Archive for Contents

Goodreads Choice Awards 2017: Opening Round

Voting for the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards is now under way. We’re proud to announce that seven Orbit titles are in the first round of nominations! Want to see your favorite Orbit authors and books make it to the second round? Cast your vote!

Voting for opening round ends November 5.

Fantasy – VOTE NOW

SINS OF EMPIRE by Brian McClellan (US | UK | AUS)

KINGS OF THE WYLD by Nicholas Eames (US | UK | AUS)

THE STONE SKY by N. K. Jemisin (US | UK | AUS)

Horror – VOTE NOW

THE BOY ON THE BRIDGE by M. R. Carey (US | UK | AUS)

THE DELIRIUM BRIEF by Charlie Stross (UK)

 

Science Fiction – VOTE NOW

PROVENANCE by Ann Leckie (US | UK | AUS)

BABYLON’S ASHES by James S. A. Corey (US | UK | AUS)

If your favorite Orbit title of 2017 isn’t listed, you can also enter a write-in vote at the bottom of each genre page.

 

Claire North shortlisted for Sunday Times/PFD Young Writer of the Year Award!

We’re delighted to say that Claire North has been shortlisted for the Sunday Times/PFD Young Writer of the Year Award for her novel THE END OF THE DAY (UK|US|ANZ)!

Claire North Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year award

The prize honours a work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry by a British or Irish author aged between 18 and 35, and Claire is one of five authors shortlisted for the award.

Andrew Holgate, Sunday Times literary editor and one of the judges on the panel, said that “The fact that the judges decided to nominate five instead of the usual four authors speaks volumes about the strength of this year’s shortlist – diverse, adventurous, immensely mature and confident”.

The shortlist was announced in the Sunday Times yesterday, with THE END OF THE DAY being described by the paper as:

‘Funny, ambitious, immensely humane and full of philosophical panache’

The shortlist was also discussed on Radio 4’s Open Book show yesterday, with judge Lucy Hughes-Hallett saying about THE END OF THE DAY: 

“This is a book which is busting out with invention…it’s extraordinary, and its premise is wonderfully mad. The protagonist is the Harbinger of Death, but actually this harbinger is a sort of sweaty-handed young man, making the best of a rather weird job and getting a bit flustered about it. That combination of very downbeat humour and very grand visions of the end of the world are so at once wildly impressive and deliciously ordinary”

You can hear from all the authors shortlisted at a special event on Tuesday 28th November at Waterstones, Trafalgar Square. The winner will be announced at a ceremony at the London Library on 7th December.

Please join us in congratulating Claire North on Twitter!

Benedict Jacka Cover Launch: The Bumper Issue

We’re delighted to launch the cover for MARKED, designed by Ceara Elliot and Emily Courdelle! This is the ninth book in Benedict Jacka’s magic-filled Alex Verus series, publishing in July next year.

MARKED sees probability mage Alex Verus tracking down dangerous magical items unleashed into the world by dark mages. When the Light Council decide they need his help in negotiating with the perpetrators, Alex must use all his cunning and magic to strike a deal…

MARKED continues the bold, colourful new look for the series that we established with BURNED and BOUND. Now – at Alex’s request (and who are we to deny a probability mage’s predictions?) – we’ve given the first six books brand new designs to match. If you think these new covers are vivid and irresistibly eye-catching, well . . . Alex Verus knew you would!

These fabulous new designs – also courtesy of Ceara Elliot and Emily Courdelle – will be appearing in bookstores throughout 2018.

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Cover Launch: ONE WAY by S. J. Morden

We are currently in the middle of the next space race. No, not to the moon, but to Mars. And our latest acquisition, by bona fide rocket scientist S.J. Morden, posits what happens when you take that space race and add a little bit of corporate greed: Budget cuts and some dangerously slim margins for success. In ONE WAY, the corporation in charge decides the cheapest option is to send prisoners with certain skills on a one way trip to Mars to help build the first human settlement on Mars. But the landscape of Mars is a hostile one, and when you send untrained civilians to space, bad things can happen…

We’re so excited for this book that we already have a cover for it. Take a look below and make sure to say hello to the author on twitter at @ComradeMorden.

Design by Lisa Marie Pompilio
Art by Shutterstock

Stephen Aryan and Melissa Caruso talk mages, magic and writing fantasy fiction

Listen to the interview between authors Stephen Aryan and Melissa Caruso, where they talk about mages, magic and writing fantasy fiction:

Plus, read extracts from both Mageborn and The Tethered Mage today.

2017 New York Comic Con Schedule!

Attention all NYCC attendees: come visit us this weekend at booth #2218! We have a ton of FREE goodies for you to take home and some terrific show specials happening all weekend long.

See the schedule below for a list of where you can find our others this weekend. See you at the show!

Thursday, October 5

2:45 PM: PANEL: Jon Hollins, “Here Lie Dragons & Eternal Beasties”

Friday, October 6

1:30 PM: PANEL: D. Nolan Clark, “The End of the World and Questionable Futures”

2:45 PM: PANEL: Jordanna Max Brodsky, “How Do I Put This on a Resume?”

Saturday, October 7

5:15 PM: PANEL: Ann Leckie and N.K. Jemisin, “The New Classics of SF/F”

Sunday, October 8

10:30 AM: SIGNING: Lila Bowen @ Orbit booth

Cover Launch: THE LIGHT OF ALL THAT FALLS by James Islington

Hot on the heels of AN ECHO OF THINGS TO COME [UK/US/ANZ], the bestselling second novel in James Islington’s Licanius trilogy which published last month, we’re delighted to reveal the cover for the final volume – THE LIGHT OF ALL THAT FALLS.

Illustration by Dominick Saponaro, cover design by Lauren Panepinto

We’ll be publishing THE LIGHT OF ALL THAT FALLS in 2018, so if you haven’t yet plunged headlong into this remarkable adventure of powerful magic, ancient secrets and memorable characters, there’s still plenty of time for you to get up to speed!

Praise for James Islington’s Licanius trilogy:

‘Action-packed epic fantasy’ Bookbag

‘A storytelling assurance rare for a debut . . . Fans of Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson will find much to admire’ Guardian 

‘A traditional saving-the-world epic fantasy [with] the flavour of something new . . . You’ll be left wanting more’ SFX

‘Numerous surprises . . . action aplenty’ SCIFINOW

‘Will appeal not only to Wheel of Time readers, but to anybody looking for a coming-of-age fantasy tale with likeable characters and strong worldbuilding’ Fantasy Faction

‘Like the Wheel of Time? This is about to become your new favourite series’ Barnes & Noble SF & Fantasy Blog 

 

SUCCESSOR’S PROMISE: A message from Trudi Canavan

Succesors Promise, book 3 of Millennium's Rule by Trudi Canavan

SUCCESSOR’S PROMISE (UK|US|ANZ), the third instalment in Trudi Canavan’s Sunday Times bestselling Millennium’s Rule series is out now.

Following THIEF’S MAGIC (UK|US|ANZ) and ANGEL OF STORMS (UK|US|ANZ), this dramatic fantasy novel is set in a time of chaos – where worlds are at war, torn apart by magic and power-hungry sorcerers.

For us and legions of fantasy fans around the world, the release of this new book is a very exciting event!

Trudi filmed the video below to tell readers just what they can expect from this series and SUCCESSOR’S PROMISE – and to send a big thank you to her fans all around the world for everything they do to support her books!

Welcome to the Orbit family, Rowenna Miller!

Orbit has acquired World rights to debut author Rowenna Miller’s enchanting epic fantasy novel, TORN, and two sequels, from Jessica Sinsheimer at the Sarah Jane Freymann Agency. Torn features Sophie Balstrade, a magic-casting seamstress, and the mounting anti-monarchist uprising that forces her to choose between her community and her ambitions.

Look out for Torn in Spring 2018! Meanwhile, you can find Rowenna on Twitter at @RowennaM. Please give her a warm welcome to Orbit!

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

Sophie is a young dressmaker who, with hard work, talent, and a rare proficiency in sewing spells into cloth, has managed to open her own shop and lift herself and her brother, Kristos, out of the poverty that plagues their immigrant community. Her reputation for beautiful ball gowns and discreetly-embroidered charms for luck, love, and protection secures her a commission from the royal family itself—and the commission earns her the attentions of a dashing but entirely unattainable duke.

Meanwhile, her brother, a day laborer with a keen mind and a thirst for justice, rises to prominence in the growing anti-monarchist movement. Their worlds collide when the revolution’s shadow leader takes Kristos hostage and demands that Sophie place a curse on the queen’s new Midwinter costume—or Kristos will die at their hand.

As the proletariat uprising comes to a violent climax, Sophie must choose: between her brother and the community of her birth, and her lover and the life she’s striven to build.

 

Welcome to the Orbit family, Tyler Whitesides!

Orbit has acquired a rollicking new fantasy, THE THOUSAND DEATHS OF ARDOR BENN, and two sequels from bestselling children’s author, Tyler Whitesides. The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn is Tyler’s adult debut and introduces expert thief and con artist, Ardor Benn, and a one-of-a-kind magic centered around the world’s few remaining dragons.

You can meet Ard and his gang in Spring 2018. In the meantime, please join us in welcoming Tyler to Orbit. You can find him on Twitter as @TWhitesides.

“I’m hiring you to steal the king’s crown.”

Ardor Benn is no ordinary thief. Rakish, ambitious, and master of wildly complex heists, he styles himself a Ruse Artist Extraordinaire.

When a priest hires him for the most daring ruse yet, Ardor knows he’ll need more than quick wit and sleight of hand. Assembling a dream team of forgers, disguisers, schemers, and thieves, he sets out to steal from the most powerful king the realm has ever known.

But it soon becomes clear there’s more at stake than fame and glory –Ard and his team might just be the last hope for human civilization.