Posts Tagged ‘fantasy’

Cover Launch: WAKE OF VULTURES by Lila Bowen

We’re thrilled to be able to show you the cover for WAKE OF VULTURES: a rich, dark fantasy of destiny, death and the supernatural world beneath the surface, coming from Orbit in October 2015.

Bowen_WakeofVultures-HC[2]

Cover design by Lauren Panepinto.

We are unbelievably excited for this truly one of a kind fantasy, and we know you will be too! Because as Chuck Wendig put it, “Hot damn, this book is good.”

Advance praise for WAKE OF VULTURES:

“I don’t care what else you’ve seen in the bookstore today. Buy this book because it’s the thrilling, delightfully written, and important one you’ve always wanted to read.”
— Kevin Hearne

“Wake of Vultures doesn’t just fly — it soars. Lila Bowen brings in a wild fantasy quite unlike anything I’ve ever read, with a voice that’s weird and wonderful. Bowen is truly a talent to watch. Hot damn, is this book good.”
— Chuck Wendig

“Sharp as a silver Bowie and unsentimental as a stray bullet, Lila Bowen’s Nettie Lonesome earns a place among the legends of the Weird West.”
   — Matthew Stover

“Wake of Vultures is a ferocious, fascinating take on the magical Old West – creatively and unsentimentally grim, yet rich with hope and heart.”
       — Cherie Priest

 

Meet Alex Marshall: author of the spectacular A CROWN FOR COLD SILVER

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A CROWN FOR COLD SILVER (US | UK |AUS) is a particularly special new epic fantasy, and we’re thrilled to be releasing it today in hardcover, e-book and audio formats. NPR Books published a glowing review this morning, saying “It’s a vibrant book, and a generously lush one…A Crown for Cold Silver drags epic fantasy through the mud — but it does so with wit, wonder, and wisdom.”

A Crown for Cold Silver will grab you from its first bloody pages and surprise you many times over as unconventional hero and supreme badass Cold Zosia embarks on her quest to destroy those who have taken everything from her.  To celebrate the release of this spectacular story, we’d like you to meet the author, Alex Marshall!

How did the idea for A CROWN FOR COLD SILVER form – was it a particular scene or character that occurred to you, or was there a particular moment when you knew that this was the book you were going to write?

I work in a very linear fashion, so the first things that came to me became the first scenes in the book: the classic fantasy set-up of a bloodthirsty horde descending on a tranquil hamlet, but with an older woman as the sole survivor of the assault, instead of a young hero.

Is that something that appeals to you, subverting the tropes of the genre?

I’d say my chief concern is always to create interesting characters and present them with interesting problems. I do my best to let the characters determine the plot, whether that means subverting the conventions of the genre or playing along with them. That said, I’m trying to tell new stories here instead of just retelling old ones, so Crom help any innocent tropes that might get in the way.

There are so many formidable and fantastic characters in this book – a barbarian addicted to intoxicating insects, a shaman who eats demons for breakfast, a retired warrior queen who faked her own death – do you have favourites?

My favourite may be Zosia, the former warrior queen with the devilish canine companion, Choplicker – she’s the lynchpin to the whole novel, a very conflicted character, and writing her scenes was always intense and illuminating.

Read the full interview here.

Glenda Larke and Trudi Canavan Sweep Australian Awards

We’re excited to announce that Glenda Larke’s fantasy epic THE LASCAR’S DAGGER has won the Best Long Written Work 2014 in the Tin Duck Awards, as well as winning, in a tie with Trudi Canavan’s superb THIEF’S MAGIC, the Best Novel of 2014 in the Ditmar Awards!

The Tin Duck Awards are the Western Australian science fiction achievement awards, given out annually at Swancon. The Ditmar Awards are an Australia-wide award and are given out every year at Natcon, the Australian National Science Fiction Convention. Both are reader-voted awards.

Big congratulations go to Glenda, Trudi and all the other winners!

If you’ve already read and enjoyed THE LASCAR’S DAGGER and THIEF’S MAGIC, watch out for their sequels, THE DAGGER’S PATH (released January this year) and ANGEL OF STORMS (coming in November).

THE LASCAR'S DAGGER and THIEF'S MAGIC

A New Series by David Dalglish!

David Dalglish - credit Mike Scott PhotographyToday, Orbit US & UK are very excited to announce the international acquisition of a new trilogy called the Seraphim by David Dalglish, author of the Shadowdance novels. We’ll be publishing the first, Skyborn, this November. I asked David to tell me about about why he is so excited about.

“With, I get to start from scratch in a brand new world, and try out ideas that wouldn’t work in a more traditional fantasy setting. But not everything’s changing. I love throwing fireballs around, and I love intricate sword fights. It’s what I do. It’s what I’m good at. In the Seraphim books, you’ll experience aerial battles at break-neck speed between elite soldiers flinging ice and fire and lightning at one another before clashing with their blades. How can you not have fun with that?”

Sounds good? I know! You can’t wait till November? Don’t worry. I’m reading it now and I’m telling you — its worth the wait!

Announcing Jim Butcher’s New Series and UK Tour

We have two Butcher-tastic* announcements to share with you today!

The first is that Jim Butcher will be coming to the UK – he will be a Guest of Honour at Eastercon, Dysprosium, which is taking place in London from 3rd-6th April. In the days following he will be touring the country with exact dates yet to be announced. Watch this space!

We can also announce the publication date for THE CINDER SPIRES: THE AERONAUT’S WINDLASS, the first book in Jim’s brand new series of airborne adventure and mad sorcery. The book will be released in hardback and ebook on the 29th of September 2015 and it’s available to preorder now from major retailers.

In Jim’s own words, it’s “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen meets Sherlock meets Hornblower. There are goggles and airships and steam power and bizarre crystal technology and talking cats, who are horrid little bullies.”

For all the latest updates on the new series and the UK tour, become a fan of Orbit UK on Facebook, and sign up to our newsletter.

 *Butcher-licious? Butcher-ageous?

 

Cover Launch: The Good, the Bad and the Smug by Tom Holt

The Good, the Bad and the Smug: comic fantasy by Tom Holt

We’re feeling pretty good (one might even say a little smug) about launching this gorgeous cover by Lauren Panepinto, for Tom Holt’s newest comic fantasy, THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE SMUG.  The only bad news is, you’ll have to wait until 28th July to read it…

New Evil.
Same as the Old Evil, but with better PR.

Mordak isn’t bad, as far as goblin kings go, but when someone, or something, starts pumping gold into the human kingdoms it puts his rule into serious jeopardy. Suddenly he’s locked in an arms race with a species whose arms he once considered merely part of a calorie-controlled diet.

Helped by an elf with a background in journalism and a masters degree in being really pleased with herself, Mordak sets out to discover what on earth (if indeed, that’s where he is) is going on. He knows that the truth is out there. If only he could remember where he put it.

THE CITY STAINED RED — available now!

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How many adventurers to does it take to bring a corrupt city to its knees? Read THE CITY STAINED RED by Sam Sykes and you’ll find out!  This action-packed adventure fantasy is the kind of story that once you start, it’s impossible to put down. So whether you’re buried under a few feet of snow right now or just craving a new book to sink your teeth into, check it out in print and e-book!

More about the story: 

After years in the wilds, Lenk and his companions have come to the city that serves as the world’s beating heart.

The great charnel house where men die surer than any wilderness.

They’ve come to claim payment for creatures slain, blood spilled at the behest of a powerful holy man.

And Lenk has come to lay down his sword for good.

But this is no place to escape demons.

Praise for THE CITY STAINED RED: 

“Action fantasy with soul-albeit a small, dirty, funny soul.”—Brent Weeks

“Insouciant, unrepentant and irrepressible adventurers in a powder keg of a city. And that’s just how the story begins.”—Robin Hobb

“Sykes has put the fun back in fantasy with fantastical creatures and a lovable crew of malcontents. The City Stained Red is like David Eddings meets Conan the Barbarian.”—Brian McClellan, author of Promise of Blood

“Sam Sykes continues to reinvent the fantasy adventuring party in a vibrant world of rude magic and good intentions gone bad. Bold and exuberant, never cynical, Sykes fights the good fight on behalf of rich fantasy that nonetheless refuses to apologize for being kick-ass fun.”—Scott Lynch

“Excitement, vivacity, and sly wit… simply impossible not to enjoy.”—RT Book Reviews (4.5 Stars)

Get THE INHERITANCE TRILOGY in one volume!

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Today we celebrate the US publication of The Inheritance Trilogy omnibus, which includes the novels THE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS (US | UK | AUS), THE BROKEN KINGDOMS (US | UK | AUS), and THE KINGDOM OF THE GODS (US | UK | AUS). Since their first publication, these books have received critical acclaim and many award nominations, including the Nebula and Hugo Award. They are an absolute must-read for fantasy fans, containing the excellent world building and superb characters that every one of N.K. Jemisin’s books is known for. As a special treat, this omnibus also includes a brand-new novella  in the Inheritance Trilogy world,  THE AWAKENED KINGDOM! You can also purchase the novella by itself wherever e-books are sold.

Last night, we hosted our latest Google+ Hangout: The New Classics of SFFF with N.K. Jemisin and Ann Leckie. If you missed it, you can watch a video of it on Youtube. It’s a fascinating discussion of the evolution of language, the SFF genre, and much more. Enjoy!

 

War of Shadows: The Battle to Rebuild a Shattered Kingdom

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In ICE FORGED (US | UK | AUS) and REIGN OF ASH (US | UK | AUS), Blaine McFadden is sent into exile in an arctic prison colony for murdering the man who dishonored his sister. When a war destroys mankind’s ability to control magic and bend it to their will, out-of-control wild magic brings deadly storms, monsters pulled through rifts from other realms and a madness that drives its victims to violence. Blaine discovers that he might just be the only one who can put things right.

In WAR OF SHADOWS, Blaine and his convict friends discover that plenty of people are trying to kill them. Blaine’s attempts to fully restore the magic affect the new status quo. With the king and nobility gone, there’s a power vacuum, and some ruthless players have decided to fill that gap themselves. As warring factions fight over territory in the kingdom of Donderath, Blaine emerges as a warlord trying to restore the rule of law, amid betrayal, intrigue and opponents who will go to any length to see him dead.

I’m not nice to my characters. It’s true. Blaine’s had a rum go of it. Raised by an abusive father, forced to make a choice no one should have to make in order to save his sister and younger brother, condemned by the king and exiled to the edge of the world—it hasn’t been a good seven years. Yet Blaine rises to the challenge, not because he covets power, but because he doesn’t want to live in the world as it is, and someone has to step up to make the difference.

Blaine doesn’t go looking to be a hero. In fact, when he kills his father, he fully expects to die for the crime to spare his sister and brother from further abuse. An act of ‘mercy’ commutes his sentence from hanging to exile, but the Velant prison colony is known for its inhumane, grueling conditions. But Blaine finds it within himself to adapt, and that ability to change lies at the heart of the series. Blaine and his convict friends, as well as the survivors back in Donderath, find strengths they never knew they had when confronted with challenges they never expected to face.

Blaine’s story is also about the power of ‘the family you make.’ In the brutal environment of Velant, and then later as colonists in the harsh environs of Edgeland, Blaine survives because of the ‘family’ of loyal friends who band together to protect each other. Back in Donderath, his ‘found’ family combines with what remains of his blood family, and several key people are added to the group. Blaine’s companion’s skills, courage and loyalty make the difference for his survival and for having a chance to fix the magic and set things right.

I’m also having fun looking at how a kingdom reacts in the face of overwhelming disaster, destruction of both economic and governmental infrastructure and continued instability. That ‘perfect storm’ combination affects everything from food production to religious identity to social cohesion, turning everything that people thought they knew upside-down. It’s a crucible from which everyone emerges changed—if they emerge at all. And whatever solution is found, one thing is certain: nothing will ever be the same as it was before the disaster.

Depending on your view, that’s either a terrifying statement or the glimpse of hope at the end of the storm.

War of Shadows isn’t the end to Blaine’s story. I’m working on Book 4, SHADOW AND FLAME, right now. So there is more to come. Because surviving is just the beginning of the journey.

My Days of the Dead blog tour runs through October 31 with never-before-seen cover art, brand new excerpts from upcoming books and recent short stories, interviews, guest blog posts, giveaways and more! Plus, I’ll be including extra excerpt links for stories and books by author friends of mine.  You’ve got to visit the participating sites to get the goodies, just like Trick or Treat! Details here: www. AscendantKingdoms.com.

Trick or Treat: Enjoy an excerpt from Ice Forged, and a bonus excerpt from Reign of Ash.

Why We Should All Be Speaking Latin: AGE OF IRON Author Angus Watson on Historical Near-Misses

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Angus Watson, author of debut epic fantasy AGE OF IRON – the first book in a rip-roaring trilogy of Iron Age warriors fighting off the Roman invasion of Britain, outlines five moments in history which could have gone very differently . . .

We should all be speaking Latin.

Julius Caesar’s first British invasion force in 55BC was the same size as William the Conqueror’s in 1066 – around 10,000 men. It stayed in Britain for just a few weeks. The second one in 54BC was two and a half times the size, but it returned to France after a few months. No Roman legionary set foot in Britain after that for a hundred years.

The accepted historical take of Caesar’s invasions is that the Romans won every battle and returned across the Channel victorious, twice. This version comes entirely from Caesar’s own diary and is clearly absolute bollocks. He didn’t come to Britain with 25,000 soldiers for a summer holiday and he didn’t leave because he was winning too much. He intended to conquer. He should have been able to. His army had overthrown all of France in two years. Something big happened to stop him.

My Orbit trilogy AGE OF IRON is a fictional, fantastical account of how an unlikely gang of Brits united to hand Caesar’s invincible arse to him. Had Caesar’s invasions succeeded, then the Romans would have had Britain for a hundred years longer. The extra resources might have enabled Rome to conquer all of Germany, Arabia and then the rest of the world, and the Roman Empire might never have fallen . . .

This blog post looks at four other events in history that really should have gone the other way, resulting in a completely different world today. (more…)