Orbit Books reports the purchase of four new fantasy novels:
Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie (scheduled for publication in June 2009)
The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart by Jesse Bullington (September 2009)
Soulless by Gail Carriger (November 2009)
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin (September 2009)
Best Served Cold will be Abercrombie’s US hardcover debut (he’s already the author of the “First Law Trilogy” The new book is “a stand-alone novel of mercenaries, gruesome deaths, and twisted plans, returning readers to the world introduced in the First Law Trilogy, but with an all-new cast of scoundrels.” Abercrombie is currently a nominee for this year’s John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. He is also a freelance film editor, working mostly on documentaries and live music events for bands from Coldplay to Iron Maiden. He lives and works in London.
The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart is Bullington’s first sale. Orbit notes “we were blown away [by this novel]. This tale of philosophical grave-robbers on the run is bloody, grim and thoroughly engaging.” Bullington received Magna Cum Laude Bachelor degrees in both History and English Literature from Florida State University.
Carriger’s Soulless “introduces Alexia Tarabotti, a spinster who foils an attack by a vampire (with a parasol, no less) only to be dragged into the supernatural politics of Victorian London (where parasols will become increasingly handy). A novel with equal parts wit and action, Soulless is a comedy of manners with vampires—a thrilling and hilarious debut.
Jemisin’s The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is “a brilliantly original debut fantasy. A young woman vies to become the heir to the throne of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, and must bargain with the gods themselves to save her life—and her people.” Jemisin is a career counselor, political blogger, and would-be gourmet living in New York City.