Acquisition Announcement: CONTACT ANOMALY by Bethany Jacobs

Orbit is very excited to announce that we have acquired Bethany Jacobs’ Contact Anomaly, a standalone first contact sci-fi adventure inspired by Heart of Darkness, in which an ambitious smuggler crosses the universe to explore a mysterious planet of untold wonders—and deadly secrets.

Here’s more about the book:

“Come. Come to Advena b. Come and see it.”

For years, cargo smuggler Isra Romeau has dreamed of traveling through the Anomaly—a rip in space allowing passage to the mysterious planet Advena b. When a catastrophe in space unexpectedly paves her way to the alien world, Isra takes her fate into her own hands—only to find herself caught between competing forces struggling for control of Advena b.

The most powerful force of all may be Isra’s one-time mentor, Mato, who seems determined that Isra join him in the dark interior of the planet—no matter how many die to get her there. Armed with a private mercenary escort and trailed by Mato’s enemies, Isra must rely on her instincts and the strange pull she feels on Advena b to track Mato down. The road on-planet is rife with danger and madness, but Isra has no choice but to seek revelation in the wilderness. Little does she know, a strange being may be seeking revelation in her.

The siren song of Advena b is already in Isra’s blood.

All that’s left is to survive its call.

Contact Anomaly will be published in Winter 2028.

Here is more about the author:

Bethany Jacobs hails from San Jose, California, but has been privileged to live all over the country. She earned a PhD in American Literature from the University of Oregon in 2014. After a ten-year career teaching writing and science fiction, she left academia in 2019 to work in the tech sector. Her debut novel, These Burning Stars (2023), won the 2024 Philip K. Dick Award. She lives with her wife in Buffalo, New York.

Bridget Smith at JABberwocky Literary Agency sold World English rights for two standalone novels to Orbit US Editor Tiana Coven and Orbit UK commissioning editor Emily Byron.