insouciant, unrepentant and irrepressible adventurers in a powder keg of a city. And that’s just how the story begins.”—Robin Hobb

“Sykes has put the fun back in fantasy with fantastical creatures and a lovable crew of malcontents. The City Stained Red is like David Eddings meets Conan the Barbarian.”—Brian McClellan, author of Promise of Blood

“Sam Sykes continues to reinvent the fantasy adventuring party in a vibrant world of rude magic and good intentions gone bad. Bold and exuberant, never cynical, Sykes fights the good fight on behalf of rich fantasy that nonetheless refuses to apologize for being kick-ass fun.”—Scott Lynch

“Excitement, vivacity, and sly wit… simply impossible not to enjoy.”—RT Book Reviews (4.5 Stars)