Take your first look at the covers for The Corax Trilogy by K.J. Parker! This series includes Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead (US | UK), Saevus Corax Captures the Castle (US | UK), and Saevus Corax Gets Away with Murder (US) | (UK). You can pick up the entire series in Fall 2023.
Cover Design by Lisa Marie Pompilio
Orbit is excited to announce that we’ve acquired not one, but two, new series from beloved author Django Wexler! We will first be publishing a brilliant, and hilarious fantasy time-loop duology that is All You Need is Kill meets Kill the Farm Boy, where a young woman stuck in a time loop tires of defending humanity from the Dark Lord and decides to become the Dark Lord herself.
Next up, we have a space opera trilogy that reimagines The Count of Monte Cristo, in which the scions of three once-great houses plot to overthrow the Emperor and regain intergalactic power, perfect for fans of Arkady Martine and Max Gladstone’s Empress of Forever.
How to Become the Dark Lord (and Die Trying) the first book in the fantasy duology, will be published in Winter 2024. And, we already have a brilliant cover for it!
Cover Design by Stephanie A. Hess
Find out more about Django on Twitter @DjangoWexler and at his website. In the meantime, check out the Burningblade & Silvereye trilogy, now complete!
Orbit US executive editor Brit Hvide acquired North American rights from Seth Fishman at The Gernert Company.
Take your first look at the cover of The City of Stardust (US) by Georgia Summers! You can pick up this standalone fantasy novel in January 2024.
Cover Illustration by Micaela Alcaino
A young woman descends into a seductive magical underworld of power-hungry scholars, fickle gods and monsters bent on revenge to break her family’s curse in this spellbinding contemporary fantasy debut.
For centuries, generations of Everlys have seen their brightest and best disappear, taken as punishment for a crime no one remembers, for a purpose no one understands. Their tormentor, a woman named Penelope, never ages, never grows sick—and never forgives a debt.
Violet Everly was just a child when her mother Marianne vanished on a stormy night, determined to break the curse. And when Penelope cannot find her, she issues an ultimatum: Violet has ten years to find Marianne, or she will take her place. Violet is the last of the Everly line, the last to suffer from the curse. Unless she can break it first.
To do so, she must descend into a seductive magical underworld of power-hungry scholars, fickle gods and monsters bent on revenge. She must also contend with Penelope’s quiet assistant, Aleksander, who she knows cannot be trusted—and yet whose knowledge of a world beyond her own is too valuable to avoid.
Tied to a very literal deadline, Violet will travel the edges of the world to find Marianne and the key to the city of stardust, where the Everly story began.
Take your first look at the cover of Grievar’s Blood (US | UK) by Alexander Darwin! You can pick up the sequel to The Combat Codes (US | UK) in December 2023.
Cover Design by Lauren Panepinto; Cover Illustration by Peter Bollinger
The second book in an action-packed science fiction trilogy set on a far future world where the fate of nations is determined by battle-hardened warriors who are trained to compete in brutal single combat.
In a world where single combat determines the fate of nations, the Grievar fight in the Circles so that the rest can remain at peace. But given the stakes, things are never so simple. The Daimyo govern from the shadows and plot to gain an edge by unnaturally enhancing their Grievar Knights.
Cego and his team enter year two at the world’s most prestigious combat school, the Lyceum. Though he’d like to focus on his martial studies, Cego feels the pull of his mysterious past and two missing brothers.
Solara Halberd, daughter of the fighting legend, embarks on her own quest to bury the past. She must utilize every lesson her father taught her to explore unknown lands where evil lurks in the shadows.
For more from Alexander Darwin, check out:
In case you missed the cover launch on FanFiAddict, take your first look at the cover for These Burning Stars (US | UK) by Bethany Jacobs! You can pick up this debut space opera in October 2023.
Cover Design by Lauren Panepinto; Cover Scene by Thom Tenery
A dangerous cat-and-mouse quest for revenge. An empire that spans star systems, built on the bones of a genocide. A carefully hidden secret that could collapse worlds, hunted by three women with secrets of their own. All collide in this twisty, explosive space opera debut, perfect for readers of Arkady Martine and Kameron Hurley.
Jun Ironway—hacker, con artist, and occasional thief—has gotten her hands on a piece of contraband that could set her up for life: proof that implicates the powerful Nightfoot family in a planet-wide genocide seventy-five years ago. The Nightfoots control the precious sevite that fuels interplanetary travel through three star systems. And someone is sure to pay handsomely for anything that could break their hold.
Of course, anything valuable is also dangerous. The Kindom, the ruling power of the star systems, is inextricably tied up in the Nightfoots’ monopoly—and they can’t afford to let Jun expose the truth. They task two of their most brutal clerics with hunting her down: preternaturally stoic Chono, and brilliant hothead Esek, who also happens to be the heir to the Nightfoot empire.
But Chono and Esek are haunted in turn by a figure from their shared past, known only as Six. What Six truly wants is anyone’s guess. And the closer they get to finding Jun, the surer Chono is that Six is manipulating them all.
It’s a game that could destroy their lives and devastate the stars. And they have no choice but to see it through to the end.
We’re thrilled to reveal the beguiling cover of S.T. Gibson’s new sapphic dark academia, An Education in Malice. Designed by Duncan Spilling, this cover is almost as bewitching as the story within its pages.
Sumptuous and addictive, An Education in Malice is a dark academia tale of blood, secrets and insatiable hungers from Sunday Times bestselling author S.T. Gibson, author of the cult hit A Dowry of Blood. It’s publishing in February 2024 and is available to pre-order now!
Love is sacrifice. One of us was always going to bleed for the other.
Deep in the forgotten hills of Massachusetts stands Saint Perpetua’s College. Isolated and ancient, it is not a place for timid girls. Here, secrets are currency, ambition is lifeblood, and strange ceremonies welcome students into the fold.
On her first day of class, Laura Sheridan is thrust into an intense academic rivalry with the beautiful and enigmatic Carmilla. Together, they are drawn into the confidence of their demanding poetry professor, De Lafontaine, who holds her own dark obsession with Carmilla.
But as their rivalry blossoms into something far more delicious, Laura must confront her own strange hungers. Tangled in a sinister game of politics, bloodthirsty professors and dark magic, Laura and Carmilla must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice in their ruthless pursuit of knowledge.
You can follow S.T. Gibson on Twitter @s_t_gibson or on Instagram @stgibsonauthor
Dearest reader,
We are thrilled to present the cover for Sylvie Cathrall’s charming epistolary romantasy debut, A Letter to the Luminous Deep. The gorgeous cover was illustrated by Raxenne Maniquiz and designed by Charlotte Stroomer.
A Letter to the Luminous Deep, a cosy underwater fantasy with magical academia and pen-pal romance will be publishing in April 2024, and you can pre-order it now! Read on for a taste of what’s in store. . .
A beautiful discovery outside the window of her underwater home prompts the reclusive E. to begin a correspondence with renowned scholar Henerey Clel. The letters they share are filled with passion, at first for their mutual interests, and then, inevitably, for each other.
Together, they uncover a mystery from the unknown depths, destined to transform the underwater world they both equally fear and love. But by no mere coincidence, a seaquake destroys E.’s home, and she and Henerey vanish.
A year later, E.’s sister Sophy, and Henerey’s brother Vyerin, are left to solve the mystery of their siblings’ disappearances with the letters, sketches and field notes left behind. As they uncover the wondrous love their siblings shared, Sophy and Vyerin learn the key to their disappearance – and what it could mean for life as they know it.
Praise for A Letter to the Luminous Deep:
‘An underwater treasure-chest to be slowly unpacked, full of things I adore: nosy and loving families, epistolary romance, gorgeous worldbuilding, and anxious scholars doing their best to meet the world with kindness and curiosity’ Freya Marske, author of A Marvellous Light
‘Cathrall’s debut caught me up on a wave of whimsy and swept me away with its charm. A story to be cherished’ Lyra Selene, author of A Feather So Black
‘A fascinating and charming story told in a uniquely elegant voice. A watery wonder of a novel!’ Louisa Morgan, author of A Secret History of Witches
‘A Letter to the Luminous Deep is like nothing I’ve read before. The heartfelt intimacy of the epistolary narrative, juxtaposed with the magnificent oceanic world-building, results in a novel that is at once deeply human and mind-bogglingly imaginative. Both the setting and the story are exquisite, but it was the lovingly crafted voices of the characters that kept me hooked from beginning to end’ Megan Bannen, author of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy
Take your first look at the cover of Warrior of the Wind (US | UK) by Suyi Davies Okungbowa! You can pick up the sequel to Son of the Storm (US | UK) this November.
Cover Design by Lauren Panepinto; Cover Illustration by Dan dos Santos
The empire has been reshaped. There is no peace in the season of the Red Emperor.
Traumatized by their escape from Bassa, Lilong and Danso have found safety in a vagabond colony on the edge of the emperor’s control. But time is running out on their refuge. A new bounty makes every person a threat, and whispers of magic have roused those eager for their own power.
Lilong is determined to return the Diwi—the ibor heirloom—to her people. It’s the only way to keep it safe from Esheme’s insatiable desire. The journey home will be long, filled with twists and treachery, unexpected allies and fabled enemies.
But surviving the journey is the least of their problems.
Something ancient and uncontrollable awakens. Trouble heads for Bassa, and the continent of Oon will need more than ibor to fix what’s coming.
For more from Suyi Davies Okungbowa, check out:
We’re excited to share the cover for Matthew Ward’s upcoming epic fantasy novel THE DARKNESS BEFORE THEM, with art by Joe Wilson and design by Charlotte Stroomer.
THE DARKNESS BEFORE THEM is packed with intrigue, magic and adventure, and is set in a brand new world perfect for new readers and existing fans alike.
Here’s what to expect from the first book in the Soulfire Saga . . .
These are dark times for the Kingdom of Khalad. As the magical mists of the Veil devour the land, the populace struggles beneath the rule of ruthless noble houses and their uncaring immortal king.
Kat doesn’t care about any of that. A talented thief, she’s pursuing one big score that will settle the debt that destroyed her family. No easy feat in a realm where indentured spirits hold vigil over every vault and treasure room. However, Kat has a unique gift: she can speak to those spirits, and even command them. She’ll need every advantage she can get.
Kat’s not a hero. She just wants to be free. To have her old life back. But as rebellion rekindles and the war for Khalad’s future begins, everyone – Kat included – will have to pick a side.
THE DARKNESS BEFORE THEM publishes in November.
If you haven’t yet read Matthew’s superb Legacy trilogy, the series is complete and so now is the perfect time to dive in!
In case you missed it, take your first look at the cover of The Hexologists (US | UK) by Josiah Bancroft! You can pick up this start to a new series in September 2023. We want to thank FanFiAddict and The Fantasy Inn for sharing this cover with their readers.
Cover Design and Illustration by Ian Leino
The first book in a wildly inventive and mesmerizing new fantasy series from acclaimed author Josiah Bancroft where magical mysteries abound and only one team can solve them: The Hexologists. “Bancroft is a magician.” —Madeline Miller, New York Times bestselling author of Circe
The Hexologists, Iz and Warren Wilby, are quite accustomed to helping desperate clients with the bugbears of city life. Aided by hexes and a bag of charmed relics, the Wilbies have recovered children abducted by chimney-wraiths, removed infestations of barb-nosed incubi, and ventured into the Gray Plains of the Unmade to soothe a troubled ghost. Well-acquainted with the weird, they never shy away from a challenging case.
But when they are approached by the royal secretary and told the king pleads to be baked into a cake—going so far as to wedge himself inside a lit oven—the Wilbies soon find themselves embroiled in a mystery that could very well see the nation turned on its head. Their effort to expose a royal secret buried under forty years of lies brings them nose to nose with a violent anti-royalist gang, avaricious ghouls, alchemists who draw their power from a hell-like dimension, and a bookish dragon who only occasionally eats people.
Armed with a love toughened by adversity and a stick of chalk that can conjure light from the darkness, hope from the hopeless, Iz and Warren Wilby are ready for whatever springs from the alleys, graves, and shadows next.
For more from Josiah Bancroft, check out:
The Books of Babel
Senlin Ascends (US | UK)
Arm of the Sphinx (US | UK)
The Hod King (US | UK)
