December 2015

Thu Dec 31

Cocktail Culture on the Moon by Ian McDonald

King Lear: The Syntax and Scansion of Insanity by Brian Staveley

Getting the Archaeology Right in Fantasy Fiction by Alter S. Reiss

Fiction Affliction: January Releases in Urban Fantasy and Horror by Suzanne Johnson

Unreliable Histories: Language as Power in The Tempest by Katharine Duckett

Wed Dec 30

Julius Caesar Dies, Wills the Modern Movie Blockbuster to the People by Chris Lough

5 Aspects of Science Fiction That Are Far From Childish by Ryan Britt

Cants, Cans, and Don’ts: The Expanse “CQB” by Leah Schnelbach

You Can Find Your Grail: The Religious Relics of The Last Crusade by Leah Schnelbach

Fiction Affliction: Genre-Benders for January by Suzanne Johnson

What the F*ck, Iago? by Max Gladstone

Tue Dec 29

Star Trek The Original Series Rewatch: “Mirror, Mirror” by Keith R.A. DeCandido

Last Christmas, I Gave Kali Ma My Heart: The Religious Relics of Temple of Doom by Leah Schnelbach

Short Fiction Spotlight: The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2015 edited by John Joseph Adams and Joe Hill (Part 2) by Lee Mandelo

Sleeps With Monsters: Books To Look Forward To In The First Half Of 2016 by Liz Bourke

Fiction Affliction: January Releases in Science Fiction by Suzanne Johnson

Alike in Dignity: Feuding Houses in Romeo and Juliet by Jo Walton

Mon Dec 28

Beyond Muppet Good and Evil: The Dark Crystal by Bridget McGovern

The Comedy of Errors and Doppelgänger Stories: When Finding Your Missing Piece Means Finding Yourself by Natalie Zutter

What’s In the Box? The Religious Relics of Raiders of the Lost Ark by Leah Schnelbach

If You Don’t Keep Your Feet: How the Journey Changes You by Emmet Asher-Perrin

Fiction Affliction: January Releases in Fantasy by Suzanne Johnson

Bending Shakespeare by Alex Brown

Sat Dec 26

Happy Ever After Doesn’t Mean Forever. Doctor Who: “The Husbands of River Song” by Emmet Asher-Perrin

Thu Dec 24

The Harry Potter Reread: The Half-Blood Prince, Chapters 29 and 30 by Emmet Asher-Perrin

Meta, Irony, Narrative, Frames, and The Princess Bride by Jo Walton

Frohe (Star Wars) Weihnachten! by Natalie Zutter

The Shootout Solution Audio Excerpt by Alex Calamela

Imagination and Wish Fulfillment in Michael Ende’s The Neverending Story by Margaret Fortune

Wed Dec 23

Saga4Ham is Your New Favorite Hamilton Mashup by Natalie Zutter

The Seventh Sense of the Strange: Year’s Best Weird, Volume 2 by Theresa DeLucci

How Do We Categorize The Nightmare Before Christmas? by Max Gladstone

An Ambiguous Ending: Phantasy Star II Replay (Part 3) by Peter Tieryas

You Can’t Avoid Emotional Shrapnel in The Expanse: “Remember the Cant” by Leah Schnelbach

God Bless Pastiche! The 7 Best Non-Traditional Christmas Carols of Film and TV by Ryan Britt

A New Hope Awakens: A Star Wars Newbie Watches The Force Awakens by Ava Jarvis

Deadpool’s Chimichanga is Enormous by Stubby the Rocket

Tue Dec 22

SpaceX Launched a Rocket… and Then Landed It by Natalie Zutter

Star Trek The Original Series Rewatch: “The Apple” by Keith R.A. DeCandido

Short Fiction Spotlight: The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2015 edited by John Joseph Adams and Joe Hill (Part 1) by Lee Mandelo

The Wheel of Time Reread Redux: The Dragon Reborn, Part 2 by Leigh Butler

Merry Christmas From the Void: Holiday Poems by Ruthanna Emrys and Anne M. Pillsworth

Sleeps With Monsters: Looking Back On 2015 by Liz Bourke

The Ten Best Christmas Miracles in TV History by Leah Schnelbach

A Daunting Ice Planet: Phantasy Star II Replay (Part 2) by Peter Tieryas

Mon Dec 21

Should We Just Let Santa Die Already? (Asks L. Frank Baum) by Bridget McGovern

One Fan’s Blow-By-Blow Reaction to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, or, How Episode VII Made Me Sob Continuously in Front of My Friends Forever by Emmet Asher-Perrin

11 Odd, Campy, and Surreal Holiday Specials that Should be Classics by Bridget McGovern

I Think Die Hard Might be a Fairy Tale by Max Gladstone

The Uses Of History in Hamilton: An American Musical by Sumana Harihareswara

Gaming Utopia: Phantasy Star II Replay (Part 1) by Peter Tieryas

What We Learned About the Star Wars Universe From The Force Awakens by Natalie Zutter and Chris Lough

Tor.com Will Be Closed to Unsolicited Short Fiction Submissions by Tor.com

The Bands of Mourning: Chapter Three by Brandon Sanderson

The Golden Trio has Been Cast for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child! by Emmet Asher-Perrin

Fri Dec 18

Curiosity Basically Re-Enacting The Force Awakens Over on Mars by Chris Lough

Holy Rewatch Batman! “The Penguin Goes Straight” / “Not Yet He Ain’t” by Keith R.A. DeCandido

Michael C. Hall Appropriately Becomes David Bowie in Performance of David Bowie Musical by Stubby the Rocket

Anime Year in Review: The Ten Best Shows of 2015 by Kelly Quinn Chiu

Karaoke Is Magic! by Charlie Jane Anders

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is Here. Will You Love It? by Emmet Asher-Perrin

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Spoiler Thread by Stubby the Rocket

Forgotten Bestsellers: The Ninth Configuration by Grady Hendrix

Introducing the True Star of The Force Awakens by Stubby the Rocket

Michael Moorcock is The Eternal Champion by Tor.com

Thu Dec 17

The Harry Potter Reread: The Half-Blood Prince, Chapters 27 and 28 by Emmet Asher-Perrin

The Arrival of Computer Animation: The Rescuers Down Under by Mari Ness

The Sun Sets on Syfy’s Lackluster Childhood’s End Miniseries by Natalie Zutter

Announcing A New Adam Christopher Novella! by Tor.com

A Read of Ice and Fire: “The Rogue Prince” by Leigh Butler

Watch Charlie Jane Anders’ TEDx Talk on Science vs. Nature and All the Birds in the Sky by Natalie Zutter

Words of Radiance Reread: Chapter 64 by Alice Arneson

Let’s See Some Magic: Syfy’s The Magicians by Molly Templeton

Wizards and Politics: Fantastic Thrillers by Alyx Dellamonica

Applied Kant: The Thing Itself by Adam Roberts by Niall Alexander

Towering “Khaleesi” Building Planned for New York City by Chris Lough

Wed Dec 16

Profound Indifference: Meeting Infinity, edited by Jonathan Strahan by Liz Bourke

Pull List: The Top Comic Books of 2015, Part 2 by Alex Brown

Sounds of Star Wars: The Audio Dramas by Alan Brown

Get Ready for Our Phantasy Star II Replay! by Stubby the Rocket

Rereading The Elfstones of Shannara, Chapters 48 and 49 by Aidan Moher

Syfy’s Childhood’s End Cares Too Much About Its Characters by Natalie Zutter

Jimmy Fallon and The Roots Create Ultimate Star Wars Medley With the Force Awakens Cast by Stubby the Rocket

Malazan Reread of the Fallen: Crack’d Pot Trail Wrap Up by Bill Capossere

We’re Ready To Call the New Ghostbusters! by Stubby the Rocket

The Expanse: “The Big Empty” Focuses on Character Rather than Action by Leah Schnelbach

I Am Catwoman, Hear Me Roar by Leah Schnelbach

Where to Start with Diana Wynne Jones by Alex Brown

Ten Questions with Alexander Gordon Smith by Stubby the Rocket

Tue Dec 15

The Brainery Workshop is Offering Writing Classes with Tor Authors and Editors! by Stubby the Rocket

Midnight Taxi Tango by Daniel José Older

Star Trek The Original Series Rewatch: “The Changeling” by Keith R.A. DeCandido

There is One Decent Moment in The Star Wars Holiday Special, But We’re Still Sorry For Talking About It by Leah Schnelbach and Emmet Asher-Perrin

Now That’s How You Reveal a Secret Identity! by Natalie Zutter

Pull List: The Top Comic Books of 2015, Part 1 by Alex Brown

Nnedi Okorafor’s The Camel Racer to Be Developed By Disney’s Triggerfish Story Lab by Natalie Zutter

The Wheel of Time Reread Redux: The Dragon Reborn, Part 1 by Leigh Butler

Syfy’s Childhood’s End Updates a Classic to Ask Big Questions by Leah Schnelbach

I’m Too Sexy for This City: “The Quest of Iranon” by Anne M. Pillsworth and Ruthanna Emrys

A Risky Adaptation: Syfy’s The Expanse by Justin Landon

Sleeps With Monsters: Tempus Fugit by Liz Bourke

The Pros and Cons of That Star Trek Beyond Trailer by Chris Lough and Ryan Britt

The First Fantastic Beasts Trailer is Here! by Stubby the Rocket

Cold Fires by M. Rickert

Which Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Crewmember Could You Beat Up? by Chris Lough

Mon Dec 14

We’ve Got Your Festivity Right Here: Listen to Neil Gaiman Read A Christmas Carol! by Stubby the Rocket

The Makers of Coraline are Doing a Samurai Movie! Watch the Trailer for Kubo and the Two Strings by Chris Lough

Sci-Fi/Fantasy Christmas Books That Are Naughty…and Nice by Chris Lough and Natalie Zutter

You Had Us At “African Game of Thrones”, Then You Started Talking About Magical Appendices! by Stubby the Rocket

Animal Author Bios from Ann VanderMeer’s The Bestiary Anthology by Stubby the Rocket

Watch the First Trailer for Star Trek: Beyond! by Chris Lough

What’s the Best Holiday Gift You Can Give? Fanfiction! by Natalie Zutter

Tor Books Acquires Annalee Newitz’s Novel Autonomous by Tor.com

Independence Day: Resurgence Sequel Trailer Boldly Ushers in the 1990s by Chris Lough

Doctor Who: Half Human or All Time Lord? by Alan Sizzler Kistler

The Bands of Mourning: Chapter Two by Brandon Sanderson

Holy “Batman ’66 Labels” Twitter, Batman! by Stubby the Rocket

Fri Dec 11

Astronauts Do the Silliest Dances in Zero Gravity by Chris Lough

Holy Rewatch Batman! “The Purr-fect Crime” / “Better Luck Next Time” by Keith R.A. DeCandido

Five Books with an Australian Perspective by Jackie Hatton

Credible Creatures in Space: Peter Watts’ Blindsight by Joshua V. Scher

Malazan Reread of the Fallen: Crack’d Pot Trail Part Eleven by Bill Capossere

Forgotten Bestsellers: Burnt Offerings by Grady Hendrix

You’ve Never Felt Power Like This X-Men: Apocalypse Trailer by Natalie Zutter

Team Dynamics: Revisiting Nemesis Games by Renay Williams

Thu Dec 10

The Harry Potter Reread: The Half-Blood Prince, Chapters 25 and 26 by Emmet Asher-Perrin

Disney’s Renaissance: The Little Mermaid by Mari Ness

Stephen Colbert Uses His Extensive Tolkien Knowledge in the Name of Justice by Natalie Zutter

It’s Time to Bask in the Glory of Captain Picard’s Holiday Spectacular! by Stubby the Rocket

A Read of Ice and Fire: “The Princess and the Queen” Part 3 by Leigh Butler

Patrick Rothfuss, Dan Harmon, and Justin Roiland will Join the MST3K Revival! by Leah Schnelbach

Will Idris Elba Helm a New Franchise With Stephen King’s The Dark Tower? by Natalie Zutter

Words of Radiance Reread: Chapter 63 by Alice Arneson

A Humble Suggestion that You Add ADBC: A Rock Opera to Your Regular Holiday Viewing by Leah Schnelbach

Chinese Trailer for The Force Awakens Brings Even More New Footage by Natalie Zutter

Legends Emerge: Children of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel Kay by Niall Alexander

The Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Novelization Gave Us the Vague Shape of the Prequels by Emmet Asher-Perrin

Live Action The Tick Will Return, With Patrick Warburton! by Chris Lough

Nature Abhors a Vacuum: Rereading Cibola Burn by Stefan Raets

See Ada Lovelace, 200 Years Old Today, As She Lives Through the Centuries by Tor.com

Watch the First Trailer for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows by Chris Lough

Wed Dec 9

Check out the Special Leatherbound Edition of Brandon Sanderson’s Elantris! by Stubby the Rocket

Poor BB-8 Doesn’t Pass NASA’s Test for Space Travel by Natalie Zutter

Monsters and Romance: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Mid-Season Finale by Alan Brown

Rereading The Elfstones of Shannara, Chapters 45–47 by Aidan Moher

Malazan Reread of the Fallen: Crack’d Pot Trail, Part Ten by Bill Capossere

The Sci-Fi/Fantasy Characters We Couldn’t Stop Talking About in 2015 by Stubby the Rocket

Dark Horse to Publish Margaret Atwood’s First Graphic Novel, Angel Catbird by Natalie Zutter

Cliffhangers and Character Arcs: Adapting Abaddon’s Gate by Liz Bourke

The Log Goblin by Brian Staveley

See 1,705 Exoplanets in Orbit All at Once by Leah Schnelbach

Tue Dec 8

NOS4A2 Is Coming to Feast on the Souls of TV Viewers! by Stubby the Rocket

Supergirl and Mind Control: Variations on a Theme by Natalie Zutter

Star Trek The Original Series Rewatch: “Wolf in the Fold” by Keith R.A. DeCandido

Ewoks Are Not a Good Enough Reason to Hate On Star Wars: Return of the Jedi by Emmet Asher-Perrin

The Reluctant Pilot by Sylvia Spruck Wrigley

The Wheel of Time Reread Redux: The Great Hunt, Part 27 by Leigh Butler

The Same Thing We Do Every Night, Brain: “Hypnos” by Ruthanna Emrys and Anne M. Pillsworth

It is Your Destiny to Watch the Trailer for Netflix’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Sequel by Natalie Zutter

Sleeps With Monsters: Space Opera and Explosions by Liz Bourke

The Expanse’s Line in the Sand: Caliban’s War by Justin Landon

Where to Find the Best Sci-Fi & Fantasy Short Fiction Recommendations Online by Stubby the Rocket

Mon Dec 7

Get Off My Planet. Doctor Who: “Hell Bent” by Emmet Asher-Perrin

Jurassic London to Publish Special Illustrated Edition of Daniel Polansky’s The Builders! by Stubby the Rocket

Intersection: Here’s What Happens When You Read The Water Knife and The Peripheral At The Same Time by Fran Wilde

Why Peter Capaldi is the Über-Doctor by Ryan Britt

Josh Hutcherson is Playing Denny in James Franco’s The Room Biopic! by Natalie Zutter

Waking the Giant: Rereading Leviathan Wakes by Aidan Moher

The Bands of Mourning: Chapter One by Brandon Sanderson

Readers’ Choice: Best Books of 2015 by Stubby the Rocket

Oral Argument by Kim Stanley Robinson

Fri Dec 4

Science Says: Octopus Brains are Something More Than Human… by Stubby the Rocket

Holy Rewatch Batman! “True or False Face” / “Holy Rat Race” by Keith R.A. DeCandido

Barnes & Noble Bookseller’s Picks for December by Tor.com

Queen Latifah IS the Wizard of Oz: NBC’s The Wiz by Mari Ness

Malazan Reread of the Fallen: Crack’d Pot Trail, Part Nine by Bill Capossere

Jessica Jones is Uniquely Qualified by Tansy Rayner Roberts

The Dragonlance Chronicles Reread: Dragons of Winter Night Part II, Chapters 6 and 7 by Jared Shurin and Mahvesh Murad

The Comedy of Errors and Doppelgänger Stories: When Finding Your Missing Piece Means Finding Yourself by Natalie Zutter

He’s Not Luke Skywalker, But He Is Here To Rescue Your Morning by Stubby the Rocket

Thu Dec 3

The Harry Potter Reread: The Half-Blood Prince, Chapters 23 and 24 by Emmet Asher-Perrin

HBO Teases Game of Thrones Season 6: “They Have No Idea What’s Going to Happen” by Natalie Zutter

Pain, Humanity, and Ascension: Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid” by Mari Ness

Fantasy in Shades of Grey: David Gemmell’s Wolf in Shadow by Duncan Lay

Cover Reveal for Christina Henry’s Red Queen by Tor.com

A Read of Ice and Fire: “The Princess and the Queen” Part 2 by Leigh Butler

Doomsday and Lord of the Rings Cave Troll are Best Friends Forever by Chris Lough

Patsy’s Gonna Save You, Jessica Jones by Tansy Rayner Roberts

Words of Radiance Reread: Chapter 62 by Alice Arneson

Upcoming Fiction on Tor.com in December and January by Tor.com

Midnight in Karachi Episode 39: Hermione Eyre and Viper Wine by Mahvesh Murad

The Builders Audio Excerpt by Danielle Prielipp

Do Not Read the Empire Strikes Back Novelization, It Will Only Make You Sad by Emmet Asher-Perrin

Galloping Straight Into Our Hearts: The Greatest Horses of Fantasy by Stubby the Rocket

The New Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Trailer Proves This Was All Lex Luthor’s Idea by Natalie Zutter

Turkish Court to Decide Whether Comparing the Turkish President to Gollum is an Insult by Stubby the Rocket

Wed Dec 2

You Don’t Tell Harrison Ford What to Do on Late-Night TV by Natalie Zutter

Rereading The Elfstones of Shannara, Chapters 42–44 by Aidan Moher

Jessica Jones Takes Control… by Tansy Rayner Roberts

Samurai Jack is Returning to TV in 2016! by Natalie Zutter

(Re)Reading Melanie Rawn’s Dragon Trilogies: The Final Frontier by Judith Tarr

Read All of Michael Swanwick’s Mongolian Wizard Saga in One Place by Tor.com

Malazan Reread of the Fallen: Crack’d Pot Trail, Part Eight by Bill Capossere

Forever Autumn: Gollancz Announces Another War of the Worlds by Niall Alexander

An 8-Year-Old’s Perspective on The Good Dinosaur (Sort Of) by Lee Harris

Forgotten Bestsellers: Koko by Peter Straub by Grady Hendrix

Tor.com Reviewers’ Choice: The Best Books of 2015 by Tor.com

The Phantom in the Maze by Michael Swanwick

Holy Crap, The Force Awakens is Out in 16 Days??!! by Stubby the Rocket

Tue Dec 1

Short Fiction Spotlight: Falling in Love with Hominids by Nalo Hopkinson by Lee Mandelo

Japan’s Folklore Chronicler, Shigeru Mizuki (1922-2015) by Ada Palmer

Supergirl Reminds Us Why Female Entrepreneurs and Superheroes Can’t Get Angry by Natalie Zutter

Spend December Contemplating the Bond Between Animal and Man! by Tor.com

Watch Toy Stormtroopers Build a Christmas Tree by Chris Lough

The Wheel of Time Reread Redux: The Great Hunt, Part 26 by Leigh Butler

J.J. Abrams Wrote The Force Awakens’ Cantina Music with Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda by Natalie Zutter

Neil deGrasse Tyson to Foolish Human: “The Enterprise is Obviously the Best” by Chris Lough

Everyone Loves Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Because Han Solo is the Hero by Emmet Asher-Perrin

Sometimes a Skull-Faced Lotus is Just a Skull-Faced Lotus: “Ex Oblivione” and “What the Moon Brings” by Anne M. Pillsworth and Ruthanna Emrys

Fiber by Seanan McGuire

Sleeps With Monsters: S.L. Huang Answers Nine Questions by Liz Bourke

What Rape Apologists Need to Learn From Jessica Jones by Natalie Zutter

Jessica Jones Wants You To Do The Hero Thing by Tansy Rayner Roberts

How Horror Saved My Life (And Why Writing Horror is Good for the Soul) by Alexander Gordon Smith

Did You Catch Stubby the Rocket’s Cameo on The Man in the High Castle? by Natalie Zutter