Archive for Contents

Cover launch: THE FALL OF THE DAGGER by Glenda Larke

THE FALL OF THE DAGGER by Glenda Larke

THE FALL OF THE DAGGER is the third and final novel in the Forsaken Lands trilogy, a fantasy epic full of scheming, spying, action and adventure.

We’re excited to launch the final cover in this trilogy today, with design by Tracey Winwood and image by Steve Stone.

A king corrupted, a sorcerer on the throne, a land in peril…

Excommunicated cleric Saker returns from exile in the Spice Islands to find his homeland in chaos.
A dark sorcerer controls the ear of the King, turning him against his own son and heir, while a corrupted army gathers in the shadows.
With the illusionist Sorrel and islander Ardhi, armed with magic from Ardhi’s homeland, Saker now must stand between his city and the corruption that threatens to cripple it, before it is too late . . .

The first two books in the series are available now, check out THE LASCAR’S DAGGER and THE DAGGER’S PATH, or read the first chapters on the Orbit site today.

The Forsaken Lands: epic fantasy by Glenda Larke

Praise for this series:

“Outstanding all the way to the last word”
Elizabeth Moon

“Breathtaking adventure, exotic world-building and fabulous characters”
Karen Miller

 

Cover launch: BURNED by Benedict Jacka

BURNED: Alex Verus book 7

Alex Verus has a magic shop in Camden, London, and an uncanny ability to see the future.
But suddenly everyone can see Alex’s future. Because the Mage’s Council of Great Britain just named him a traitor and ordered his death in seven days’ time, and there’s no way anyone can get out of that.
Alex’s friends – Luna and the other apprentices he’s taken in – are tainted by association. They’ll be marked for death too when the ruling comes into play, and Alex becomes locked in a race against time to save them.
But with only seven days to work with, will he have time left over save his own skin?

BURNED is the seventh book in the Alex Verus series. While seven might be a lucky number for some, it’s most certainly not for Alex. Marked for death and on the run, BURNED is truly the book where everything changes for everybody’s favourite probability mage . . . and with talented designer Ceara Elliot, we’ve changed our cover to match.

“Harry Dresden would like Alex Verus tremendously – and be a little nervous around him. I just added Benedict Jacka to my must-read list.”
– Jim Butcher

“Whoop-ass excitement from the new master of magical London”
– Charles Stross

Cover Launch: BITE by K. S. Merbeth

Hungry for a great new read? Check out BITE, the stark and darkly comedic story of a young girl who joins a crew of bandits in a lawless, post-nuclear world. Bite is out internationally in July 2016 from Orbit and we’ve got an early look at the brilliant cover below, designed by Lauren Panepinto.

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“Need a ride?”

Kid has no name, no family and no survival skills whatsoever. But that hasn’t stopped her from striking out on her own in the wasteland that the world has become.

When Kid accepts a ride from two strangers, she suddenly becomes the newest member of a bloodthirsty raider crew. Propelled on a messy chase, through shootouts and severed limbs, the group must outrun everyone they’ve wronged. In a world that’s lost its humanity, not everything is as it seems and this time it isn’t the monsters that crave flesh…

Cover Launch: THE RULE OF LUCK by Catherine Cerveny

Take a peek at THE RULE OF LUCK and fall in love with Felicia and Alexei, in this exhilarating science fiction romance from our sister imprint Redhook. It’s out in January, and you can pre-order your copy now. To tempt you, we’re proud to reveal Wendy Chan’s sexy cover design right here.

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“A fascinating premise. Cerveny’s future world is richly drawn, and Felicia’s and Alexei’s adventure is definitely an edge-of-your-seat ride.” — Linnea Sinclair, award-winning author of the Dock Five Universe series

As a famed tarot card reader, all is well in luck and love for Felicia Sevigny, until Russian crime leader Alexei Petriv walks into her shop and demands a reading.

Petriv’s future looks dark and full of danger, which wouldn’t be Felicia’s problem, except that it’s also aligned with hers. Felicia discovers she is the key pawn in Petriv’s plot to overthrow the all-knowing government, and she must decide if she will trust with him with her heart, body and soul, before the future of the entire human race collapses around her.

Ian Graham’s Monumental Return: Author Wings His Way Back To Fantasy Shelves With THE PATH OF THE HAWK

Ian GrahamAround a decade ago we published Ian Graham’s blisteringly good fantasy debut: MONUMENT. It featured an anti-hero the likes of which we’d never seen before, and David Gemmell called it the most exciting fantasy of the year, adding that Graham was a ‘magnificent storyteller’. Some fans have even claimed that MONUMENT predicted the current grimdark trend in fantasy.

We are now super excited to announce that not only will we be releasing MONUMENT in ebook for the first time ever this December, but we have a brand new two book fantasy adventure from Ian Graham to share with you!

Coming to ebook in January 2016, THE PATH OF THE HAWK tells the tale of the Hawks, an elite regiment of soldiers entrusted with missions far beyond the scope of the conventional army:

Blessed Master Helligraine – one of the Church’s highest ranking, most beloved holy men, was abducted one year ago, his corpse found rotting in a river. When evidence emerges that Helligraine is still alive and being held against his will, three Hawks are dispatched to bring him home. But Helligraine’s past – and present – is not what it seems, and two nations are drawn into a conflict whose seeds were sown millennia ago.

A prequel of sorts, THE PATH OF THE HAWK is also a chance to learn more about what made Ballas the man he is in MONUMENT . . .

Dates for your diary:

MONUMENT comes out in ebook on 8th December this year.
THE PATH OF THE HAWK: BOOK ONE will be released in ebook January 26th 2016, with THE PATH OF THE HAWK: BOOK TWO following February 23rd.
THE PATH OF THE HAWK print omnibus edition will be released summer 2016.

Cover launch: FELLSIDE by M. R. Carey, author of THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS

Orbit is very pleased to reveal the cover for the haunting and heartbreaking new thriller from M. R. Carey, author of the word-of-mouth bestseller THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS (UK | US | ANZ). FELLSIDE will be released worldwide in hardback, ebook and audiobook in April 2016.

FELLSIDE by M R Carey author of THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS

Fellside is a maximum security prison on the edge of the Yorkshire Moors. It’s not the kind of place you’d want to end up. But it’s where Jess Moulson could be spending the rest of her life.

It’s a place where even the walls whisper.

And one voice belongs to a little boy with a message for Jess.

Will she listen?

Praise for THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS:

‘Original, thrilling and powerful’ – Guardian

‘Haunting, heartbreaking’ – Vogue

‘A great read that takes hold of you and doesn´t let go’ – John Ajvide Lindqvist, author of Let the Right One In

‘Scary, tense and fast-paced . . . but with a heart-warming tenderness’ – Marie Claire

‘So surprising, so warm and yet so chilling . . . As fresh as it is terrifying’ – Joss Whedon

Presenting STAKED, the new Iron Druid novel from Kevin Hearne!

On 26th January, Atticus is back!

Presenting the UK cover for STAKED (UK | ANZ), the next awesome instalment of The Iron Druid Chronicles by the legendary (not to mention New York Times bestselling…) Kevin Hearne.

Kevin is one of the freshest and downright funniest voices in fantasy. And his next instalment featuring the druid-with-skillz Atticus is going to make fans of the series squeeee with excitement…I kid you not!

This novel sees Atticus running into some major bloodsucking trouble. He needs a little help – but his allies Owen Kennedy and Granuaile have serious supernatural issues of their own. Check out the blurb for the book below…

And if you’re a fan of fast-paced, action-packed and witty-as-hell fantasy but haven’t checked out this bestselling series yet, what have you been doing with your life? It’s OK, you can pick up the series anywhere – but if you want to find out where it all began, try HOUNDED.

STAKED (UK | ANZ),  is available for pre-order now!

 

Iron Druid Atticus O’Sullivan, hero of Kevin Hearne’s epic New York Times bestselling urban fantasy series, has a point to make – and then drive into a vampire’s heart.

When a druid has lived for two thousand years like Atticus, he’s bound to run afoul of a few vampires. Make that legions of them. Even his former friend and legal counsel turned out to be a bloodsucking backstabber. Now the toothy troublemakers – led by power-mad Theophilus – have become a huge problem requiring a solution. It’s time to make a stand.

As always, Atticus wouldn’t mind a little backup. But his allies have problems of their own. Ill-tempered archdruid Owen Kennedy is having a wee bit of troll trouble: turns out when you stiff a troll, it’s not water under the bridge. Meanwhile, Granuaile is desperate to free herself of the Norse god Loki’s mark and elude his powers of divination – a quest that will bring her face to face with several Slavic nightmares.

As Atticus globetrots to stop his nemesis Theophilus, the journey leads to Rome. What better place to end an immortal than the Eternal City? But poetic justice won’t come without a price: In order to defeat Theophilus, Atticus may have to lose an old friend.

Orbit acquires three more novels from the author of THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST

Photo of Claire North, author of THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST and the Gameshouse novellasPlease see below for a press release which has just been sent out:

Orbit has acquired three new novels from Claire North, the author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed novels THE FIFST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST and TOUCH. Senior Editor Anna Jackson acquired World rights from Meg Davis at the Ki Agency.

Claire North is a pseudonym for British author Catherine Webb. THE FIFST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST was her first novel published under the Claire North name, and was one of the fastest-selling new SFF titles of the last ten years. It is the tale of a man who lives his life over and over again with the knowledge of the previous lives he has lived, and was one of the few titles ever to be selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club, the Radio 2 Book Club and the Waterstones Book Club promotions. Her next novel TOUCH was published in 2015 to widespread critical acclaim and was described by the Independent as “little short of a masterpiece”.

Acquiring editor Anna Jackson said: “The reaction to THE FIFST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST was astounding, and it was truly a break-out point in Catherine’s career. We’re incredibly excited about her future too, starting with the release of three digital novellas this week entitled THE SERPENT  (UK|US|ANZ), THE THIEF (UK|US|ANZ) and THE MASTER (UK|US|ANZ), which can be read separately but also fit together to make a complete, intricately woven tale. The next Claire North novel to be released in print will be THE SUDDEN APPEARANCE OF HOPE in May 2016. And I’m delighted to have now acquired three further novels from Catherine, who is truly one of the most exciting and imaginative writers in modern fiction.”

Covers for the Gameshouse novellas The Serpent, The Thief and The Master by Claire North, author of thw First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

‘The Wheel of Time Companion is a Robert Jordan Fan’s Best Friend’

That quote was courtesy of Barnes and Noble’s Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog, taken from their glowing review of THE WHEEL OF TIME COMPANION. Naturally, we couldn’t agree more.

This book is the definitive guide to the Wheel of Time. Despite the length and breadth of the series (15 novels, over four million words – remember that for future pub quizzes) many more of Robert Jordan’s extraordinary imaginings didn’t make it on to the page. The rest were locked away in his personal files, where – in the manner of a dark lord –  they remained hidden for many years, waiting to be unleashed on the world.

Now, the full extent of Jordan’s stunning imagination has been revealed in THE WHEEL OF TIME COMPANION: over 800 pages featuring a wealth of new information about the characters and cultures of this global fantasy phenomenon.

So if you want to learn Asmodean’s strength level, the exact size of the city of Caemlyn, or over a thousand words of the Old Tongue, you’ll find all that and a lot more in this invaluable guide. For Wheel of Time fans, this really is unmissable reading.

THE WHEEL OF TIME COMPANION is released today, in hardback, trade format and ebook.

Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time!

 

Cover Launch: IN SHINING ARMOR by Elliott James

We’re very excited to share the cover for Elliott James’s latest novel in the Pax Arcana series, IN SHINING ARMOR, which will be out in April 2016.

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This fairy godmother’s got claws. 

When someone kidnaps the last surviving descendant of the Grandmaster of the Knights Templar, it’s bad news. When the baby is the key to the tenuous alliance between a large werewolf pack and the knights, it’s even worse news. They’re at each other’s throats before they’ve even begun to look for baby Constance. 

But whoever kidnapped Constance didn’t count on one thing: she’s also the goddaughter of John Charming. Modern-day descendant of a long line of famous dragon slayers, witch finders, and wrong righters. John may not have any experience being a parent, but someone is about to find out that he can be one mean mother…

IN SHINING ARMOR is the fourth book in the Pax Arcana series, which gives a new twist to the Prince Charming tale. The first three novels are Charming, Daring, and Fearless. If you haven’t had the chance to meet John Charming yet, you’ll fall in love with him from page one of this free sample of Charming. 

Charming_2strip_TYPESee what some of your other favorite authors are saying about Charming:

“The Pax Arcana books are seriously good reads. Action, humor, and heart with unexpected twists and turns. If you are (like me) waiting for the next Butcher or Hearne — pick up Elliot James. Then you can bite your nails waiting for the next James, too.” —  Patricia Briggs, New York Times #1 bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson series

“Loved it! Charming is a giant gift basket of mythology and lore delivered by a brilliant new voice in urban fantasy. Elliott James tells stories that are action-packed, often amusing, and always entertaining.” —  Kevin Hearne, New York Times bestselling author of Hounded 

“I loved this book from start to finish.  Exciting and innovative, Charming is a great introduction to a world I look forward to spending a lot more time in.”
— Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author of the October Daye series

“James’s world is rich and complex and well worth diving into.” — Richard Kadrey, New York Times bestselling author of Sandman Slim