Posts Tagged ‘The Serpent’

Orbit acquires three more novels from the author of THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST

Photo of Claire North, author of THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST and the Gameshouse novellasPlease see below for a press release which has just been sent out:

Orbit has acquired three new novels from Claire North, the author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed novels THE FIFST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST and TOUCH. Senior Editor Anna Jackson acquired World rights from Meg Davis at the Ki Agency.

Claire North is a pseudonym for British author Catherine Webb. THE FIFST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST was her first novel published under the Claire North name, and was one of the fastest-selling new SFF titles of the last ten years. It is the tale of a man who lives his life over and over again with the knowledge of the previous lives he has lived, and was one of the few titles ever to be selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club, the Radio 2 Book Club and the Waterstones Book Club promotions. Her next novel TOUCH was published in 2015 to widespread critical acclaim and was described by the Independent as “little short of a masterpiece”.

Acquiring editor Anna Jackson said: “The reaction to THE FIFST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST was astounding, and it was truly a break-out point in Catherine’s career. We’re incredibly excited about her future too, starting with the release of three digital novellas this week entitled THE SERPENT  (UK|US|ANZ), THE THIEF (UK|US|ANZ) and THE MASTER (UK|US|ANZ), which can be read separately but also fit together to make a complete, intricately woven tale. The next Claire North novel to be released in print will be THE SUDDEN APPEARANCE OF HOPE in May 2016. And I’m delighted to have now acquired three further novels from Catherine, who is truly one of the most exciting and imaginative writers in modern fiction.”

Covers for the Gameshouse novellas The Serpent, The Thief and The Master by Claire North, author of thw First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

New from Claire North, author of HARRY AUGUST and TOUCH: The Gameshouse novellas

At the start of November, we are launching something brand new from Claire North – author of the critically acclaimed and bestselling novels The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August and Touch.

Enter the world of the Gameshouse, a world where the best players compete secretly not just for riches – but for political power, for the control of kingdoms, for their very lives… These are the tales of The Serpent (UK|US|ANZ), The Thief  (UK|US|ANZ) and The Master (UK|US|ANZ).

The Gameshouse novellas are three digital stories that can be read separately, but which also fit together to make a complete, intricately woven tale.

Covers for the Gameshouse novellas The Serpent, The Thief and The Master by Claire North, author of thw First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

These stories are thrilling, so rich and beautifully crafted. They’re a perfect example of how Claire’s stories are breathtaking in scope but also painfully intimate. If you’re a fan of her previous novels then we know you’ll love these stories – and they’re also a great way to sample her writing for the first time.

See below for the blurb for the first novella, The Serpent:

In seventeenth century Venice exists a mysterious establishment known only as the Gameshouse.

There, fortunes are made and broken over games of chess, backgammon and every other game under the sun.

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

Not everyone proves worthy of competing in the higher league. But one woman who is about to play may just exceed everyone’s expectations.

Though she must always remember: the higher the stakes, the more deadly the rules . . .

All three titles will be released digitally at the start of November 2015, and are available for pre-order now. They will also be available as a complete volume in audiobook.