Happy Chanukah!
Why not cosy up in the season of light, hope and miracles with these joyful Orbit reads?
'LUSCIOUS AND HYPNOTIC . . . A gripping, powerful story of family, sisterhood. I gulped it down! - Madeline Miller, author of Song of Achilles and Circe
'An incredible achievement - a rich literary fairy tale' Robert Dinsdale, author of The Toymakers
Every family has a secret . . . and every secret tells a story.
In a remote village surrounded by forests on the border of Moldova and Ukraine, sisters Liba and Laya have been raised on the honeyed scent of their Mami's babka and the low rumble of their Tati's prayers. But when a troupe of mysterious men arrives, Laya falls under their spell - despite their mother's warning to be wary of strangers. And this is not the only danger lurking in the woods.
As dark forces close in on their small village, Liba and Laya discover a family secret passed down through generations. Faced with a magical heritage they never knew existed, the sisters realise the old fairy tales are true . . . and could save them all.
Captivating and boldly imaginative, Rena Rossner's debut invites you to enter a magical world of secrets, family ties and fairy tales weaving through history. Perfect for fans of The Bear and the Nightingale, Uprooted and The Night Circus.
'A graceful, poetic, deeply moving novel . . . a simply gorgeous book in every sense' Louisa Morgan
'The kind of book that Neil Gaiman and Naomi Novik might have cooked up together' Robert Dinsdale
'A stunning tapestry of a story unlike anything I've ever read. Laya and Liba are going to stick with me for a long, long time' Sara Holland, author of Everless
'An elegant tapestry of the love between sisters, the value of faith and family, and knowing one's true friends in times of peril' J. Kathleen Cheney
'Full of heart, history and enchantment' Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Only five still guard the borders between the worlds.
Once the Oversight, the secret society that polices the lines between the mundane and the magic, counted hundreds of brave souls among its members. Now their number can be tallied on a single hand.
When a drunkard brings a screaming girl to the Oversight's London headquarters, it seems their hopes for a new recruit will be fulfilled - but the girl is a trap, her appearance a puzzle the five remaining guardians must solve or lose each other, and their society, for good.
Charlie Fletcher spins a tale of witch-hunters, magicians, mirror-walkers and the unlikeliest of heroes drawn from the depths of British folklore. Meet the Oversight, and remember: when they fall, so do we all.
'Parry knocks it out of the park . . . Just plain wonderful' Kirkus
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 an utterly normal life - hopes that this strange family secret will disappear with disuse, and he will be discharged from his duty of protecting Charley and the real world from each other.
But then, literary characters start causing trouble in their city, making threats about destroying the world, and for once, it isn't Charley's doing. There's someone else out there who shares his powers and it's up to Charley and a reluctant Rob to stop them - before anyone gets to The End.
'A pure delight' Alix E. Harrow, author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January
'[A] delectable debut novel' Locus
'A joyous adventure through all the tales you've ever loved. Funny, charming, clever and heartfelt, you're absolutely going to adore The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep' Tasha Suri, author of Empire of Sand
'Hilarious and heartwarming . . . my shields are at full strength and my heart is ready for Eva's next adventure' Patrick Weekes, Lead writer at BioWare (Dragon Age, Mass Effect)
A debut space opera that features an irresistible foul-mouthed captain and her misfit crew . . .
Captain Eva Innocente and the crew of La Sirena Negra cruise the galaxy delivering small cargo for even smaller profits. When her sister is kidnapped, Eva must undergo a series of dangerous missions to pay the ransom. But Eva may lose her mind before she can raise the money. The ship's hold is full of psychic cats, an amorous fish-faced emperor wants her dead, and her engineer is giving her a pesky case of feelings. The worse things get, the more she lies, raising suspicions and testing her loyalty to her found family.
To free her sister, Eva will risk everything: her crew, her ship, and the life she's built on the ashes of her past misdeeds. But when the dominoes start to fall and she finds the real threat is greater than she imagined, she must decide whether to play it cool or burn it all down.
'Jam-packed with weird aliens, mysterious artefacts, and lovable characters... A tremendous good time and an impressive debut'
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
'Mass Effect meets The Expanse in this energetic space opera adventure. Eva Innocente is an unforgettable starship captain and I love every member of her crew-slash-family. This book has enough twists to keep you up way past bedtime, and I can't wait for the sequel'
Michael R. Underwood, host of The Skiffy and Fanty Show
'This engaging space opera debut delivers a story that dances between hilarity and seriousness, with all the joy and frustration psychic cats can bring to the mix'
Library Journal (starred review)
'Imagine if Firefly and Mass Effect got together and had a baby, and that baby were delivered by Guillermo del Toro. This book is that baby. ¡Esto fue un triunfo!'
Curtis C. Chen
***Shortlisted for the Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards for Best Novel***
'A gorgeous, aching love letter to stories, storytellers and the doors they lead us through . . . absolutely enchanting' Christina Henry, bestselling author of Alice
ACCORDING TO JANUARY SCALLER, THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY TO RUN AWAY FROM YOUR OWN STORY, AND THAT'S TO SNEAK INTO SOMEONE ELSE'S . . .
In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr Locke, she feels little different from the artefacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored and utterly out of place.
But her quiet existence is shattered when she stumbles across a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page reveals more impossible truths about the world, and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.
'One of the most unique works of fiction I've ever read' Tamora Pierce, New York Times bestselling author
'A gorgeously written story of love and longing, of what it means to lose your place in the world and then have the courage to find it again' Kat Howard, author of An Unkindness of Magicians
'Devastatingly good, a sharp, delicate nested tale of worlds within worlds, stories within stories and the realm-cracking power of words' Melissa Albert, author of The Hazel Wood
'The Ten Thousand Doors of January healed hurts I didn't even know I had. An unbearably beautiful story about growing up, and everything we fight to keep along the way' Amal El-Mohtar, Hugo Award-winning author
'Beautiful, achingly gorgeous ode to storytelling, magic and family' S. A. Chakraborty, author of The City of Brass
'THOROUGHLY ENTHRALLING' Booklist
A young witch must choose between love and loyalty, power and ambition, in this magical novel set in Gilded Age New York and London.
In 1692, Bridget Bishop was hanged as a witch. Two hundred years later, her legacy lives on in the scions of two very different lines: one dedicated to using their powers to heal and help women in need; the other, determined to grasp power for themselves.
This clash will play out in the fate of Annis, a young woman in Gilded Age New York who finds herself a pawn in the family struggle for supremacy. She'll need to claim her own power to save herself - and resist succumbing to the darkness that threatens to overcome them all.
'A must-read for those who like magic, love, and a little bit of feel-good feminism in their historical fiction' Library Journal
'An Austen-esque romance, a heart-racing mystery full of dangerous twists and an anxiety-inducing yet enthralling family feud, Louisa Morgan's The Age of Witches is anything but a traditional tale of good versus evil' BookPage
'Morgan's beautifully conjured tale of three women, social mores, and the sanctity of self-determination is thoroughly enthralling' Booklist
'[A] robust tale of matriarchal magic in a lushly depicted Gilded Age New York . . . Readers will root for these powerful women as they struggle to overcome the social limitations of their time, whether through magic or force of personality' Publishers Weekly
'This is a book about witches, told from their perspective. As such, it's a lyrically and lovely written triumph about independent, unusual women' Book Riot
Novels by Louisa Morgan:
A Secret History of Witches
The Witch's Kind
The Age of Witches
'A NEW, ACTION-PACKED, ENCHANTINGLY FUN SERIES' Booklist
From New York Times bestselling author Kevin Hearne comes the start of a hugely entertaining new series set in the world of the Iron Druid Chronicles - about an eccentric master of magic solving an uncanny mystery in Scotland . . .
Al MacBharrais is both blessed and cursed. He is blessed with an extraordinary white moustache, an appreciation for craft cocktails - and a most unique magical talent. He can cast spells with magically enchanted ink and he uses his gifts to protect our world from rogue minions of various pantheons, especially the Fae.
But he is also cursed. Anyone who hears his voice will begin to feel an inexplicable hatred for Al, so he can only communicate through the written word or speech apps. And his apprentices keep dying in peculiar freak accidents. As his personal life crumbles around him, he devotes his life to his work, all the while trying to crack the secret of his curse.
But when his latest apprentice, Gordie, turns up dead in his Glasgow flat, Al discovers evidence that Gordie was living a secret life of crime. Now Al is forced to play detective - while avoiding actual detectives who are wondering why death seems to always follow Al. Investigating his apprentice's death will take him through Scotland's magical underworld, and he'll need the help of a mischievous hobgoblin if he's to survive.
Packed to the brim with mystery, magic and mayhem, Ink & Sigil is perfect for fans of Rivers of London and Rotherweird.
Praise for Ink & Sigil:
'You are in for a great treat. Ink and Sigil is great escape reading, and I loved every word' Charlaine Harris, New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse books
'Will transport you right in the Scottish realm of fey and fairies . . . The magic is both familiar and new, believable and extraordinary' Charlie Holmberg, author of The Paper Magician
'Vividly blends Kevin Hearne's unique take on urban fantasy with the grit of Scottish magic' Adam Christopher, author of Empire State
'Ink & Sigil is filled to the brim with the Hearne-anigans we've all grown to love. Fans of ribald humor, literary puns and the odd hobgoblin will be enchanted by this paranormal mystery' Jaye Wells, author of the Prospero's War series
Discover this summer's most irregular love story . . .
Connie's smart. She's funny. But when it comes to love, she's only human.
As a brilliant mathematician with bright red hair - Connie's used to being considered a little unusual. But when she's recruited for a top-secret code-breaking project, nothing can prepare her for working with someone quite as peculiar as Luke.
From the Sunday Times bestselling author Jenny Colgan comes a charmingly quirky tale of love, friendship . . . and the possible obliteration of mankind.
'Quirky, funny and romantic' Sophie Kinsella
'A riotous cocktail of geeks' Matt Haig, author of The Humans
'It's not so often that I fall so completely in love with a book . . intelligent, funny, moving and beautiful' Rowan Coleman, author of The Memory Book
'Joyous, suspenseful, poignant, funny, heart-breaking, and above all else, a pleasure to read' Claire North, author of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August
Jenny Colgan is the author of numerous bestselling novels, including Christmas at the Cupcake Café, Little Beach Street Bakery and Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop of Dreams. As Jenny T. Colgan she has also written the Doctor Who tie-in novel Dark Horizons and several Doctor Who short stories.