Posts Tagged ‘greek mythology’

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).

Get ready for Valentines Day with the gods of Olympus!

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We’re four short days away from Valentines Day and the release of WINTER OF THE GODS (US | UK | AUS) by Jordanna Max Brodsky!  So we teamed up with the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus to bring you the most pun fun-filled Valentines Day cards of the season!

Download the printable sheets here.

For more about the series and to read an excerpt from WINTER OF THE GODS, visit olympusbound.com.

About WINTER OF THE GODS: 

Winter in New York: snow falls, lights twinkle, and the goddess Artemis prowls the streets looking for prey.

But when a dead body is discovered sprawled atop Wall Street’s iconic Charging Bull statue, it’s clear the NYPD can’t solve the murder without help. The killing isn’t just the work of another homicidal cult – this time, someone’s sacrificing the gods themselves.

While raising fundamental questions about the very existence of the gods, Artemis must hunt down the perpetrators, tracking a conspiracy that will test the bonds of loyalty and love.

Download these and others here!

Zeus ValentineArtemis Valentine Medusa Valentine

Cover Launch: WINTER OF THE GODS by Jordanna Max Brodsky

Brodsky_WinterOfTheGods_HC

Manhattan has many secrets. Some are older than the city itself.

Winter in New York: snow falls, lights twinkle, and a very disgruntled Selene DiSilva prowls the streets looking for prey.

But when a dead body is discovered sprawled atop Wall Street’s iconic Charging Bull statue, it’s clear the NYPD can’t solve the murder without help. The murder isn’t just the work of another homicidal cult — this time, someone’s sacrificing the gods themselves.

While raising fundamental questions about the very existence of the gods, Selene must hunt down the perpetrators, tracking a conspiracy that will test the bonds of loyalty and love.

Winter of the Gods is the second novel in the Olympus Bound trilogy.  Myth blends with reality in this sequel to The Immortals that sets Greek gods against a modern Manhattan backdrop.

 Praise for THE IMMORTALS: 

Brodsky_TheImmortals_HC.jpg“The Immortals is a lively re-imagining of classical mythology with an engaging premise, a page-turning plot, and an eye for the arresting and uncanny in contemporary urban life.” —Deborah Harkness, New York Times bestselling author of A Discovery of Witches

“…Brodsky knows her myth, and revels in depicting the erstwhile gods struggling with their fading powers and assuming, with varying degrees of success, the mantle of humanity.” —The Guardian

If you want a modern day murder mystery, steeped in myth with a dash of magic, this is a must read . . . Ms. Brodsky is definitely an author to watch.—Fantasy Faction
Cover Design by Kirk Benshoff.

Cover Launch: THE IMMORTALS by Jordanna Max Brodsky

THE IMMORTALS by Jordanna Max Brodsky, the first volume of a new contemporary fantasy series, will be hitting shelves February 2016.

When I was first approached to work on this project, I was told there were three key ingredients I needed to keep in mind for this contemporary fantasy cover:

  1. History of New York to appeal to folks who love to find out about the city’s secret history
  2. Greek Gods to appeal to adults who read Greek mythology & legends growing up
  3. Bring New York and Greek Mythology together in a dark and eerie package

These kinds of projects are always a challenge because I need to convey specific information in a very specific way. In this case I need to show:

Greek Gods + New York City = Fantastical and Menacing

I didn’t want the cover to be campy and so the search began looking for the perfect image that would set the stage for the gods and the supernatural. I looked for a long time across a lot of stock sites and finally found the perfect image. The shot of Central Park and the graininess of the image perfectly set the tone.

With a little glowy magic here and a constellation there to introduce the Greek mythology, all the elements came together really nicely.

So with everything said and done, I am thrilled to present the cover to the The Immortals by Jordanna Max Brodsky.

Brodsky_TheImmortals_HC.jpg

THE IMMORTALS – I want some gods!

Jordanna Max Brodsky - cr Ben AaronsWere you a Percy Jackson fan when you were growing up? Read American Gods and loved it? A huge fan of contemporary fantasy like The Night Circus? A Discovery of Witches? The Golem and the Jinni? Well, look no further!

We’ve acquired three books by Jordanna Max Brodsky – a debut author who is writing an amazing contemporary fantasy about history, myth, Greek Gods, & Manhattan.  To whet your appetite, here is a bit about THE  IMMORTALS:

The Relentless One, the Bearer of the Bow, the Untamed…

…those are only a few of the names Selene DiSilva’s answered to over the years. But these days she’s content to work in secret, defending the women of Manhattan from the evils of men. She’s reclusive, stubborn, and deeply unfriendly to everyone but her dog. But when a woman’s mutilated body washes up in Riverside Park wearing a laurel wreath, Selene finds that she can no longer hide in the shadows. As more women are threatened, Selene is forced to embrace the one name she’s tried hardest to forget — Artemis. For who better to follow the killer’s tangled trail than the Goddess of the Hunt herself?

Jordanna Max Brodsky graduated from Harvard with a degree in History and Literature.  She has long been fascinated with Greek mythology, in particular the ways in which the Olympians have come to life for so many, for so long.  Here she imagines their inner lives as they lose their omnipotence and must find their way in our own modern world.  Her Artemis is like a female Dexter with 3,000 years of baggage to unpack.  THE IMMORTALS reimagines the milieu explored by Percy Jackson in much the same way The Magicians has for Harry Potter.

We’ll be publishing next February in both Orbit US & Orbit UK.

The Fates Will Decide

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FORTUNE’S FAVORS, the third and final installment of the Nyx Fortuna series releases Tuesday, August 12th!  The fight for the world has begun, and only the fates can stop hell from being unleashed.

The end always comes at a price…

To save his cousin Claire, Nyx Fortuna was forced to release the goddess Hecate. Free and bent on destroying the world, Hecate will kill anyone that gets in her way… starting with every member of the Wyrd family.

Now, Nyx and company must join forces with the Fates and fight to return Hecate to her underworld prison. Magical and mortals alike must take sides to survive, but no war is without its casualties…

Praise for the Nyx Fortuna series:

“Skillfully rendered in crisp, edgy prose, STRANGE FATES offers an exciting start to what’s sure to be a winning new series. I can’t wait to follow the sexy-as-heck Nyx Fortuna into the next installment!”
— Alyson Noël, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“An intriguing protagonist, snappy dialogue, and a fast-paced plot.”

        — Publishers Weekly “Nyx is a likable hero and provides a refreshing change from the usual urban fantasy fare.” — Library Journal

If you are new to the Nyx Fortuna series, be sure to check out STRANGE FATES and DARK DESCENT!

 

Urban Fantasy with a Twist of Fate

PrintI am extremely excited to announce the publication of STRANGE FATES by Marlene Perez, out today as an Orbit e-only original!  This is Marlene’s first foray into the adult urban fantasy realm, and with its fast pace, forbidden romance, and unique mix of Greek mythology and Fates, you will not be able to put it down.

About STRANGE FATES: Brooding, leather jacket-wearing Nyx Fortuna looks like a 20-something, and has for centuries now. As the son of the forgotten fourth Fate, Lady Fortuna, he has been hunted his entire life by the three Sisters of Fate that murdered his mother. Fed up and out for revenge, Nyx comes to Minneapolis following a tip that his aunts have set up a business there. His goal– ­to bring down his mother’s killers and retrieve the thread of fate that has trapped him in the body of a twenty year old unable to age or die. But when a chance meeting with the mysterious, dangerous and very mortal Elizabeth Abernathy throws off his plans, he must reconcile his humanity and his immortality.

Also, check out the book trailer on USAToday’s Happy Ever After blog. Screen Shot 2013-03-05 at 2.25.06 PM