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Find out moreJulia Gray is a writer and singer-songwriter. She studied Classics at UCL and has a diploma in Children's Literature and an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck, for which she received the Sophie Warne Fellowship. She has released three albums with the trip-hop/jazz collective Second Person, and more recently two solo albums, I Am Not The Night and Robber Bride.
In a nutshell: YA psychological thriller, as twisty as they come | This story begins in a spiritual retreat. 17 year old Nora is there to recover from an accident and promises readers she will describe the chain of events that brought her there. It will, she says, be a true story, before immediately admitting that she hasn’t always told the truth. This is putting it mildly: Nora’s whole life is a series of lies and deceptions. She has a library of stories to explain her father’s death for example, and in an early incident in the story orchestrates the sacking of a young art teacher. A skilful and convincing liar, Nora has always got what pretty much what she wants. When she meets the Ingram family, a theatrical dynasty, the part in a new film seems within her reach. But in Bel Ingram, wild, reckless and ruthless, has Nora finally met her match? Nora is a fascinating character who will have readers completely in thrall, while her ‘true story’ is full of shocks and surprises. Intelligent, gripping, highly original.
July 2016 New Gen Debut of the Month Absolutely compelling. I have to admit to being rather surprised by ‘The Otherlife’, I think I was expecting a rollicking fantasy adventure, instead a startling, yet subtle and thought-provoking read awaited. Either told from the viewpoint of Ben as he is about to take his GCSE’s in 2012, or through his classmate Hobie’s journal in 2008, The Otherlife focuses on the importance of friendship and a variety of issues such as the pressure of being a teenager and parent’s expectations. While Ben copes with pain, both physical and mental, Hobie bulldozes his way through the school year, with few morals, and little thought. Julia Gray sets the Otherlife flickering on the edge of the page, on the knife edge of reality... waiting. As I settled in and felt as though I was beginning to understand, the writing ripped my thoughts apart and set me off on a new path. An intruiging, slicing read, The Otherlife, is also warmly tender and compassionate, and I highly recommend it. ~ Liz Robinson
In a nutshell: YA psychological thriller, as twisty as they come | This story begins in a spiritual retreat. 17 year old Nora is there to recover from an accident and promises readers she will describe the chain of events that brought her there. It will, she says, be a true story, before immediately admitting that she hasn’t always told the truth. This is putting it mildly: Nora’s whole life is a series of lies and deceptions. She has a library of stories to explain her father’s death for example, and in an early incident in the story orchestrates the sacking of a young art teacher. A skilful and convincing liar, Nora has always got what pretty much what she wants. When she meets the Ingram family, a theatrical dynasty, the part in a new film seems within her reach. But in Bel Ingram, wild, reckless and ruthless, has Nora finally met her match? Nora is a fascinating character who will have readers completely in thrall, while her ‘true story’ is full of shocks and surprises. Intelligent, gripping, highly original.
July 2016 New Gen Debut of the Month Absolutely compelling. I have to admit to being rather surprised by ‘The Otherlife’, I think I was expecting a rollicking fantasy adventure, instead a startling, yet subtle and thought-provoking read awaited. Either told from the viewpoint of Ben as he is about to take his GCSE’s in 2012, or through his classmate Hobie’s journal in 2008, The Otherlife focuses on the importance of friendship and a variety of issues such as the pressure of being a teenager and parent’s expectations. While Ben copes with pain, both physical and mental, Hobie bulldozes his way through the school year, with few morals, and little thought. Julia Gray sets the Otherlife flickering on the edge of the page, on the knife edge of reality... waiting. As I settled in and felt as though I was beginning to understand, the writing ripped my thoughts apart and set me off on a new path. An intruiging, slicing read, The Otherlife, is also warmly tender and compassionate, and I highly recommend it. ~ Liz Robinson
Exiled from his land, Terrel has travelled the world with little to guide him but the mysterious prophecies of the Tindaya Code. Now his journey is at an end, for Terrel has returned to Vadanis. But the powers that have sought to destroy him are not yet defeated. For the prophecy to be fulfilled the Ancients must arise and it is Terrel who must struggle to defend them... And as the Dark Moon rises, Terrel makes his stand - but this time he does not fight alone. One of the most exciting fantasy adventures of recent years, the epic Guardian Cycle reaches its spectacular conclsion with ALYSSA'S RING. Find out more about this title and others at www.orbitbooks.co.uk
Following his adventures in THE DARK MOON, THE JASPER FOREST and THE CRYSTAL DESERT, Terrel travels ever onwards, hoping that each step will take him closer to his homeland of Vadanis. Now Terrel finds himself in the war-torn land of Takkuk, where no one can remember a time before conflict, and no one but the powerful sorcerers know the cause of it. Horrified to learn that the powers of nature are being harnessed for use as weapons, Terrel discovers that a volcano among the glaciers is home to a deadly presence ... Look out for more information on this book and others on the Orbit website at www.orbitbooks.co.uk
THE CRYSTAL DESERT is the third book in the Guardian Cycle, a sweeping fantasy epic from one of the best new storytellers in the genre. Terrel's destiny is far from clear. In exile from his home, he journeys through a hostile world, with only the spirits from an earlier life and his instincts to guide him. Having crossed two oceans, Terrel finds himself in Misrah. A harsh and barren desert land, survival there is a daily struggle for its nomadic tribes. But Misrah is also a place of many wonders, where superstition is as important as the constant search for water. For Terrel, his magical talents may be all that can save him. And lead him one step closer to discovering the truth of the mysterious prophecies in the Tindaya Code. For more information on this or any other Orbit book, visit the Orbit website at wwww.orbitbooks.co.uk
THE JASPER FOREST is the second book in the Guardian Cycle, a sweeping fantasy epic from one of the best new storytellers in the genre. Exiled from Vadanis, the homeland he risked his life to save, Terrel finds himself adrift on the ocean. Delirious with hunger and exhaustion, he is on the point of giving up when he realises that he has found land. Rescued from the perilous waters by two fishermen, Terrel is nursed back to health. His situation seems desperate, but at least he is not alone. The ghosts of his friends - both dead and alive - are still with him. For the time being, events on Vadanis are beyond his control. His new home, however, faces difficulties of its own, and Terrel may be in a unique position to overcome them. Leaving behind the villagers, he embarks on a remarkable quest to discover the truth - about the world and himself. For in Terrel's past is the key to his destiny. Look out for more information on this book and others on the Orbit website at www.orbitbooks.co.uk
The remote and wild land of Tiguafaya is on the edge of chaos. The menacing volcanoes that dominate the landscape grumble and threaten destruction. The repulsive fireworms, the marauding pirates and the ancient dragons grow bolder by the minute. The corrupt and ineffectual government is paralysed and helpless in the face of all the dangers. The country's only hope for survival lies with a group of young rebels known as the Firebrands. Led by the lovers, Andrin and Ico, and the half-mad musician, Vargo, the Firebrands are desperately fighting back. Using the once-revered but now lost arts of magic against the overwhelming odds, they are all that stand between Tiguafaya and total devastation. Rich and exciting, powerful and engrossing, ICE-MAGE marks the arrival of a thrilling new voice in fantasy adventure.
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