February 1, 2012
Uncle Flower’s Homecoming Waltz
In the war that never ends, dreaming the future is a mixed blessing.
January 25, 2012
The Situation
There was nothing as strange as what we endure now.
January 4, 2012
Swift, Brutal Retaliation
You can't win a ghostly prank war with your dead big brother. Only survive it.
December 14, 2011
A Clean Sweep With All the Trimmings
Courteous guys, bulletproof dolls.
As part of the run up to the final book in the Wheel of Time series, Tor.com will be releasing free wallpapers of all available ebook art! First up is the initial book in the series: The Eye of the World, illustrated by David Grove.
Check out this short process post on how the ebook art was created, or just get straight to downloading!
Cat Adams’ Isis Collar, the latest in the Blood Singer series, is due out on March 13th. This month, Tor Books is making it easy to get acquainted with the series by releasing the ebooks for only $2.99 each.
The first part of the story consists of the three novels:
All three of which are now discounted and available for Kindle, Nook, and through the iBookstore (U.S. only) from now until March 9th.
Need some recommendations? The Locus Recommended Reading List for 2011 has just been released. This list covers everything from SFF novels to short fiction to art books, and can help you get caught up on anything you might have missed in the last calendar year. Congratulations to everyone and a great big thank you to Locus Online for including some Tor.com stories in the mix!
Macmillan titles in general have a great showing amongst the recommendations. Full list below the cut.
We have collected a few of our favorite stories from 2011 and put them together in a mini free ebook, free for downloading. Of course, you can always read the stories for free right here, whenever you’d like, but for those that like to move about Some of the Best of Tor.com 2011 will be available Feb 14th. Kindle readers can pre-order now, it will be available at other retailers on the 14th.
For over a decade, Barnes & Noble buyer Jim Killen has been a driving force behind Barnes & Noble’s science fiction and fantasy sections. Each month on Tor.com, Mr. Killen curates a list of science fiction & fantasy titles, sometimes focused on upcoming titles and sometimes focused on a theme.
We just finished exploring Military Science Fiction in January. Now check out the Barnes & Noble science fiction and fantasy picks for February.
The Wheel of Time is a truly epic fantasy series, spanning three decades and fourteen books, and representing many lifetimes’ worth of creativity both on and off the page. Its world is staggeringly detailed and full of mystery and the rewards for those who delve into it are immense.
With the promised final volume of the series well underway, now is a perfect time for fans of epic fantasy to see what all the fuss is about. To that end, Tor Books is making From the Two Rivers, the beginning of The Wheel of Time, available as an ebook for only 99 cents.
From the Two Rivers is available from all ebook retailers and for all devices, including Nook, Kindle, and iPad.
“Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten . . .”
In honor of the Year of the Dragon, Tor Books is excited to announce that the first three novels in Robert Jordan’s beloved internationally bestselling The Wheel of Time® fantasy series will be published for the first time in trade paperback with sensational new cover art. The Eye of the World is scheduled for May 2012, The Great Hunt for June 2012, and The Dragon Reborn for July 2012.
As Harriet MacDougal and Brandon Sanderson work to complete A Memory of Light, the final volume in the series, the timing is perfect for millions of Wheel of Time fans to go back to the very beginning, when five kids from Emond’s Field had little idea of what lay ahead. Whether you’ve read the series once, a dozen times, lapsed after book eight, or are just coming to it fresh for the first time, these new editions are a perfect jumping off point for a fresh readthrough.
Over the last several days we’ve explored various aspects of Military Science Fiction in the form of articles, book appreciations, and excerpts. (You can see it all collected in the Military SF index.) Thank you to all the contributors and readers who have all provided us with insight into this venerable sub-genre.
Most of all, we’d like to take a moment and thank all of those for whom military service is not limited to discussion, but action, as well. To those that have made real sacrifices in service to their countries: We thank you.
For the month of January, Jim Killen, the buyer in charge of Barnes & Noble’s SFF selection and curator of the Barnes & Noble Bookseller’s Picks, has chosen a military science fiction theme! In conjuction with the appreciations and excerpts, we’ll be exploring this subgenre with original articles from our own contributors along with some of the biggest name authors of military science fiction.
Some highlights include: Jo Walton on Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga, John Scalzi’s thoughts on the film version of Starship Troopers, and Liz Bourke on women in military science fiction. We’ll also hear from Myke Cole, David Drake, Tim Maughan, Ron Hogan, Rajan Khanna, Emily Asher-Perrin, Ryan Britt, and more.
Below are the 15 titles we’ll be covering as this month’s B&N picks:
Well, Bowie Week has been awful nice—really quite out of sight, you might say—and we want to thank you all for coming along for the wild ride through all the glittery highlights of David Bowie’s spectacular, iconic career. Thanks especially to our bloggers for sharing some of their favorite musical moments, memories and performances: all of these (inter)stellar posts have been collected in our handy Bowie Week index. We’d also like to give a special shout-out to artist Scott Brundage for giving Stubby a fabulous, Ziggy Stardust-inspired makeover this week—Stubby, of course, is a huge glam rock fan from way back (but don’t get Stubby started about life on Mars…) To close out the week, we’d like to leave you with a post full of some of our favorite photos of the man himself, along with a couple of his SFF-esque music videos!
Finally, happy birthday once again to the starman of the hour, whose creativity, fearlessness, and willingness to push boundaries have inspired so many of us, and will undoubtedly continue to inspire fans far into the future.
What were the best science fiction/fantasy stories you read this past year? Or the best comics? Or the best covers?
Forget about “the best,” really, what new releases in 2011 did you enjoy the most?
Whatever those selections may be, now is your chance to vote for them in the Tor.com 2011 Readers’ Choice Awards! From now until 11:59 PM Friday, January 20th, we’re encouraging Tor.com readers (and SFF fans in general) to vote for their favorites in the following four categories.
How to Vote: All votes are write-ins. You can vote for as many titles, stories, and covers released as you want in the comment thread of this post.
[Click for more information on eligible titles and a reminder of what came out in 2011]
Happy birthday to rock demigod David Bowie, who turns 65 today…although somehow, we can’t quite believe it. One of the most versatile, innovative performers of the last century, Bowie’s shifting musical personas— from psychedelic spaceman to androgynous Messianic alien to trippy Orwellian antihero to retro-futuristic cabaret act—have put him in a completely different class from most mortals. He hasn’t simply evolved over the years: he practically regenerates. We’re not saying that he’s a secret Time Lord...but if he was, would anyone really be surprised?
Kristen Simmons, author of Article 5 will be going on tour next month and in March, and you don’t want to miss it! For those of you in need of a primer, here’s an excerpt from the book — and we have ARCs to give away if you just can’t wait for your copy. Check out the tour dates and locations below!
The Hugo Awards, one of the most prestigious awards for science fiction and fantasy works, has opened voting for this year’s nominees. Voting for nominees requires a supporting membership for Chicon 7, which is hosting the Hugo Awards this year. Supporting memberships are only available for purchase until January 31st. Any person who was or is a member of the 2011, 2012, or 2013 Worldcons as of January 31, 2012, is already eligible to nominate for the 2012 Hugo Awards. The voting itself closes at midnight (Pacific time) on March 11. Check out the full rules here. If you’re already a supporting member, you can download nomination forms here.
Chicon 7 will be held in Chicago, IL from August 30th through September 3rd 2012. Details on their site here.
Additionally, voting for the Nebula Award nominees is still open. The Nebula Awards are voted on by active members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. (SFWA for short). Nebula nominations are open through Wednesday, February 15, and the form is here; you must be a SFWA member, and logged in, to nominate. Here is a detailed description of how the voting works.
Several Tor.com stories are eligible for nomination for both the Hugo and the Nebula Awards this year. Click here for a full list.
Go forth and nominate!
Halo: Primordium, the second book in Greg Bear’s Forerunner trilogy, is out in stores today. Primordium continues the story of the enigmatic creators and builders of the Halos that began in Halo: Cryptum. In the wake of the apparent self-destruction of the Forerunner empire, two humans — Chakas and Riser — end up on a strange inverted world where horizons rise into the sky. Their epic journey across this damaged Halo takes them into the domain of a powerful and monstrous intelligence who claims to be the Last Precursor. Called the Captive by Forerunners, and the Primordial by ancient humans, this intelligence has taken charge of, and perverted, the Master Builder’s already horrifying research into the Flood. Chakas and Riser unwittingly become trapped in an ancient game of vengeance between the powers who seeded the galaxy with life and the Forerunners, who have taken up the sacred Mantle of duty to protect all living things.
“As we head into the launch year for Halo 4, more and more fans are begging for answers to a lot of questions,” says Frank O’Connor, Franchise Development Director at 343 Industries. “In Primordium, Greg answers those, and a bunch you never even thought to ask and introduces some new mysteries that will have a resounding and lasting effect on the Halo universe.”
Fans of Halo can read the first chapter right here on Tor.com.
We’ve got a special treat for Wheel of Time fans: free downloadable desktop wallpaper from A Memory of Light! The wallpaper features the newly designed snake wheel from the series, crafted by artist Sam Weber (artist on the ebook edition of The Shadow Rising.)
A note for those wondering, this is not the decided-upon cover for the final book. We thought it would be fun to give fans a chance to wear their colors while a decision is being made in regards to the final cover.
Congratulations to our namesake, Tor/Forge Books, for achieving 30 New York Times bestselling books this year! This annihilates their 2010 release list of 20 bestsellers, which in itself was a new record for the publisher!
As of the end of this week, those 30 books are.
Quite a night for epic fantasy fans, first The Hobbit trailer goes live, then Brandon Sanderson (studiously avoiding watching any trailers, we imagine) finishes the first draft of the final Wheel of Time novel, A Memory of Light.
Sanderson announced topping this particular summit around 8:30 AM this morning, having written through the night. According to his Twitter account, the first half of 2012 will involve careful revision so that the final installment can stand as a shining example of the best that the series has to offer.
The Tor/Forge blog is hosting the monthly twitter chat tomorrow, and this one is a holiday special! It goes from 4-5pm (EST) Wednesday, December 21 under the hashtag #torchat.
This month the chat will focus on a fun-filled 2011 Year Review. Tor Books (@torbooks) and other SFF folks (including Tor.com’s very own Ryan Britt!) will be talking about their favorite books of the year and giving recommendations for last-minute gift giving — or for a few gifts you may want to give yourself. They’d love to hear your picks as well, so drop in and talk about what a great year it’s been!
#Torchat happens in the middle of each month and you can check here on on the Tor/Forge blog for info, authors, and times.
Macmillan Audio is giving away two collections of all 14 audiobooks of the Wheel of Time series.
Go here to register for the sweepstakes, which ends on 11:59 PM on December 24. Two entrants will be randomly chosen to receive the audiobook versions of all 14 published Wheel of Time books, from New Spring to Towers of Midnight.
