Posts Tagged ‘Claire North’

Cover Launch: HOUSE OF ODYSSEUS by Claire North

We’re proud to present the stunning cover for HOUSE OF ODYSSEUS (UK|US), the new novel in the Songs of Penelope trilogy by Claire North, coming August 2023.

Book cover for HOUSE OF ODYSSEUS by Claire North, featuring three Greek women in white robes on a blue background
Cover design by Lisa Marie Pompilio

Following the critically acclaimed Ithaca comes House of Odysseus, the second novel in Claire North’s Songs of Penelope trilogy – an exquisite, gripping tale that breathes life into ancient myth. This is the story of Penelope of Ithaca, famed wife of Odysseus, as it has never been told before.

On the island of Ithaca, queen Penelope maintains a delicate balance of power. Many years ago, her husband Odysseus sailed to war with Troy and never returned. In his absence, Penelope uses all her cunning to keep the peace – but this is shattered with the arrival of Orestes, King of Mycenae.  

Orestes, son of Agamemnon, is mad. Wracked with guilt for putting his own mother to death, he grows ever more unhinged. But a king cannot be seen to be weak. To keep him safe from the ambitious men of Mycenae, his sister Elektra brings him to Ithaca to recover under the protection of Penelope. But no sooner has Orestes arrived then his uncle Menelaus, the blood-soaked king of Sparta, comes looking for him. Menelaus hungers for Orestes’ throne – and if he can seize it, no one will be safe from his violent whims.

Caught between Sparta and Mycenae, Penelope must protect Ithaca from two mad kings on the edge of war. Her only allies are Elektra, desperate to protect her brother, and Helen of Troy, Menelaus’ wife. Each woman has a secret, and their secrets will shape the world . . .

Praise for the Songs of Penelope series:

‘Darkly fascinating, raw and breathtaking’ Jennifer Saint, author of Sunday Times bestseller Ariadne

‘Richly poetic . . . This is an impassioned plea for the lost, disenfranchised queens of ancient Greece, a love letter to the silenced women of history’ Booklist

‘Everything I’ve wanted in a retelling: a vibrant cast, full of suspense, told with a phenomenal narrative voice – this is an absolute masterpiece’ Sarah Bonner, author of Her Perfect Twin

‘Conjures up a world in which women, abandoned by their men, must weave their own destinies‘ The Times

‘Claire North has set a new standard for Ancient Greek retellings. Absolutely sublime’ Hannah Lynn, author of Athena’s Child

HOUSE OF ODYSSEUS by Claire North is available for pre-order now (UK|US).

Cover launch: ITHACA by Claire North

Following our exciting acquisition news about ITHACA by Claire North, we’re now thrilled to reveal the stunning cover, designed by the hugely talented Lisa Marie Pompilio at Orbit US.

Book cover for ITHACA by Claire North, featuring a contemplative woman in a Greek robe pulling loom threads through her fingers

Claire North is renowned for being one of the most original and innovative voices in modern fiction, and now she has turned her hand to the classical age with incredible results . . .

ITHACA is a powerful retelling of the Greek myth of Penelope from the Odyssey. It is perfect for anyone who has enjoyed Circe by Madeline Miller or Ariadne by Jennifer Saint—but it also has its own completely unique flavour, told through the eyes of the goddess Hera. It’s poetic, thrilling, and heartbreaking all at once, and it’s already receiving superb praise:

‘Claire North brings a powerful, fresh and unflinching voice to ancient myth – darkly fascinating, raw and breathtaking’ Jennifer Saint, author of Sunday Times bestseller Ariadne

ITHACA is out this September and it’s available for pre-order now (UK | US) . Read on to hear more about it:

This is the story of Penelope of Ithaca, famed wife of Odysseus, as it has never been told before. Beyond Ithaca’s shores, the whims of gods dictate the wars of men. But on the isle, it is the choices of the abandoned women – and their goddesses – that will change the course of the world.

Seventeen years ago, king Odysseus sailed to war with Troy, taking with him every man of fighting age from the island of Ithaca. None of them have returned, and the women have been left behind to run the kingdom.

Penelope was barely into womanhood when she wed Odysseus. Whilst he lived, her position was secure. But now, years on, speculation is mounting that husband is dead, and suitors are starting to knock at her door . . .

But no one man is strong enough to claim Odysseus’ empty throne – not yet. Between Penelope’s many suitors, a cold war of dubious alliances and hidden knives reigns, as everyone waits for the balance of power to tip one way or another. If Penelope chooses one from amongst them, it will plunge Ithaca into bloody civil war. Only through cunning and her spy network of maids can she maintain the delicate balance of power needed for the kingdom to survive.

On Ithaca, everyone watches everyone else, and there is no corner of the palace where intrigue does not reign . . .

From the multi award-winning Claire North comes a daring, exquisite and moving tale that breathes life into ancient myth, and tells of the women who stand defiant in a world ruled by ruthless men. It’s time for the women of Ithaca to tell their tale . . .

‘Like Penelope at her loom North both weaves and unweaves, teasing out the threads of Homeric myth to recombine them into something unique, wonderful and urgently contemporary’ M. R. Carey, author of The Girl With All the Gifts

Pre-order ITHACA by Claire North now (UK | US).

Acquisition announcement: ITHACA by Claire North

Claire North, author of Ithaca and The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

We are thrilled to announce the acquisition of a trio of novels from the award-winning Claire North that retell the ancient Greek myth of Penelope, wife of Odysseus.

The first book, Ithaca, is narrated by the goddess Hera. It is a daring, exquisite tale that breathes new life into ancient myth, and tells of the women who stand defiant in a world ruled by ruthless men.

In the words of Jennifer Saint, author of Sunday Times bestseller Ariadne, “Claire North brings a powerful, fresh and unflinching voice to ancient myth – darkly fascinating, raw and breathtaking.”

Orbit UK and Redhook US will publish Ithaca globally this September. Books two and three in the series after will follow in 2023 and 2024 and will be narrated by the goddesses Aphrodite and Athena respectively.

Holding cover for the novel Ithaca by Claire NorthOrbit UK Publisher Anna Jackson says “There is a great hunger for tales set in the classical age right now, but Ithaca is a retelling like no other . . . Claire North is widely recognised as one of the most unique and innovative voices in modern fiction, and her readers will be thrilled to see her turn her hand to ancient Greece – with such flair. This bold, captivating and moving novel tells the story of Penelope and the other women left on Ithaca when the men of their island have sailed off to war. And as the world around them is torn apart by men and gods alike, it is the women who defend their isle and hold a fragile peace. Ithaca is a novel that’s beautiful and brutal, irreverent and utterly devastating all at once, and in the words of author M. R. Carey, feels “urgently contemporary”.”

Claire North says “A lot of stories set in this time write about women as either victims, their agency stripped away, or as mere cyphers to the lives of the men around them. Penelope is not a victim, but if people think she is, she is very willing to use that to further her aims. This book is the secret history of the women the poets ignored, as they plotted, schemed and waged war.”

Claire North is a pseudonym for the author Catherine Webb. Her first book under the Claire North name was the word-of-mouth bestseller The First Fifteen lives of Harry August, which is being adapted as movie by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners and will be directed by ‘Maze Runner’ director Wes Ball.

Notes from the Burning Age by Claire North

North has since published several critically acclaimed novels and won the World Fantasy Award, and has been shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Philip K. Dick Award, the Locus Award and the Sunday Times/PFD Young Writer of the Year Award.

Meg Davis at the Ki Agency sold World Rights to Publisher Anna Jackson at Orbit UK. Senior Editor Priyanka Krishnan at Orbit US has secured North American rights for publication on the Redhook imprint.

Claire North’s most recent novel, Notes from the Burning Age (UK | US | ANZ), is out in paperback in the UK on 10th February. Ithaca is available for pre-order now (UK | US).

Cover Launch: NOTES FROM THE BURNING AGE by Claire North

We’re thrilled to unveil the cover for a phenomenal new novel from Claire North. Presenting the stunning look for Notes from the Burning Age (UK | US | ANZ), illustrated by Leo Nickolls and designed by Siobhan Hooper at Little, Brown Book Group.

Notes from the Burning Age by Claire North book cover

Notes from the Burning Age will release worldwide this July and is available for pre-order now (UK | US | ANZ). You can also read a press release about the acquisition below!

Orbit acquires award-winning North’s Notes from the Burning Age

Orbit UK has acquired a new novel from the multi-award winning Claire North entitled Notes from the Burning Age, described by the publisher as ‘a spellbinding speculative fiction novel set in a future utopian society that is thrilling, moving and thought-provoking in equal measure’.

Meg Davis at the Ki Agency sold World Rights to Publisher Anna Jackson at Orbit UK, who will publish alongside sister imprint Orbit US in a co-ordinated global release this July.

Claire North is a pseudonym for the author Catherine Webb. Her first book under the Claire North name was the word-of-mouth bestseller The First Fifteen lives of Harry August, which is currently being adapted as movie by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners and will be directed by ‘Maze Runner’ director Wes Ball.

North has since published several critically acclaimed novels and won the World Fantasy Award and the John W. Campbell Award, and has been shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Philip K. Dick Award, the Locus Award and the Sunday Times/PFD Young Writer of the Year Award. Her novels have sold over 750,000 copies in the English language and have been sold in translation in over 20 territories.

Acquiring editor Jackson says ‘Claire continues to amaze me with the scope of her imagination, and Notes from the Burning Age really wowed me with its sheer brilliance and originality. Set in an age after the world has burned, it’s a visionary tale that asks whether humankind can change the paths we seem fated to follow. Claire has already achieved so much in her writing career to date, and this book is going to take her to new heights.’

Cover Launch: SWEET HARMONY by Claire North

We’re excited to present the cover for a new novella from the multi-award winning Claire North, designed by Bekki Guyatt at Little, Brown Book Group.

SWEET HARMONY (UK | US| ANZ) is a clever and unnervingly plausible stand-alone story set five minutes into the future – in a world where it’s possible to upgrade your mind or body however you choose through an app on your phone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s a beautifully-crafted, thought-provoking tale that asks questions about identity, body image, and how far we’d all go to live up to the pressures of society. It shows just why Claire North is hailed as one of the most innovative writers of her generation.

SWEET HARMONY (UK | US| ANZ) releases digitally on 22nd September and is available for pre-order now. Read on for the blurb below, and follow Claire on Twitter here.

Harmony is tired. Tired of working so hard, tired of the way she looks, tired of being average.  

But all that changes when she decides to splash out and upgrade her nanos. And why not? Everyone’s doing it now. With a simple in-app purchase, you can update the tech in your bloodstream to transform yourself – get enhanced brain power, the perfect body or a dazzling smile.

Suddenly, everything starts going right for Harmony. She’s finally becoming the person she always wanted to be. But when she ends up running too many upgrades on her body all at once, the effects will be more catastrophic than she could have imagined.

 

Praise for Claire North:

‘North’s talent shines out’ Sunday Times

‘North goes from strength to strength’ Guardian

‘Terrific, smart and entertaining’ Patrick Ness

‘North is an original and even dazzling writer’ Kirkus

‘A master of ingenious plotting and feats of imagination’ Alex Marwood, author of The Wicked Girls

 

Also by Claire North:

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August
Touch
The Sudden Appearance of Hope
The End of the Day
84K
The Gameshouse
The Pursuit of William Abbey

 

Cover Launch: THE PURSUIT OF WILLIAM ABBEY by Claire North

We’re thrilled to reveal the stunning cover for THE PURSUIT OF WILLIAM ABBEY (UK|US|ANZ) by Claire North, the award-winning and bestselling author of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August and 84K.

 

William Abbey

Design by Steve Panton

 

Coming this autumn, THE PURSUIT OF WILLIAM ABBEY is a hauntingly powerful novel about how the choices we make can stay with us forever.

Read on to find out more:

South Africa, 1884. A young and naive English doctor by the name of William Abbey witnesses the lynching of a local boy by white colonists. He’s guilt-struck, but too cowardly to stand up against this horrific act. And as the child dies, his mother curses William.

William begins to understand when what the curse means when the shadow of the dead boy starts following him across the world. It never stops, never rests. It can cross oceans and mountains. And if it catches him, the person he loves most in the world will die . . .

Moving, thought-provoking and utterly gripping, Claire North’s stunning new novel proves again that she is one of the most original and innovative voices in modern fiction.

 

And if you can’t wait until November for your next Claire North fix, never fear! Her latest book has just hit the shops: THE GAMESHOUSE is a mesmerising tale of a mystical gambling house whose deadly games of chance and skill control the fate of empires.

Gameshouse

 

Praise for Claire North:

‘North’s talent shines out’ Sunday Times

‘Claire North goes from strength to strength’ Guardian

‘An original and even dazzling writer’ Kirkus

‘North is a true original, a master of ingenious plotting and feats of imagination’ Alex Marwood

‘Claire North’s writing is terrific, smart and entertaining’ Patrick Ness

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North

THE SUDDEN APPEARANCE OF HOPE cover

84k, a science fiction dystopian novel by Claire North

Cover Launch: THE GAMESHOUSE by Claire North

A new Claire North novel is always a cause for excitement – and this year, we are publishing not one, but two books from the author of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August! First up is THE GAMESHOUSE (UK|US|ANZ), which will hit shops in May. It’s a mesmerising tale of a mystical gambling house whose deadly games of chance and skill control the fate of empires.

The lovely people at Fantasy Hive revealed the stunning cover earlier this week. Click here to take a look, or  feast your eyes on it below.

 

Gameshouse

Cover design by Lisa Marie Pompilio 

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

Everyone has heard of the Gameshouse. But few know all its secrets . . .

It is the place where fortunes can be made and lost though chess, backgammon – every game under the sun.

But those whom fortune favours may be invited to compete in the higher league where the games played are of politics and nations, of economics and kings. It is a contest where Capture the Castle involves real castles and where hide and seek takes place on the scale of a continent.

Among those worthy of competing in the higher league, three unusually talented contestants play for the highest stakes of all . . .

 

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED AS THREE DIGITAL-ONLY INSTALMENTS: THE SERPENT, THE THIEF AND THE MASTER.

 

Praise for Claire North:

‘North’s talent shines out’  Sunday Times

‘Claire North goes from strength to strength’  Guardian

‘An original and even dazzling writer’  Kirkus

‘Claire North is a true original, a master of ingenious plotting and feats of imagination’  Alex Marwood

‘Claire North’s writing is terrific, smart and entertaining’  Patrick Ness

 

Shortlist for the 2019 Philip K. Dick Award

The nominees for the 2019 Philip K. Dick Award have been announced! See the shortlist below:

  • 84K by Claire North 
  • AMBIGUITY MACHINES AND OTHER STORIES by Vandana Singh
  • TIME WAS by Ian McDonald
  • THE BODY LIBRARY by Jeff Noon
  • ALIEN VIRUS LOVE DISASTER: STORIES by Abbey Mei Otis
  • THEORY OF BASTARDS by Audrey Schulman

The winner will be announced on Friday 19th April at Norwescon 42 in SeaTac, Washington.

84k, a science fiction dystopian novel by Claire NorthCongratulations to all the authors shortlisted, and in particular to Orbit author Claire North! Find out more about her outstanding novel 84K (UK|US|ANZ) below:

‘An eerily plausible dystopian masterpiece’ Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station Eleven

‘An extraordinary novel that stands with the best of dystopian fiction, with echoes of The Handmaid’s Tale‘ Cory Doctorow

‘Absolutely breath-taking . . .  An early and compelling candidate for best novel of 2018. Read it’ Sci Fi Magazine

‘[A] gut-punch of a novel . . . a story that is rare – one of those that is so good I didn’t want it to end . . . Painted in shades of Fahrenheit 451, of Children of Men, Soylent Green and Brave New World‘ NPR

‘Absorbing and timely; a book to wrestle and argue with, but first and foremost, to read‘ New York Times

‘Claire North goes from strength to strength . . . A tense, moving story set in drawing from current political trends to present a draconian future similar to that of Nineteen Eighty-Four‘ Guardian

‘Another captivating novel from one of the most intriguing and genre-bending novelists’ Booklist

Read a sample of 84K here. Follow Claire North on Twitter here.

Cover launch: 84K by Claire North

This is a very exciting time for Claire North.

She’s just won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel for The Sudden Appearance of Hope  (US|UK|ANZ). She’s been shortlisted for the Sunday Times/PFD Young Writer of the Year Award for The End of the Day (UK|US|ANZ).

And now we’re thrilled to present the cover for her new novel 84K, coming next year.

84K by Claire North, author of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

84K is remarkable, innovative, gripping and utterly thought-provoking.

It’s a startling vision of a world where nothing is so precious it can’t be bought . . . and where our lives are defined only by numbers.

Theo Miller knows the value of human life – to the very last penny. 

Working in the Criminal Audit Office, he assesses each crime that crosses his desk and makes sure the correct debt to society is paid in full.

But when his ex-lover is killed, it’s different. This is one death he can’t let become merely an entry on a balance sheet. 

Because when the richest in the world are getting away with murder, sometimes the numbers just don’t add up.

This is a book which will resonate with readers around the world, and it will confirm Claire North’s place as one of the most original voices in modern fiction.

84K is coming in May 2018, and is available for pre-order now.

Praise for Claire North’s novels:

‘Poignant and intensely gripping’ Guardian

‘Little short of a masterpiece’ Independent

‘Ambitious, immensely humane and full of philosophical panache’ Sunday Times

‘Well-paced, brilliant and balanced’ New York Times

‘Extraordinary . . . wildly impressive’ Lucy Hughes-Hallett, BBC Radio 4

‘One of the fiction highlights of the decade’ Judy Finnigan, Richard and Judy Book Club

Claire North wins the World Fantasy Award!

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The winners of the 2017 World Fantasy Awards were announced last night — including THE SUDDEN APPEARANCE OF HOPE (Redhook US | Orbit UK | Orbit ANZ), by Orbit’s own Claire North! Congratulations to all of the winners and nominees. You can see the full list here.

If you’re new to North’s work, also be sure to check out THE END OF THE DAY (US | UK | ANZ), TOUCH (US | UK | ANZ), and THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST (US | UK | ANZ).

Congratulations go, too, to Terry Brooks, who was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Fantasy Convention this weekend. His most recent book is THE BLACK ELFSTONE (UK).