Archive for Contents

Cover Launch: COMPETENCE by Gail Carriger

Gail Carriger is back with another delightful Custard Protocal book. This time we follow Primrose Tunstell who’s been accidentally abandoned in Singapore! Thankfully she’s got a gorgeous cover to console her.

The action and adventure kick off on July 17th  Pre-order your copy of COMPETENCE today, and say hello to Gail Carriger on Twitter or head on over to her Facebook to see if she will be stopping by your hometown for a visit.


Design by Lauren Panepinto
Art by Larry Rostant
Pre-order at: 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | GooglePlay | More Stores

Catch up on the whole series!

 

Acquisition announcement: Sebastien de Castell’s SPELLSLINGER

Orbit US has acquired North American rights to Spellslinger, a six book adventure fantasy series by Canadian author Sebastien de Castell from Bonnier Zaffre. In this fast-paced, humorous series, Kellen has to use his wits and learn a few tricks to survive as a mage without magic

The first four books will be out this year, starting with SPELLSLINGER in July followed by SHADOWBLACK, CHARMCASTER and SOULBINDER. The final two books in the series are due out in 2019. Please join us in welcoming Sebastien to Orbit. You can find him on Twitter at @decastell or learn more about him at his website, http://decastell.com/

A would-be mage with no magic of his own has to defeat powerful enemies with only cunning and deception in the first book of an exciting new adventure fantasy series from Sebastien de Castell.

Magic is a con game.

Kellen is moments away from facing his first mage’s duel and proving his worth as a spellcaster. There’s just one problem: his magic is fading.

Facing exile unless he can pass the mage trials, Kellen risks everything – even his own life – in search of a way to restore his magic. But when an enigmatic stranger arrives in town, she challenges Kellen to take a different path.

Ferius Parfax is one of the elusive Argosi – a traveller who lives by her wits and the cards she carries. She’s daring and unpredictable, but she may be Kellen’s only hope.

Cover Launch: The Labyrinth Index by Charles Stross

The Labyrinth Index by Charles Stross

Feast your eyes on the latest Charles Stross cover, with design by Crush Creative and Ellen Rockell. THE LABYRINTH INDEX, coming later this year, is the ninth novel in The Laundry Files, where spy thrillers meet the supernatural . . .

Britain is under New Management. The disbanding of the Laundry – the British espionage agency that deals with supernatural threats, has culminated in the unthinkable – an elder god in residence in 10 Downing Street.
But in true ‘the enemy of my enemy’ fashion, Mhairi Murphy finds herself working with His Excellency Nylarlathotep on foreign policy – there are worse things, it seems, than an elder god in power, and they lie in deepest, darkest America.
A thousand-mile-wide storm system has blanketed the midwest, and the president is nowhere to be found – Mhari must lead a task force of disgraced Laundry personnel into the storm front to discover the truth. But working for an elder god is never easy, and as the stakes rise, Mhari will soon question exactly where her loyalties really lie.

Cover Launch: EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU by Heather Child

We’re beyond excited to share the cover for Heather Child’s cutting-edge debut novel EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU (UK|AUS). Gripping, heartrending and quietly terrifying, this  novel imagines a world where people can be recreated as data ghosts and lives can be changed by the information they’ve left behind. It’s perfect for fans of Black Mirror and Margaret Atwood.

 

Everything About You

Cover designed by Ellen Rockell at Little, Brown Book Group

Read on for a taste of what’s in store:

Freya has a new virtual assistant. It knows what she likes, knows what she wants and knows whose voice she most needs to hear: her missing sister’s.

It adopts her sister’s personality, recreating her through a life lived online. This data ghost knows everything about Freya’s sister: every date she ever went on, every photo she took, every secret she ever shared.

In fact it knows things it shouldn’t be possible to know. It’s almost as if her sister is still out there somewhere, feeding fresh updates into the cloud. But that’s impossible. Isn’t it?

EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU will be available in hardback, ebook and audio from 26 April.

Cover Launch: TORN by Rowenna Miller

TORN is the first book in Rowenna Miller’s enchanting debut series featuring a seamstress who stitches magic into clothing, and the mounting political uprising that forces her to choose between her family and her ambitions.

Perfect for fans of The Queen of the Tearling and Throne of Glass, TORN comes out in March 2018, and this beautiful story is everything you could want in a fantasy book. While you’re waiting, check out the amazing cover of TORN, with art by Peter Bollinger and design by Lisa Marie Pompilio!

 

In a time of revolution, everyone must take a side.

Sophie, a dressmaker and charm caster, has lifted her family out of poverty with a hard-won reputation for beautiful ball gowns and discreetly embroidered spells. A commission from the royal family could secure her future—and thrust her into a dangerous new world.

Revolution is brewing. As Sophie’s brother, Kristos, rises to prominence in the growing anti-monarchist movement, it is only a matter of time before their fortunes collide.

When the unrest erupts into violence, she and Kristos are drawn into a deadly magical plot. Sophie is torn—between her family and her future.

Praise for Torn:

“One of the best novels I’ve read this year! Torn is masterfully written—full of fascinating politics and compelling characters in a vividly rendered, troubled city. Sophie is a believable, layered, and wonderful heroine. I absolutely loved this book!”
—Sarah Beth Durst, author of The Queen of Blood

“A gorgeous weave of romantic fantasy and urgent politics.”
—Anna Smith Spark, author of The Court of Broken Knives

“Miller weaves a fresh, richly textured world full of magic-stitched ball gowns and revolutionary pamphlets. The vivid, complex setting and deeply human characters make for an absorbing read!”
—Melissa Caruso, author of The Tethered Mage

 

Cover launch: AUTONOMOUS by Annalee Newitz

We’re thrilled to announce that Orbit UK is publishing Annalee Newitz’s stunning new novel AUTONOMOUS – a wildly inventive science fiction debut from the co-founder of io9.

Released in the US this autumn, AUTONOMOUS has already received tonnes of praise and we’re delighted to be bringing it to a new audience with a colourful twist on Will Staehle’s wonderful cover.

Look out for our early ebook release (available now) or buy the audio or paperback edition from 15th March 2018.

Earth, 2144. Jack is an anti-patent scientist turned drug pirate, traversing the world in a submarine as a pharmaceutical Robin Hood, fabricating cheap medicines for those who can’t otherwise afford them. But her latest drug hack has left a trail of lethal overdoses as people become addicted to their work, doing repetitive tasks until they become unsafe or insane.
Hot on her trail is an unlikely pair: Eliasz, a brooding military agent, and his indentured robotic partner, Paladin. As they race to stop information about the sinister origins of Jack’s drug from getting out, they begin to form an uncommonly close bond that neither of them fully understands.
And underlying it all is one fundamental question: is freedom possible in a culture where everything, even people, can be owned?

‘Autonomous is to biotech and AI what Neuromancer was to the internet’ NEAL STEPHENSON
‘Something genuinely and thrillingly new’ WILLIAM GIBSON
‘Holy hell. Autonomous is remarkable’ LAUREN BEUKES

Acquisition announcement: THE GREY BASTARDS by Jonathan French

Jonathan French, author of gritty fantasy The Grey Bastards

Orbit UK has acquired rights to The Grey Bastards plus a sequel by US author Jonathan French.

It’s a wild and gritty epic fantasy debut that invites you to enter the world of orcs and half-orcs – as you’ve never seen them before . . .

You might have heard of The Grey Bastards because it won Mark Lawrence’s Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off 2016 – meaning that a panel of ten top fantasy bloggers picked it as the winner out of hundreds of entries. And this win was thoroughly deserved . . . This fantasy debut is brimming with raucous energy.

It’s the story of Jackal – who is proud to be a Grey Bastard, a member of a sworn brotherhood of half-orcs. Unloved and unwanted in civilized society, the Bastards eke out a hard life in the desolate no-man’s-land called the Lots, protecting frail and noble human civilization from invading bands of vicious full-blooded orcs . . .

Jonathan’s voice stood out to us as one of the freshest we’ve read in years. The story overflows with crisp dialogue, blood-soaked action, an entertaining sardonic voice and a wonderfully compelling cast of characters. It’s an irresistible action tale that will thrill readers of fantasy such as Joe Abercrombie, Mark Lawrence, Stan Nicholl’s Orcs series and Markus Heitz’s Dwarves series.

And just look at the whole host of amazing reviews it’s already received!

‘Frankly excellent’ ~ Mark Lawrence, bestselling author of Prince of Thorns

‘The Grey Bastards dragged me in immediately. A bloody good tale of battles, intrigue, betrayal, duty and war pigs’ ~ Brian McClellan, author of Promise of Blood

‘A gritty adventure with a fantastic, foul-mouthed voice and filthy, lovable characters in a wonderfully original world of half-orcs on giant hogs.  Fans of Abercrombie’s The First Law or the soldierly banter of Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen will like this a lot’ ~ Django Wexler

‘Jonathan French has to be lauded for his plot ingenuity, bawdy charm and vicious characters. The Grey Bastards has instantaneously catapulted him into my must-read list’ ~Fantasy Book Critic

‘I’d like to raise a tankard to The Grey Bastards’ brilliance’ ~ Fantasy Faction

‘I f*cking loved this book. The Grey Bastards went down like a shot of good top-shelf tequila: warm and smooth, but with one hell of a spicy kick’ ~ Bibliosanctum

These guys were all pretty darn excited about the half-orcs, and dammit – you should be too. Look out for The Grey Bastards in June 2018.

And as the Bastards say, LIVE IN THE SADDLE, DIE ON THE HOG!

Cover Launch: AFTERWAR by Lilith Saintcrow

History is written by the victors; but when you’ve been fighting your fellow patriots, your own brothers and sisters, does anyone really win?  

A harrowing gut-punch of a novel, AFTERWAR tells the story of a dark future where America has been devastated by a second civil war. As the fighting draws to a close, the camps are liberated, and the fascist regime crumbles, the work of rebuilding begins. But can a population who’s spent years divided and hell-bent on victory at any cost ever be truly reunited?

AFTERWAR is bestselling author Lilith Saintcrow’s answer to the dystopian genre: a timely and all-too-realistic glimpse of a future that we hope never comes to pass.

Credits:

Design by Lisa Marie Pompilio
Art by Shutterstock

Cover Launch: SENLIN ASCENDS and ARM OF THE SPHINX by Josiah Bancroft

Josiah Bancroft’s series, The Books of Babel, presents an enormously intriguing fantasy world. Thomas Senlin, a mild-mannered schoolteacher, quickly becomes trapped in this dangerous, ever-changing, and labyrinthine world. We are delighted to present the covers for the first two books in the series: SENLIN ASCENDS (US | UK | AUS) and ARM OF THE SPHINX (US | UK | AUS). Art by Ian Leino with design by Lauren Panepinto.

 

Praise for The Books of Babel:

“One of my favorite books of all time.” – Mark Lawrence

“I loved it, and grabbed the next one as soon as I turned the last page.” – Django Wexler

“An adventure rife with character, voice and beauty – a well-polished knife drawn out slowly.” – Sam Sykes

“A unique masterpiece. A brilliant debut.” — Michael R. Fletcher

“Goes off like a firework and suggests even greater things in the author’s future.” – Publishers Weekly

“Ticks along with the tight precision and artistry of a well-wound watch.” – Kirkus

“The most unlikely yet likeable hero since a certain hobbit rushed out of Bag End leaving his second breakfast half-finished.” – Fantasy Faction

Cover Launch: OF GODS AND MEN by Stephen Aryan

We’re excited to reveal the stunning cover for an original epic fantasy novella by Stephen Aryan. OF GODS AND MEN (UK|US|ANZ) is set before the events of BATTLEMAGE and focuses on a fan-favourite character from the Age of Darkness trilogy . . .

The gruff and mysterious warrior known as Vargus has meant many things to many people over the course of his long life. But when he hears of mauled livestock and strange disappearances in the village of Morgan’s Creek, he must once again take up the mantle of the Gath – the people’s protector – before any more children go missing.

OF GODS AND MEN will be available to buy in ebook and audio from February. And if you haven’t discovered the original trilogy yet, it’s never too late to dive into this world of furious battles, lethal magic and valiant heroes.

Cover design for OF GODS AND MEN is by the wonderful Elena Kidman.

Praise for the series:

‘A vivid and rousing adventure with the kind of magic that punches you right in the face’  Jen Williams, author of The Ninth Rain

‘Stephen Aryan puts the epic into Epic Fantasy’ Den Patrick, author of The Boy with the Porcelain Blade

‘Aryan’s battle scenes are visceral masterpieces that transport the reader deep into the mêleé’  Taran Matharu, author of the Summoner novels

‘Abundant politics, intrigues, double-crossings, and plot twists to keep the pacing brisk and whet readers’ appetites for future installments’ Publisher’s Weekly