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Wallpaper: RED COUNTRY by Joe Abercrombie

RED COUNTRY

Forget about White Christmas this season.  Make it a Red Christmas by decorating your computer and favorite electronic devices with these fabulous wallpapers with art from RED COUNTRY – Joe Abercrombie’s bestselling, new novel.

Here’s all the  download links, and if anyone needs a specific dimension made, let us know!

1024 x 768 | 1280 x 800 | 1440 x 900 | 1680 x 1050 |1920 x 1200 | iPhone | iPad | Facebook

Were you able to participate in Joe’s Ask-Me-Annything on Reddit yesterday? Catch up on his answers to a ton of great fan questions here.

 

The Uplift Omnibus – making monkeys smarter . . .

The Hugo, Nebula and Locus award-winnign UPLIFT, an omnibus edition from science fiction author David Brin, containing SUNDIVER, STARTIDE RISING and THE UPLIFT WARThis week we’ve released UPLIFT (UK | ANZ), an omnibus edition of the first three award-winning Uplift books. It’s one of the most highly regarded classic science fiction series ever written. And it’s no surprise – because I can’t help but seeing signs everywhere that David Brin seems to get things so very right . . .

In the Uplift universe, humans have the technology to enhance the intelligence of other species – such as dolphins and apes – and they have raised these animals to our own level of consciousness. In fact, in these books no species has ever reached a level of sentience without being genetically “uplifted” by another race. But humans are the only ones who have seemingly never been helped out in this way . . .

This book raises some very interesting questions. Why does humanity seem to be the only species on Earth to have broken through what you might call a “glass ceiling” of sentience? What makes us so different to all the other species? And if we could genetically “uplift” other species – should we?

This question is much more pertinent now than you might think.

Recently, as reported by the New York Times, scientists have been experimenting with increasing the intelligence of monkeys by using brain implants. Granted, the research is aimed at helping people who’ve had their brain damaged through dementia, strokes or injury – rather than trying to help out the little furry dude involved. And for the moment, it’s just a case of the monkey being able to match up some objects and pictures a little better than usual – rather than hold a conversation about the meaning of life and the universe.

But the question arises – how long will it be until we really can raise an animal’s intelligence level to that of a human being?

Perhaps not that long, according to an article from the University of Edinburgh. It claims that a new gene has been discovered that might have played a crucial role in our development towards using tools and language. This gene is unique to humans, and seems to have developed after we evolved from apes. What’s more – it seems to have come from nowhere. It emerged fully-formed, over an incredibly brief period of time, from DNA thought to be “non-coding”, or else termed “junk DNA”. (David Brin asks, of course – might it have been “donated”?)

The very isolation of this gene, which brings us a step closer towards working out what makes us human, could also bring us closer to being able to artificially create it within other species. And if we can do this – what might these new, more intelligent animals be like? And what could we learn about the world and our place within it? But what risks might we also take by doing so? Planet of the Apes, anyone?

EXILES, an Uplift Storm omnibus from the Hugo, Nebula and Locus award-winning science fiction author David Brin, containing the novels BRIGHTNESS REEF, INFINITY'S SHORE and HEAVEN'S REACHIf this question interests you as much as it does me, check out David Brin’s Hugo, Locus and Nebula award-winning UPLIFT (UK | ANZ), an omnibus containing SUNDIVER, STARTIDE RISING and THE UPLIFT WAR – out now.

And don’t forget that in January we’ll also be releasing EXILES (UK | ANZ), an omnibus containing the three Uplift Storm novels BRIGHTNESS REEF, INFINITY’S SHORE and HEAVEN’S REACH.

And if you’re really keen, check out this awesome Uplift merchandise. A great Christmas present for a nerd near you!

The Damnation Affair — out now!

Other people hoard things. I hoard books. It is probably the best part of an editor’s job, the new acquisition.  The new author, the new book, the new everything…

There are some novels that I buy because I want to.  And some because I think they’re great. Some because I know that they tell us about ourselves, but in a new way..and the list goes on. But there are some novels that I buy Because.

And it stops there as I can’t imagine a world where this book isn’t MY book. (Yes, yes, it’s also the author’s…) But it’s MINE.   Mine to read, mine to tinker with, figure out the cover, and then pet it when its all done.

Sigh. Yes. I sound unhinged, don’t I? But that is the world of the editor. We basically exist to buy books. Oh. And drink. But that’s for another post.

The newest book that I bought is called THE DAMNATION AFFAIR (UK | US).  It is the newest novel by Lilith Saintcrow and it is the 16th book that I will have worked on with Lili. 16!!!! Whoa! I got this as a ms from Evil Agent who knows my weaknesses and sent me a manuscript that basically said it’s a zombie love story! From Lili! Reader, I bought it.

If you’ve read IRON WYRM AFFAIR (UK | US | AUS), you’ll know about Bannon & Clare (if not, click here!).  DAMNATION AFFAIR is set in the same world, but instead of Victorian England, we move out West. To the old West. Where somethings just don’t stay dead….

The West is a wild place, where the poison wind blows and the dead walk. But there is gold, and whiskey, and enough room for a man to forget what he once was–until he no longer can.

Jack Gabriel’s been the sheriff in Damnation almost since the town grew out of the dust and the mud. He keeps the peace–sort of–and rides the circuit every dawn and dusk with the chartermage, making sure the wilderness doesn’t seep into their fragile attempt at civilization. Away from the cities clinging to the New World’s eastern rim, he doesn’t remember what he was. At least, not much.

But Damnation is growing, and along comes a schoolmarm. Catherine Barrowe is a right proper Boston miss, and it’s a mystery why she would choose this town where everything scandalous and dangerous is probably too much for a quality lady like her. Sometimes the sheriff wonders why she came out West–because everyone who does is running from something. He doesn’t realize Cat may be prickly, delicate, and proper, but she is also determined. She’s in Damnation to find her wayward older brother Robbie, whose letters were full of dark hints about gold, trouble…and something about a claim.

In a West where charm and charter live alongside clockwork and cold steel, where hot lead kills your enemy but it takes a blessing to make his corpse stay down, Cat will keep digging until she finds her brother. If Jack knew what she was after, he could solve the mystery–because he was the one who killed Robbie.

The thing is, Cat’s brother just won’t stay dead, and the undead are rising with him…

And seriously? If zombies clashing with cowboys don’t make you want to read this, I don’t know what will.

To find out more about THE DAMNATION AFFAIR and Lilith Saintcrow’s other novels, become a fan on Facebook. 

An interview with Iain M. Banks & 25 years of Culture!

Today we’re celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Culture series by bestselling author Iain M. Banks! For decades, the Culture series has engaged our imaginations and taken us to new, exotic alien worlds. Check out the interview below to find out more about Iains most recent novel, THE HYDROGEN SONATA (UK | US | AUS) as well his reflections regarding the past and future of the Culture.

But that’s not all…since we can’t very well pass out these delicious Culture cupcakes digitally, there will be a full day of fun and prizes elsewhere on the internet.  Head on over to Twitter for more Culture-related activity by searching for the hashtag #25YearsofCulture.

With the 25th anniversary of the Culture series now upon us (Consider Phlebas was published in 1987), have you come to regard the series as your life’s work? Do you think you’ll ever ‘complete’ the series, or do you still have a long list of ideas that you want to explore?

I suppose the Culture series will form the largest part of my life’s work; it’s unlikely I’ll come up with another over-arching structure on the same scale now.  I’m perfectly happy with that.  I’ll keep writing about the Culture for as long as I still feel there are new things to say, new avenues to explore.  It’s important that I feel able to write SF outside the Culture, but even within it the restrictions are minimal; most of the action in most of the Culture books takes place well outside the Culture itself, and it’s been that way since the beginning, with Phlebas.

I don’t intend ever to complete it; I decided right from the start to resist the temptation to tear it all down at any point, and this has become sort of indicative and symbolic of the nature and demeanour of the Culture itself, now:  it means to resist completion and put off Subliming, so that it can keep on going, sticking around in the Real and trying to do good (as it sees it), for as long as it can, and it’s already envisaging that when it does finally fade away, it’ll be when its going will hardly be noticed, because being something like the Culture – behaving like it – will be pretty much the default state for all galactic civilisations.  (Though, in this, it could, of course, be completely wrong.)

I’ve more than enough material and ideas for another full-on Culture novel, and that has been the case for at least the last decade or so, no matter where I’ve been in the Culture-novel-writing cycle, as new ideas keep on coming along at a slow but steady rate.  At the moment I’m tempted to try something a bit more oblique next time, though I’m also tempted to go with something tighter and more wildly kinetic, too…  Who can say?  We’ll see.

Click to read more.

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RT Book Review’s 2012 Reviewer’s Choice Awards

RT Book Reviews has revealed the full set of nominees for the 2012 Reviewer’s Choice Awards, and a number of Orbit books are among them. Congratulations to all the nominees!

Science Fiction Novel

  • THE HYDROGEN SONATA by Iain. M. Banks (US | UK | ANZ)
  • BLACKOUT by Mira Grant (US | UK | ANZ)

THE HYDROGEN SONATA US cover BLACKOUT cover

Fantasy Novel

  • THE SHADOWED SUN by N.K. Jemisin (US | UK | ANZ)

THE SHADOWED SUN cover

Epic Fantasy Novel

  • SEVEN PRINCES by John R. Fultz (US | UK | ANZ)
  • SHARPS by K.J. Parker (US | UK | ANZ)

SEVEN PRINCES cover SHARPS cover

Urban Fantasy Novel

  • 13 by Kelley Armstrong (UK | ANZ)
  • BLUE-BLOODED VAMP by Jaye Wells (US | UK | ANZ)

THIRTEEN cover BLUE-BLOODED VAMP cover

Urban Fantasy Protagonist

  • TEMPEST’S FURY by Nicole Peeler (US | UK | ANZ)

TEMPEST'S FURY cover TEMPEST'S FURY UK cover

Urban Fantasy Worldbuilding

  • COLD DAYS by Jim Butcher (UK | ANZ)

COLD DAYS cover

SPIRIT’S END – The Epic Conclusion to the Eli Monpress Series

 THE SPIRIT WAR by Rachel Aaron  

One of my greatest privileges since coming to work at Orbit has been working on the Eli Monpress series by Rachel Aaron. Following Eli on his fantastic journeys was always hilarious, entertaining, and unexpected. So it is with great pleasure (and a bit of sadness) that we release the final Eli Monpress novel, SPIRIT’S END (US | UK | AUS).

Eli Monpress is clever, he’s determined, and he’s in way over his head.

First rule of thievery: don’t be a hero. When Eli broke the rules and saved the Council Kingdoms, he thought he knew the price, but resuming his place as the Shepherdess’s favorite isn’t as simple as bowing his head. Now that she has her darling back, Benehime is setting in motion a plan that could destroy everything she was created to protect, and even Eli’s charm might not be enough to stop her. But Eli Monpress always has a plan, and with disaster rapidly approaching, he’s pulling in every favor he can think of to make it work, including the grudging help of the Spirit Court’s new Rector, Miranda Lyonette.

But with the world in panic, the demon stirring, and the Lord of Storms back on the hunt, it’s going to take more than luck and charm to pull Eli through this time. He’s going to have to break a few more rules and work with some old enemies if he’s going to survive.

Praise for the Eli Monpress series:

“Fans of Scott Lynch’s Lies of Locke Lamora(2006) will be thrilled with Eli Monpress.” –Booklist (Starred Review)

“A romp of a lighthearted fantasy starring an absolutely darling rogue.”  — Publishers Weekly

SPIRIT’S END is available in  the US in a stand-alone edition, and in the UK and Australia as the second book in THE REVENGE OF ELI MONPRESS omnibus edition.  

Goodreads Choice Awards: Final Round!

The final round of the Goodreads Choice Awards is now live, and Orbit titles are still well represented on the ballot! Visit goodreads.com to vote for your favorite books of the year.

Best Fantasy: The Traitor Queen by Trudi Canavan (US | UK | ANZ), The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin (US | UK | ANZ), The Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks (US | UK | ANZ)

Best Paranormal Fantasy: Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong (UK),Timeless by Gail Carriger (US | UK | ANZ)

Science Fiction: Caliban’s War by James S.A. Corey (US | UK | ANZ)

Horror: Blackout by Mira Grant (US | UK | ANZ)

Graphic Novels and Comics: Soulless by Gail Carriger (US | UK | ANZ)

Cover launch: SOFT APOCALYPSE and HITCHERS by Will McIntosh

The science fiction novel Love Minus Eighty, abotu love and loss int he future, based on the award-winning short story Bridesicle from Will McIntoshYou might have noticed a new name starring on the Orbit schedule for next year: the phenomenal talent Will McIntosh.

Why we think he’s exceptional – why we were all desperate for him to join the Orbit list – is that he writes not only ground-breaking science fiction, but also some of the most moving, touching, and simply human stories you’ll ever read. They’ve affected me deeply – and I can’t imagine how anyone could read his novels without being equally entertained and moved.

So perhaps it’s no surprise that Will already has a Hugo Award to his name, as well as nominations for the Nebula, Locus, John W. Campbell and Compton Crook awards.

Next June, Orbit is launching a worldwide release for Will’s novel LOVE MINUS EIGHTY, a spectacular full-length novel based on Will’s Hugo Award-winning short story, BRIDESICLE. It imagines love and loss 100 years into the future, in a world where technology has reached the outer limits of morality and romance. Check out the cool cover above.

Soft Apocalypse, a debut science fiction novel from the Hugo Award-winning author Will McIntoshHowever, we know that it’s a long time to wait till June to see just what kind of stunning fiction this author is producing. So this December, in the UK, Australia and New Zealand we’re releasing ebook editions of two titles previously only released in the US: SOFT APOCALYPSE and HITCHERS. They’ll both be available to buy digitally on 6th December 2012.

SOFT APOCALYPSE, which was nominated for the Locus, John W. Campbell and Compton Crook Awards, is Will’s debut novel. It asks the question: what if the world isn’t destined to end as we always imagined it – in explosive, dramatic fashion – but what if instead, humanity is set to just slowly crumble?

Following Jasper and his nomadic tribe, a group of formerly middle-class Americans, the novel sees a world going from bad to worse – and then worse still. Resources keep getting scarcer, people keep getting poorer, and the fabric of society is slowly disintegrating.

This account of a severe decline is highly intelligent and chillingly realistic. But at the heart of the tale is a very human, touching story about how a normal guy tries to make ends meet and find love in the dangerous new place his world has become.Hitchers, a chilling supernatural thriller novel from the Hugo Award-winning author Will McIntosh

HITCHERS is something rather different, but with an equally engrossing human story at its core. It’s a chilling supernatural thriller in which both horror and dark humour collide.

When an act of terrorism kills hundreds of thousands in Atlanta, USA, Finn Darby is lucky enough to survive the attack. But Finn soon develops a disturbing affliction – when he starts to blurt things out in a strange voice beyond his control. And it seems he’s not the only one experiencing this problem – in fact thousands of people are suffering from the same affliction.

Either all of Atlanta is having a mass psychological breakdown, or else the dead are returning to possess the living . . .

So there are many different ways to enjoy the exceptional writing of Will McIntosh. And don’t forget that Orbit fans worldwide can also get a very quick taster of what Will’s writing with his Orbit Short Fiction title THE PERIMETER. It’s a chilling tale about the planet Clay and the perimeter fence that keeps its strange creatures at bay. One unlucky woman is about to discover just what lives beyond it . . .

Red Country now out in the US!

Love Epic Fantasy? Love Epic Fantasy with a western feel? Love guys named Joe? Even if it’s just one of the three — check out RED COUNTRY  by Joe Abercrombie. It’s fresh, it’s innovative (please pronounce in the British way please!) and it’s fun. Fun in a dark, gritty, dark kind of way. You know, the “There Will Be Blood” kind of way.  A bit about the novel:

They burned her home.
They stole her brother and sister.
But vengeance is following.

Shy South hoped to bury her bloody past and ride away smiling, but she’ll have to sharpen up some bad old ways to get her family back, and she’s not a woman to flinch from what needs doing.  She sets off in pursuit with only a pair of oxen and her cowardly old step father Lamb for company.  But it turns out Lamb’s buried a bloody past of his own.  And out in the lawless Far Country the past never stays buried.

Their journey will take them across the barren plains to a frontier town gripped by gold fever, through feud, duel and massacre, high into the unmapped mountains to a reckoning with the Ghosts.  Even worse, it will force them into alliance with Nicomo Cosca, infamous soldier of fortune, and his feckless lawyer Temple, two men no one should ever have to trust . . .

“Terrific fight scenes, compelling characters (some familiar, some new), and sardonic, vivid prose show Abercrombie at the top of his game.”  –Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Preview it for yourself and read chapter one from this fantastic new novel by Joe Abercrombie.