Archive for Extracts

There’s a tempest rising in the UK . . .

OK – we admit it. The UK and Australian readers have been getting a raw deal, having to wait for Nicole Peeler‘s sweet, sassy and sexy urban fantasy series to float their way, whilst the US readers have been bathing in its glory for a few months. But now the wait is over, and Tempest Rising (UK | US | ANZ) and Tracking the Tempest (UK | US | ANZ) have finally washed up on our shores all at once. Featuring the naughty scrumpet Jane True as our half-selkie heroine – think of it as Sookie Stackhouse meets Splash!

Nicole was over in the UK recently and, in what’s becoming a bit of an Orbit UK habit, we took her aside to cross-examine her about her series and the Urban Fantasy genre. She is an assistant professor of literature, so she should know her stuff after all!  Take a look at the video below (and excuse my sniggering at points in the background – this lady cracks me up!)

You can read an extract of Tempest Rising here.

Waking the Witch – out now!

Calling all Kelley fans! It’s official: Waking the Witch (UK | ANZ) has arrived in a bookshop near you and it’s looking fantabulously gorgeous. It’s the brand new title in the Women of the Otherworld series from international bestseller Kelley Armstrong, and it’s the first hardback to be whipped out with Kelley’s striking new cover style.

During the author’s recent tour to the UK we managed to steal her away from her hectic schedule, corner her in a tiny, tiny room with a camera and throw some questions her way. We think she did exceptionally well considering the circumstances . . . Take a peek here for comments on her series and Urban Fantasy in general (after all, she was one of the ladies responsible for starting the whole genre off in the first place!):

And here’s a sneaky preview of Waking the Witch to tide you over until the book is safely in your hands . . .

A Wild Light Bookcast

To celebrate the release of A Wild Light (UK | ANZ) , the third of the Hunter Kiss novels, I’m taking readers into my home while I discuss Maxine Kiss and the troubles facing her in her latest adventure. Dark times are coming for my favorite heroine, but with stubbornness and love, will she find her way free of the shadows?

You can also read a free extract here.

The Terminal State – the readers speak out

Out this month is the gun-blazing, throat-slitting, hover-riding, brain-augmenting THE TERMINAL STATE (UK/ US/ ANZ), the fourth book in Jeff Somers’ near-future thriller series, the Avery Cates sequence.

To celebrate its release, you might remember that Jeff Somers ran a competition to give his readers the chance to act out the roles of their favourite characters, by providing voiceovers for several videos based on the book. Jeff obviously managed to get people’s creative juices flowing, and received some highly inspired entries. The winners have now been chosen and they are the following: 

Canny Orel – read by Ben Linford

Wa Belling – read by Tyrel Devlin from Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

The Poet – read by Jeffrey Lamar from Chandler, Arizona

Mara – read by Patty Blount from Framingville, New York

The videos, with readers’ voices added, are now up on the site right here: www.theterminalstate.com (roll over the images to find the hidden footage).

If you haven’t checked out the Avery Cates novels and want to find out why SFX has called them ‘brash, brutal, [and] brilliant’, and the Guardian ‘an exhilarating example of powerful and entertaining storytelling’ then you can read an extract from the first book here.

The Sworn – cover launch and extract

I’m delighted to announce, after much careful tweaking, amending and perfecting, that we now have artwork for Gail Z. Martin’s The Sworn, book 1 in the Fallen Kings cycle (US I UK I ANZ). This is a new series but has many familiar faces from Gail’s Necromancer series, so will be great for new readers and Gail Martin fans.

We wanted something that would draw you into Gail’s world, that would hint at the action and pure thrill of her writing and I think Steve Stone has delivered something wonderfully atmospheric with this visual. Here be swords, brigands, dark magics and other forms of mayhem aplenty, so those seeking adventure between the pages need look no further.

In addition to saying something about this new book, we were also keen to produce something that would be in sympathy with the cover style of the Necromancer Chronicles, as this book is set in the same world as that series. But at the same time, we had to balance this against not wanting to reproduce the previous style exactly as this book is of course the start of something new. And to find out for yourself just how much excitement is in store, have a look at our first sneak preview of The Sworn with this early extract here.

You can also expect more from Gail Z. Martin all this week, as she will be talking about this new book as part of her Hawthorn Moon online book event. This has been a great success for several years now, so look out for interviews, giveaways, twitter-only extras, podcasts and much else!

An extract of THE FOLDING KNIFE by K. J. Parker – dangerously good writing

This extraordinary book was released in the UK this month, and is a powerful tale of politics and war …

“Basso the Magnificent. Basso the Great. Basso the Wise. The First Citizen of the Vesani Republic is an extraordinary man. He is ruthless, cunning and, above all, lucky. He brings wealth, power and prestige to his people. But with power comes unwanted attention, and Basso must defend his nation and himself from threats foreign and domestic. In a lifetime of crucial decisions, he’s only ever made one mistake. One mistake, though, can be enough.”

You can read a free extract of it here and it’s also available in the States and will be out soon in Australia.

K. J. Parker has attracted huge amounts of critical praise throughout a long career (UK I US), and here’s just a selection of it, below:

  • ‘I have reviewed books before that I thought might someday be found to have achieved greatness . . . K.J. Parker is writing work after work that demands to be placed in this category’ Orson Scott Card 
  • ‘Impressive . . . there’s a mordant wit to the workings of Parker’s mind’ TIME OUT
  • ‘I was hooked from the very first scene’ LOCUS
  • ‘Parker raises the bar for realistic fantasy war craft’ PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
  • ‘Has a complexity and ambiguity that’s lacking in much fantasy fiction’ DEATHRAY
  • ‘One of fantasy’s premier voices’ SFX
  • ‘Stunning’ BOOKBAG.CO.UK

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Griffin spotted in Trafalgar Square!

The griffins have landed in the UK! Here’s one of the majestic beasts caught on camera causing havoc in London just today. With the arrival of these ferocious creatures of fire, it may be that half of the city will turn to desert by this evening . . .

We’re wondering if you’ve spotted any griffins in your local vicinity? Send your reports and photos to orbit@littlebrown.co.uk and we’ll reward the five most vigilant (and creative) people with copies of the first two books in the Griffin Mage series: Lord of the Changing Winds (UK/US/AUS) and Land of Burning Sands (UK/ US/ AUS). They’re released this month and next month in the UK, and are already available in the US.

The author, Rachel Neumeier – a long-term griffin observer and specialist – may be able to offer some helpful advice for dealing with any griffin nuisances in your local area. You can read Rachel’s account of what happens when griffins and humans clash on the SFX website. And for further information on the author, see her brand new website, launched just last week: www.rachelneumeier.com

THE ORPHANED WORLDS storms into existence

The Orphaned Worlds is now out and available for just a few earth pounds from a book vendor near you. Or have a taster first with this entirely free extract or perhaps a free Orphaned Worlds wallpaper. But Michael Cobley can tell you more about the masterwork himself, as he will be taking part in the SFX Summer of SF Reading event and signing on 10th May, at Waterstone’s London Piccadilly store. For SFX competition winners (closing date is tomorrow) the open signing will be followed by a VIP party and panel discussing why more fans of SF on TV/in films don’t also read the books, also featuring the talented Mr Cobley. Signed copies of the book will also be available soon from The Forbidden Planet‘s London branch.

So, to go back to the book itself, The Orphaned Worlds is a rip-roaring ride and we’ve had a lot of great review coverage from fans. We’re lucky to count the Guardian, Waterstone’s Books Quarterly and also SFX amongst those fans. Bloggers have also been very supportive and good things have been said by Bookgeeks (win a copy of the Orphaned Worlds comptition currently running) and Walker of Worlds.

So, all in all, hooray for the book!

TURN COAT and CHANGES by Jim Butcher – free extracts and info

We recently published the hardback of Changes by Jim Butcher, the latest instalment of the eagerly awaited Dresden Files series, and we’ve been blown  away by the response so far. And to see what all the fuss is about, read a few chapters of the book here. Below is just a bit of the early praise this book has received as PI Harry Dresden, the only wizard in the Chicago phonebook, goes from strength to strength.

Fast-paced and compelling … Butcher throws one high-stakes curveball after another at his hero”
Publishers Weekly

“Changes is a compelling installment in what continues to be an outstanding series … A can’t-miss entry in one of the best urban-fantasy series currently being published” Booklist (starred review)

“If you’re only going to read one Dresden Files novel, this is the one to read, as it’s got all the aspects that make the series great, with magic thrown around, lots of characters from both the worlds Dresden inhabits and wonderful pacing” TheBookbag.co.uk

“Changes is yet another excellent instalment in what is arguably the finest urban fantasy series being written at the moment” Bookgeeks.co.uk

“I am always delighted by these books and always taken by surprise but this one. Damn. Really that’s about all I have to say. This is a fantastic series with a brilliant lead and awesome cast of supporting characters” Un:bound blog

“It doesn’t stop til the OH MY GOD moment at the end of the book.  It’s an emotional, engaging, gritty ride that doesn’t really let up apart from the laugh out loud sections that Butcher has such a talent for … Jim Butcher at his very best” Bookthing.co.uk

 We also published Turn Coat  just ahead of Changes, this being Harry Dresden’s previous outing. It was out in hardback last year, but SFX had this to say on release of the recent paperback edn “The Dresden Files are the best novels in the supernatural PI subgenre, and Turn Coat is more of the same — and a very welcome return it is too”. Here is a sample extract of this too for your delectation — and Harry Dresden will be back next year with Ghost Story!

THE POISON THRONE – ‘Story telling at its absolute best’

It sometimes feels like you have to wait SO long from when a book is acquired until you can share it with other readers (probably because this process does take, oh, around two years…). But I am now delighted to say The Poison Throne (UK I US) was released this month at a bookstore or via an online retailer near you — and you can get an advance peek via an extract here!

We knew the author Celine Kiernan was chock-full of talent, and here are just a couple of quotes from a mountain of early praise.

“Marvellous, vivid writing, and story telling at its absolute best … I was utterly engrossed” Roddy Doyle

“Told with great assurance and attention to detail, this is an exciting, fast-paced story” SFX

“Atmospheric, complex, and intense … this epic starts strong and doesn’t falter” Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Eloquent, sharp and lush…set to surprise a lot of readers” SFRevu.com

And Celine has of course visited the Orbit site already, with her really insightful (plus amusing) article on the perils and wonders inherent in being translated, and she’s discussed our covers and what she makes of them, always an interesting subject. We’ll have more Celine Kiernan news in the form of a new and exciting competition which is a bit of an Orbit first, but news to come next week!