Posts Tagged ‘science fiction’

Acquisition News: Alex White’s New Space Opera Trilogy

Orbit US and Orbit UK are thrilled to have acquired a brand new space opera trilogy from Alex White. Alex’s first series The Salvagers, took us on a lightning-paced journey to the edge of the universe and back on the hunt for buried treasure, lost spaceships, and deadly artifacts. But, their newest trilogy promises to be even bigger! How big? Giant battling robots big!

In this new wide-screen space opera, humanity has met its match. An alien race of enormous robotic AI have destroyed most of humanity’s outposts. But, on the eve of the Earth’s destruction, a musician makes one last desperate attempt to reach out and convinces one of humanity’s enemies to switch sides. Now, earth just might have a chance to survive…

The first book in the trilogy will be publishing in 2021, but if you just can’t wait until then, make sure to check out The Salvagers series! You can also say “hi” to the author on twitter @alexrwhite.

Purchase the series today. (US | UK) 

 

Cover Launch: RANDOM SH*T FLYING THROUGH THE AIR by Jackson Ford

We’re thrilled to reveal the cover for RANDOM SH*T FLYING THROUGH THE AIR, the high-octane, razor-sharp sequel to THE GIRL WHO COULD MOVE SH*T WITH HER MIND (UK / US / ANZ).

We’re publishing RANDOM SH*T FLYING THROUGH THE AIR in June 2020, but here’s a sneak peek of the brilliant cover, designed by Sophie Harris and Steve Panton. They have assured us that no goldfish were harmed in the making of this cover.

The new cover for RANDOM SH*T FLYING THROUGH THE AIR, containing images of various random items including a walkie talkie, a pair of sunglasses, a revolver and two eggs in a frying pan.

 

Curious about what’s next for Teagan Frost? Read on to find out:

Teagan Frost’s life is finally back on track. Her role working for the government as a psychokinetic operative is going well and she might even be on course for convincing her crush to go out with her. But, little does she know, that sh*t is about to hit the fan . . .

A young boy with the ability to cause earthquakes has come to Los Angeles – home to the San Andreas, one of the most lethal fault lines in the world. If Teagan can’t stop him, the entire city – and the rest of California – could be wiped off the map.

Praise for THE GIRL WHO COULD MOVE SH*T WITH HER MIND:

‘Like Alias meets X-Men’ Maria Lewis

‘Madcap adventure, with some terrific jokes and plenty of tension’ Guardian

‘A fast-paced, high-adrenaline tale that manages to get into some dark themes without losing its sense of fun’ Kirkus

‘Taut action sequences and suspenseful pacing’ Publishers Weekly

Cover Launch: FORTUNA by Kristyn Merbeth

Every so often, we look at a cover and say, “Wow, that’s awesome,” and then we think about it some more and realize we could make it even more awesome. Case in point below. Check out the terrific, neon-drenched, absolutely rad cover update for FORTUNA that reflects the characters, adventure, and high-octane energy of Kristyn Merbeth’s new space opera.

Design by Lisa Marie Pompilio; Illustrations by Arcangel / Shutterstock

Fortuna publishes on November 05, 2019. We can’t wait for you to meet Scorpia, Corvus, and the rest of the Kaiser family in this new trilogy that will hook you from the first crash landing.

Scorpia Kaiser has always stood in Corvus’s shadow until the day her older brother abandons their family to participate in a profitless war. However, becoming the heir to her mother’s smuggling operation is not an easy transition for the always rebellious, usually reckless, and occasionally drunk pilot of the Fortuna, an aging cargo ship and the only home Scorpia has ever known.

But when a deal turns deadly and Corvus returns from the war, Scorpia’s plans to take over the family business are interrupted, and the Kaiser siblings are forced to make a choice: take responsibility for their family’s involvement in a devastating massacre or lay low and hope it blows over.

Too bad Scorpia was never any good at staying out of a fight.

Perfect for fans of Becky Chambers and Catherynne M. Valente, Fortuna introduces a dazzling new voice in science fiction.

PRAISE:

“A voice to watch in space opera!” — K. B. Wagers, author of There Before the Chaos

“The narrative is powered by a cast of deeply developed characters . . . . The nonstop action and varying levels of tension make this an unarguable page-turner.” — Kirkus

Cover Launch: DOWN AMONG THE DEAD by K. B. Wagers

Can’t wait to return to the adventures of Hail Bristol, gunrunner empress, as she navigates tricky alien politics and deadly plots? Waiting to see if this time, the galaxy will implode in interspecies war?

DOWN AMONG THE DEAD, the second book of K. B. Wagers’s Farian War trilogy and sequel to THERE BEFORE THE CHAOS (US | UK), arrives this winter—but meanwhile, check out this gorgeous cover designed by Lauren Panepinto, with art by Stephan Martiniere!

In a surprise attack that killed many of her dearest subjects, Hail Bristol, empress of Indrana, has been captured by the Shen—the most ruthless and fearsome aliens humanity has ever encountered. As she plots her escape, the centuries-long war between her captors and the Farians, their mortal enemies and Indrana’s oldest allies, finally comes to a head.

When her captors reveal a shocking vision of the future, Hail must make the unexpectedly difficult decision she’s been avoiding: whether to back the Shen or the Farians.

Staying neutral is no longer an option. Will Hail fight? Or will she fall?

ICYMI: VELOCITY WEAPON by Megan E. O’Keefe

What makes space opera’s like ANCILLARY JUSTICE (US | UK), Old Man’s War, and LEVIATHAN WAKES (US | UK) so great? Is it the huge space battles and intricate planetary politics? Is it the breakneck pacing and bold plot twists? Or is it the incredible characters that you just can’t help but fall in love with?

Whatever is in that special space opera sauce, VELOCITY WEAPON (US | UK) has got it in spades!

The last thing Sanda remembers is her gunship breaking up around her as her preserving pod expanded, sealing herself away for salvage-medics to pick up. She expected to awaken in friendly hands, patched up and patched back into a new gunship. Instead, she awakens 230 years later upon an empty enemy smartship, The Light of Berossus or, as he prefers to be called, “Bero”. The war is lost. The star system is dead.

 However, Bero may not exactly be telling the whole truth.

This incredible space opera by Morningstar Award winning author Megan E. O’Keefe is coming out in the US and UK in June 2019. But people are already calling this “one of the best science fiction novels of 2019!” (K. B. Wagers)

And of course a great book needs a great cover. Check out the amazing art by Sparth and cover design by Lauren Panepinto or read the first chapter HERE.

 

Cover Launch: THE GIRL WHO COULD MOVE SH*T WITH HER MIND by Jackson Ford

Sh*t is about to hit the fan for Teagan Frost, AKA THE GIRL WHO COULD MOVE SH*T WITH HER MIND (UK|US|ANZ), in Jackson Ford’s action-packed debut. Full of imagination, wit and random sh*t flying through the air, this insane adventure from an irreverent new voice will quite possibly blow your mind.

You can meet Teagan when books hit the shelves in June. But in the meantime, we’re thrilled to reveal the shiny new cover below designed by our very own Steve Panton!

 

Jackson Ford

 

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

Teagan Frost is having a hard time keeping it together. Sure, she’s got telekinetic powers – a skill that the government is all too happy to make use of, sending her on secret break-in missions that no ordinary human could carry out. But all she really wants to do is kick back, have a beer, and pretend she’s normal for once.

But then a body turns up at the site of her last job – murdered in a way that only someone like Teagan could have pulled off. She’s got 24 hours to clear her name – and it’s not just her life at stake. If she can’t unravel the conspiracy in time, her hometown of Los Angeles will be in the crosshairs of an underground battle that’s on the brink of exploding . . .

Cover Launch: FORTUNA by Kristyn Merbeth

Space is filled with smugglers. People who live on the fringes of civilized society, making their money by trading and selling items that are…less than legal. Except sometimes you make a back alley deal with a corrupt government, and all of a sudden you’re wrapped up in a web of conspiracies that might just ignite a war between every habitable planet in the galaxy.

That’s where Scorpia Kaiser finds herself in Kristyn Merbeth’s new space opera, FORTUNA. It’s epic in scope, and tells the story of a family of smugglers who are in way over their heads. If they can’t save the galaxy, (and how can they when they can barely get along?) then humanity may be headed for a war that will not end well.

Check out the striking cover below. The stars are her destination.

Design by Lisa Marie Pompilio; Illustrations by Arcangel / Shutterstock

The first book in a fast-paced space opera trilogy where a young woman leads a family of smugglers who become unwittingly involved in a galactic war.

There’s only one thing Scorpia Kaiser wants in the whole galaxy: to finally own Fortuna, the ship she pilots and the only home she’s ever known. But when it becomes clear her predecessor – the family matriarch – has been secretly dealing with various planetary governments, Scorpia realizes that her own family may be the reason the system’s five planets are headed toward a devastating war.

Lies, manipulation, and profit are all she’s ever been taught, but as she ascends into her new position, Scorpia finds she has the chance to change everything. Yet even as she takes on more responsibility for the family’s fate, fortune and influence, she is not at all sure she’s ready for it –  even worse, she may not have the support of her crew, particularly her brother and rival, Corvus.

To stop the war, she’ll have to unite her family and unravel the chaos they’ve left in their wake.

Fortuna publishes in Fall 2019.

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: CHILDREN OF RUIN by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Orbit is proud to be the US home for Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Arthur C. Clarke’s award-winning novel CHILDREN OF TIME and its sequel CHILDREN OF RUIN. Ambitious, thought provoking, and immersive, it’s a modern classic perfect for fans of SF giants like Iain M. Banks, Peter F. Hamilton and Alastair Reynolds.

Everyone from author/screenwriter Peter Ness to actor James McAvoy has praised this epic story of humanity’s battle for survival on a terraformed planet. And Lionsgate has optioned it for film adaptation.

The US edition of Children of Time just came out this week, and Children of Ruin will be on US bookshelves in May 2019.

 

“Children of Time is a joy from start to finish. Entertaining, smart, surprising and unexpectedly human.”—Patrick Ness

“Brilliant science fiction and far out world building.” — James McAvoy

“The smartest evolutionary worldbuilding you’ll ever read.” —Peter F Hamilton

“This is superior stuff, tackling big themes – gods, messiahs, artificial intelligence, alienness – with brio.” —Financial Times

“Packed with ingenious ideas … classic widescreen space opera.”—New Scientist

*Children of Time and Children of Ruin are published by Pan Macmillan in the UK.

Images by Shutterstock

TIAMAT’S WRATH Coming in Spring 2019!

Fans of The Expanse: We know that you have been looking forward to TIAMAT’S WRATH this December. But because we are now entering the home stretch of this amazing series and we all want to make sure we get it right, we have asked the authors to give our editorial and sales teams some extra time to prepare for the launch.  

 The new publication date will be in March 2019. We know you’re going to love this next chapter, and thank you for your patience.