Posts Tagged ‘space opera’

Cover Launch: BEYOND THE LIGHT HORIZON by Ken MacLeod

We’re thrilled to reveal the cover of Beyond the Light Horizon, the jaw-dropping conclusion to the Lightspeed trilogy from science fiction legend Ken MacLeod, a thrilling tale of politics, AI and the far reaches of space.

Designed by Duncan Spilling, Beyond the Light Horizon is publishing in May 2024, and is available to pre-order now.

Beyond the Light Horizon by Ken MacLeod. A tank-like space craft flies into the orbit of a blue Earth-like planet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘IF YOU LIKE SCIENCE FICTION YOU WILL LOVE THIS. . . A ROLLICKING GOOD READ’ Scotsman on Beyond the Hallowed Sky

‘MACLEOD’S BEST BOOK TO DATE‘ SFX on Beyond the Hallowed Sky

Humanity has taken to the stars, using faster-than-light travel to reach distant planets and new worlds. But in the far reaches of the galaxy, John Grant will discover a planet of humans who believe he has travelled not only through space to find them, but time.

On Apis, the mysterious Fermi appear to have vanished, taking with them knowledge of the universe that humanity desires. But Marcus Owen, the robot AI now plagued with sentience, knows that the Fermi would not easily abandon the native life of Apis, and that they won’t take kindly to mankind asserting dominance on a world that does not belong to them.

Cover Launch: SOME DESPERATE GLORY by Emily Tesh

The book cover for Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh, showing a pastel scene of a planet, a moon and a spaceship in orbit

We’re delighted to share the cover for Emily’s Tesh’s debut novel, SOME DESPERATE GLORY.

While we live, the enemy shall fear us.

All her life Kyr has trained for the day she can avenge the destruction of planet Earth by an all-powerful, reality-shifting weapon known as the Wisdom. Raised in the bowels of Gaea Station alongside the last scraps of humanity, she is one of the best warriors of her generation, the sword of a dead planet.

Then Command assigns her brother to certain death and relegates her to the nursery to bear sons and she knows she must take humanity’s revenge into her own hands. But she soon learns that not everything she’s been raised to believe is true, and the Wisdom is far more complex and dangerous than she could ever have imagined.

Coming April 2023, SOME DESPERATE GLORY is a thrillingly told space opera about the wreckage of war, the family you find and who you must become when every choice is stripped from you.

 

Cover artwork by Tegnemaskin.no, Cover design by Duncan Spilling – LBBG

Cover Launch: BEYOND THE REACH OF EARTH

We’re thrilled to share the cover for BEYOND THE REACH OF EARTH (UK) by Ken MacLeod, the second book in the Lightspeed trilogy, a gripping tale of first contact and dark conspiracies set among the stars.

BEYOND THE REACH OF EARTH hits shelves in March 2023, and is available for pre-order now. You can check out the stunning cover, designed by Duncan Spilling L,BBG below and read on for a taste of what’s in store. . .

A book cover of Beyond the Reach of Earth by Ken MacLeod that shows a small spaceship flying at hyper-speed towards a large blue gas giant planet.

With the invention of faster-than-light travel there is nowhere that humanity cannot go. New worlds are discovered, but with them come new dangers.

At the heart of the discovery is the Fermi, mysterious beings that have survived on alien worlds for longer than humanity has existed. But now the Fermi are awakening, and they do not seem pleased to find humans in their midst.

But for Lakshmi Nayak and the crew of the Fighting Chance, danger is a lot closer to home. Their search for answers will take them to places, and worlds, they never expected.

Praise for Ken MacLeod:

‘An exceptional blend of international politics, hard science, and first contact’ Michael Mammay, author of the Planetside series on Beyond the Hallowed Sky

‘MacLeod is up there with Banks and Hamilton as one of the British sci-fi authors you absolutely have to read’ SFX

‘Prose as sleek and fast as the technology it describes. . . watch this man go global’ Peter F. Hamilton on Star Fraction

‘Ken MacLeod has an enviable track record of extrapolating from current trends to produce mind-bending novels of ideas’ Guardian

Acquisition Announcement: SOME DESPERATE GLORY by Emily Tesh

Orbit UK is  delighted to announce the acquisition of  World Fantasy Award-Winning author Emily Tesh’s highly anticipated debut novel, SOME DESPERATE GLORY. A thrillingly told queer space opera full of complex characters and boundless imagination. By turns epic and intimate, it’s coming-of-age story about what empires and systems of war do to the young soldiers in their care. It’s about overcoming indoctrination and who you must become when every choice is stripped from you.

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

Kyr lives in the bowels of Gaea Station alongside the last scraps of humanity, training for the day she can avenge the destruction of planet Earth at the hands of the all-powerful, reality-shifting weapon known as the Wisdom. She trusts and even loves Command, but when they assign the wrong missions – her beloved brother Magnus to a useless suicide and her to bear sons until she dies trying – she knows she has to take humanity’s revenge into her own hands.

But she soon learns that not everything she’s been raised to believe is true and the Wisdom is far more complex and dangerous than she could ever have imagined.

 

Emily Tesh, a two-time Astounding Award finalist, is the author of the World Fantasy Award-winning Greenhollow Duology. She grew up in London and studied Classics at Trinity College, Cambridge, followed by a Master’s degree in Humanities at the University of Chicago. She now lives in Hertfordshire, where she passes her time teaching Latin and Ancient Greek to schoolchildren who have done nothing to deserve it. She has a husband and a cat. Neither of them knows any Latin yet, but it is not for lack of trying.

We can’t wait to share Some Desperate Glory with you next year! In the meantime, please join us in welcoming Emily to Orbit. You can find her on Instagram and at emilytesh.net.

Cover Launch: BEYOND THE HALLOWED SKY by Ken MacLeod

We’re delighted to reveal the cover for BEYOND THE HALLOWED SKY, the first novel in the Lightspeed trilogy, from science fiction legend Ken MacLeod.

Humankind is on the precipice of a great discovery – the invention of faster-than-light travel – that will unlock a universe of new possibilities, and new dangers. BEYOND THE HALLOWED SKY hits shelves in November and you can pre-order your copy now! Read on for a taste of what’s in store. . .

Cover design by Duncan Spilling

When a brilliant scientist gets a letter from herself about faster-than-light travel, she doesn’t know what to believe. The equations work, but her paper is discredited – and soon the criticism is more than scientific. Exiled by the establishment, she gets an offer to build her starship from an unlikely source. But in the heights of Venus and on a planet of another star, a secret is already being uncovered that will shake humanity to its foundations.

Praise for Ken MacLeod:

‘Ken MacLeod is up there with Banks and Hamilton as one of the British sci-fi authors you absolutely have to read’ SFX

‘He is writing revolutionary science fiction. A nova has appeared in our sky’ Kim Stanley Robinson, on The Star Fraction

‘Prose as sleek and fast as the technology it describes . . . watch this man go global’ Peter F. Hamilton on The Star Fraction

‘Science fiction’s freshest new writer . . . MacLeod is a fiercely intelligent, prodigiously well-read author who manages to fill his books with big issues without weighing them down’ Salon  

You can find Ken MacLeod on Twitter @amendlocke

Cover Launch: FAR FROM THE LIGHT OF HEAVEN by Tade Thompson

We’re thrilled to announce that Arthur C. Clarke winner Tade Thompson is making a triumphant return to science fiction with FAR FROM THE LIGHT OF HEAVEN (US | UK: link coming soon), an unforgettable vision of humanity’s future among the stars. If you can’t wait until October 2021, head on over to io9 to see the spectacular cover and read an exclusive excerpt.

The colony ship Ragtime docks in the Lagos system, having travelled light years from home to bring one thousand sleeping souls to safety among the stars.

Some of the sleepers, however, will never wake – and a profound and sinister mystery unfolds aboard the gigantic vessel. Its skeleton crew are forced to make decisions that will have repercussions for all of humanity’s settlements – from the scheming politicians of Lagos station, to the colony planet of Bloodroot, to other far flung systems and indeed Earth itself.

Praise for Tade Thompson:

‘Tade Thompson is a writer of enormous heart and talent. Just brilliant’ Dave Hutchinson

‘Smart. Gripping. Fabulous!’ Ann Leckie on Rosewater

‘A magnificent tour de force, skilfully written and full of original and disturbing ideas’ Adrian Tchaikovsky on Rosewater

‘Mind-expanding and utterly addictive’ Mark Haddon, author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, on Rosewater

You can find Tade Thompson on Twitter @tadethompson.

Cover Launch: SHARDS OF EARTH by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Arthur C. Clarke award-winning author, Adrian Tchaikovsky has written his most visionary and exciting space opera yet. The start of a new series, SHARDS OF EARTH is a tale of ancient alien enemies, heroes long forgotten, and a strange artifact buried on the far outskirts of space that could harbinger a new intergalactic war. This sparkling, inventive novel for fans of James S. A. Corey and John Scalzi is a joy from start to finish and sure to be on your shelf of all-time space opera greats! While you wait for it to publish on August 3rd, check out the book’s incredible cover!

Cover Design © Steve Stone

The war is over. Its heroes forgotten. Until one chance discovery . . .

Idris has neither aged nor slept since they remade him in the war. And one of humanity’s heroes now scrapes by on a freelance salvage vessel, to avoid the attention of greater powers.

After earth was destroyed, mankind created a fighting elite to save their species, enhanced humans such as Idris. In the silence of space they could communicate, mind-to-mind, with the enemy. Then their alien aggressors, the Architects, simply disappeared – and Idris and his kind became obsolete.

Now, fifty years later, Idris and his crew have discovered something strange abandoned in space. It’s clearly the work of the Architects – but are they returning? And if so, why? Hunted by gangsters, cults and governments, Idris and his crew race across the galaxy hunting for answers. For they now possess something of incalculable value, that many would kill to obtain.

Cover Launch: AZURA GHOST by Essa Hansen

NOPHEK GLOSS  (US | UK) stunned readers with its widescreen adventure, boundless imagination, bubble universes, alien species, and warm characters. Alastair Reynolds called it “A sucker punch to the senses…. A killer story with real heart and soul.” Now, its sequel AZURA GHOST  has a cover just as breathtaking as the story itself. Keep an eye out for Azura Ghost publishing November 2021 from Orbit US and UK!

Design by Lauren Panepinto, Illustration by Mike Heath/Magnus Creative 

Following Nophek Gloss comes the second book in this imaginative new space opera trilogy by debut author Essa Hansen – an action-packed adventure perfect for fans of Star Wars, Children of Time and A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet.

​Caiden has been on the run for ten years with his unique starship in order to keep his adversary, Threi, imprisoned. But when an old friend he’d once thought dead reappears, he is lured into a game of cat and mouse with the one person whose powers rival Threi’s: Threi’s sister Abriss. Now with both siblings on the hunt for Caiden and his ship, Caiden must rescue his long-lost friend from their clutches and uncover the source of both his ship’s power and his own origins in order to stop Abriss’s plan to collapse the multiverse.

 

Cover Launch – INHIBITOR PHASE by Alastair Reynolds 

Orbit is proud to be publishing a stellar new science fiction adventure from the author who redefined space opera, Alastair Reynolds – set in his bestselling Revelation Space universe! Feast your eyes on the stunning, star-studded cover for INHIBITOR PHASE, coming to shelves near you next year on July 27th, 2021.

Eager to learn more about Alastair Reynolds’ Revelation Space universe before INHIBITOR PHASE launches next summer, but not sure where to start? Learn all about Reynolds’ novels here – for fans of Mass Effect, Leviathan Wakes, Six Wakes, and more!

 

Design by Lauren Panepinto
Art by Shutterstock

Praise for Alastair Reynolds

“A terrific treat. I was hooked from page one.” ―Stephen Baxter on Revelation Space

“A delight. A refreshing and entertaining reconsideration of some of the genre’s oldest tropes. Quite possibly the space opera of the year.”―Locus on Revelation Space

“Something new and exciting…absolutely first-rate.”―The Cleveland Plain Dealer on Revelation Space

“This is science fiction on a large, cosmological scale, and Reynolds does not lack in big ideas…Many of the ideas in Revelation Space are awe-inspiring…cutting-edge and convincingly rendered.”―SF Site on Revelation Space

“[A] sci-fi tour de force… Clearly intoxicated by cutting-edge scientific research in bioengineering, space physics, cybernetics Reynolds spins a ravishingly inventive tale of intrigue.”―Publishers Weekly on Revelation Space

“Clearly one of the year’s major science fiction novels…The book Reynolds’s readers have been waiting for.”―Locus on Redemption Ark

“If you like hard SF…with fast-paced action and hard-boiled characters…you’re in for a great ride.”―SF Site on Redemption Ark

“The best of the new breed of space opera. Wild action on a grand scale spans well-imagined and developed worlds-bold and new with sharply defined differences in both characters and the changed definitions of humanity.”―The Denver Post on Redemption Ark

“A large, sprawling tale of war, politics, ideology and alien invasion. Skilled narrative technique and well-developed characters make this a novel most readers will find absorbing.”―Booklist on Redemption Ark

“With this complex, thoughtful sequel to his highly praised Revelation Space, British author Reynolds confirms his place among the leaders of the hard-science space-opera renaissance…. It’s rare to find a writer with sufficient nerve and stamina to write novels that are big enough to justify using words like “revelation” and “redemption.” Reynolds pulls it off.”―Publisher Weekly on Redemption Ark

“Alastair Reynolds [is] one of the leading lights of the New Space Opera Movement.”— Locus on Revenger

 “Reynolds has sketched in a galaxy littered with the relics of former civilizations (human and alien), with plenty left to the reader’s imagination, and room for a sequel.” — Library Journal on Revenger

Acquisition News: Orbit to publish a new science fiction trilogy from Adrian Tchaikovsky!

We are thrilled to announce that we have acquired three new science fiction novels by Adrian Tchaikovsky, the Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author of CHILDREN OF TIME and CHILDREN OF RUIN, for publication in the US. The books were acquired from Pan Macmillan, who will publish the novels on the Tor imprint in the UK, by Orbit senior editor Brit Hvide.

The new far-future science fiction trilogy begins with SHARDS OF EARTH, which will be published worldwide in spring 2021. The novel is set fifty years after a war that nearly extinguished humanity, when the enemies of the human race reappear after a long silence.

Adrian Tchaikovsky says: “I am absolutely delighted to launch this new space opera. I had a blast writing the first volume and I’m looking forward to everywhere the series is going to go.”

Tchaikovsky’s next work is THE DOORS OF EDEN, which will be published by Orbit in the US on September 22, 2020.

Praise for Adrian Tchaikovsky: 

“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

“A refreshingly new take on post-dystopia civilizations, with the smartest evolutionary worldbuilding you’ll ever read” — Peter F Hamilton

“A magnificently imaginative space opera.” — B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog

“Like a Stephen Baxter novel with an epic sweep of history, added to a broad cast of a Peter Hamilton Space Opera and the narrative drive of, say, a David Brin or a Greg Bear old style SF novel, Children of Time soon got me hooked.” — SFF World

“Children of Time has that essence of the classic science fiction novels, that sense of wonder and unfettered imagination but combined with this is the charm of a writer who really knows how to entertain, how to spin a good story. Essential science fiction, a book not to be missed.” — SF Book

“The novel’s clever interrogation of the usual narrative of planetary conquest, and its thoughtful depiction of two alien civilisations attempting to understand each other, is an exemplar of classic widescreen science fiction.” —New Scientist

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

“An entertaining and thought provoking novel of post humanity, survival and legacy.” — SF Signal

“Tchaikovsky’s prose is superb, and his world-building was exceptional, brilliantly realized on the page, and both fascinating and original.” — Civilian Reader