A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians by H G Parry
Fantasy , H G Parry , Historical , Orbit / June 25, 2020

It is the Age of Enlightenment — of new and magical political movements, from the necromancer Robespierre calling for revolution in France to the weather mage Toussaint L’Ouverture leading the slaves of Haiti in their fight for freedom, to the bold new Prime Minister William Pitt weighing the legalization of magic amongst commoners in Britain and abolition throughout its colonies overseas. But amidst all of the upheaval of the early modern world, there is an unknown force inciting all of human Read more […]

The Book of Koli by M R Carey
M R Carey , Orbit , Sci-Fi / April 16, 2020

Beyond the walls of the small village of Mythen Rood lies an unrecognizable world. A world where overgrown forests are filled with choker trees and deadly vines and seeds that will kill you where you stand. And if they don’t get you, one of the dangerous shunned men will. Koli has lived in Mythen Rood his entire life. He knows the first rule of survival is that you don’t venture beyond the walls. What he doesn’t know is – what happens when you aren’t given a choice? I’ll begin with a short Read more […]

The Last Smile in Sunder City by Luke Arnold
Fantasy , Luke Arnold , Orbit / February 6, 2020

I’m Fetch Phillips, just like it says on the window. There are three things you should know before you hire me: Sobriety costs extra. My services are confidential. I don’t work for humans. It’s nothing personal – I’m human myself. But after what happened, it’s not the humans who need my help. I just want one real case. One chance to do something good. Because it’s my fault the magic is never coming back. The inhabitants of Sunder City have fallen on hard times. An event known Read more […]

The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep by H G Parry
Fantasy , H G Parry , Orbit / January 30, 2020

For his entire life, Charley Sutherland has concealed a magical ability he can’t quite control: he can bring characters from books into the real world. His older brother, Rob — a young lawyer with a normal house, a normal fiancee, and an utterly normal life — hopes that this strange family secret will disappear with disuse, and he will be discharged from his life’s duty of protecting Charley and the real world from each other. But then, literary characters start causing trouble in their city, making Read more […]

The Bone Ships by R J Barker
Fantasy , Orbit , R J Barker / September 26, 2019

Two nations at war. A prize beyond compare. For generations, the Hundred Isles have built their ships from the bones of ancient dragons to fight an endless war. The dragons disappeared, but the battles for supremacy persisted. Now the first dragon in centuries has been spotted in far-off waters, and both sides see a chance to shift the balance of power in their favour. Because whoever catches it will win not only glory, but the war. I’m a sucker for stories about pirates, I can’t Read more […]

The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t With Her Mind by Jackson Ford
Jackson Ford , Orbit , Sci-Fi / June 20, 2019

For Teagan Frost, sh* just got real. 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 Read more […]

The Rosewater Insurrection by Tade Thompson
Orbit , Sci-Fi , Tade Thompson / March 22, 2019

Please note The Rosewater Insurrection is a direct sequel to Rosewater. With that in mind it is likely, if you are not familiar with the first book in the Wormwood trilogy, then what follows may contain some minor spoilers. Consider yourself warned! All is quiet in the city of Rosewater as it expands on the back of the gargantuan alien Wormwood. Those who know the truth of the invasion keep the secret. The government agent Aminat, the lover of the retired sensitive Kaaro, is at the forefront Read more […]

The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie
Ann Leckie , Fantasy , Orbit / February 28, 2019

For centuries, the kingdom of Iraden has been protected by the god known as the Raven. He watches over his territory from atop a tower in the powerful port of Vastai. His will is enacted through the Raven’s Lease, a human ruler chosen by the god himself. His magic is sustained via the blood sacrifice that every Lease must offer. And under the Raven’s watch, the city flourishes. But the power of the Raven is weakening. A usurper has claimed the throne. The kingdom borders are tested by invaders Read more […]

The Hod King by Josiah Bancroft
Fantasy , Josiah Bancroft , Orbit / January 12, 2019

Please note – The Hod King is the third book in the ongoing going series The Books of Babel. If you haven’t read books one and two then what follows is likely to contain some minor spoilery type elements. Consider yourself suitably warned! Fearing an uprising, the Sphinx sends Senlin to investigate a plot that has taken hold in the ringdom of Pelphia. Alone in the city, Senlin infiltrates a bloody arena where hods battle for the public’s entertainment. But his investigation is quickly derailed Read more […]

The Gutter Prayer by Gareth Hanrahan
Crime , Fantasy , Gareth Hanrahan , Orbit / January 5, 2019

A group of three young thieves are pulled into a centuries old magical war between ancient beings, mages, and humanity in this wildly original debut epic fantasy. The city has always been. The city must finally end. When three thieves – an orphan, a ghoul, and a cursed man – are betrayed by the master of the thieves guild, their quest for revenge uncovers dark truths about their city and exposes a dangerous conspiracy, the seeds of which were sown long before they were born. Cari is a drifter Read more […]

How Long ’til Black Future Month by N K Jemisin
Anthology , Fantasy , N K Jemisin , Orbit , Sci-Fi / November 29, 2018

In these stories, Jemisin sharply examines modern society, infusing magic into the mundane, and drawing deft parallels in the fantasy realms of her imagination. Dragons and hateful spirits haunt the flooded city of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In a parallel universe, a utopian society watches our world, trying to learn from our mistakes. A black mother in the Jim Crow south must figure out how to save her daughter from a fey offering impossible promises. And in the Hugo award-nominated Read more […]