Blog Archive
January 2019
Thu Jan 31
All the New Genre-Bending Books Coming Out in February!
by Tor.com
Strange Lands: The Kingdom of Copper By S.A. Chakraborty
by Mahvesh Murad
Five Inhospitable Planets from Science Fiction
by Kelly Jensen
Hans Christian Andersen’s Apparent Obsession With Feet
by Mari Ness
Is The Moon is a Harsh Mistress Heinlein’s All-Time Greatest Work?
by Alan Brown
Knife Fights, Lockpicking, and Other Things I’ve Done to Become a Better Writer
by April Henry
Deriving Life
by Elizabeth Bear
Oathbringer Reread: Chapter Sixty-Three
by Alice Arneson and Lyndsey Luther
Wed Jan 30
Excellent Fan Theory Time: Robocop is a Prequel to Starship Troopers
by Emmet Asher-Perrin
All the Young Adult SFF Books Coming Out in February!
by Tor.com
Why The Good Place Has Television’s Most Divine Will They/Won’t They
by Leah Schnelbach
Sleep Deprivation of the Gods: Jeremiah Tolbert’s “The Dreamers of Alamoi”
by Anne M. Pillsworth and Ruthanna Emrys
Rise Up: Reckoning of Fallen Gods by R.A. Salvatore
by Aidan Moher
Circus Girl, The Hunter, and Mirror Boy
by Neon Yang
Download the January-February 2019 Tor.com Short Fiction Newsletter
by Tor.com
Tue Jan 29
A Huge Mess—Marvel’s The Punisher Season Two
by Keith R.A. DeCandido
All the New Science Fiction Books Coming Out in February!
by Tor.com
Sleeps With Monsters: Epic Fantasy and Feminism in The Women’s War and The Ruin of Kings
by Liz Bourke
The Mysterious Discipline of Narratologists: Why We Need Stories to Make Sense
by Arkady Martine
Instruments of Our Own Destruction: Vigilance by Robert Jackson Bennett
by Martin Cahill
Reading The Ruin of Kings: Chapters 15 and 16
by Leigh Butler
The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons: Chapters 15 and 16
by Jenn Lyons
Get Amazing SFF Reads (for Free!) with the New Tor.com Short Fiction Newsletter!
by Tor.com
Reading the Wheel of Time: Ba’alzamon’s Lies in Robert Jordan’s The Great Hunt (Part 26)
by Sylas K Barrett
Mon Jan 28
Outlander Season Finale: Who Are the “Men of Worth” in Season 4?
by Natalie Zutter
Rereading the Vorkosigan Saga: Cryoburn, Chapters 1 and 2
by Ellen Cheeseman-Meyer
A Girl’s Life is No Picnic: Andre Norton’s Steel Magic
by Judith Tarr
Black Lightning’s Second Season Explores Young Love and Redemption
by Brandon O'Brien
All the New Fantasy Books Coming Out in February!
by Tor.com
In “New Eden” Was Captain Pike Wrong About Star Trek’s Prime Directive?
by Ryan Britt
The Birds of Prey Movie Has a New Title and A Daring Look
by Emmet Asher-Perrin
A Tool Can Also Be a Weapon: How Stories Can Change Reality
by Robert Jackson Bennett
Hidden Depths: Revealing C.S.E. Cooney’s Desdemona and the Deep
by Tor.com
Read “A Fire Within the Ways,” a Wheel of Time Deleted Novella Featured in Unfettered III
by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
Fri Jan 25
5 Books that Give Voice to Artificial Intelligence
by Tansy Rayner Roberts and Rivqa Rafael
Absurdist Allegory Unclay is Back in Print at Last
by Matthew Keeley
A Few Too Many Strings — Avengers: Age of Ultron
by Keith R.A. DeCandido
India’s Enduring Love for Archie Comics
by Reneysh Vittal
Simple Pleasures Are the Best — Star Trek: Discovery’s “New Eden”
by Keith R.A. DeCandido
Stay Frosty: 5 SF Narratives About Global Cooling
by James Davis Nicoll
Thu Jan 24
Hidden Depths and Dangerous Waters: Ship of Smoke and Steel by Django Wexler
by Martin Cahill
Layers of Strangeness: Shadow Captain by Alastair Reynolds
by Niall Alexander
Read “Hell Rode With Her,” a Novelette Set Before David Mack’s The Iron Codex
by David Mack
Give Your D&D Characters Strange Diseases With This Brand New Supplement!
by Stubby the Rocket
Meet the Voices Behind Kihrin, Talon, and Thurvishar in Excerpts from The Ruin of Kings Audiobook
by Tor.com
Ted Nasmith Is the Bob Ross of Middle-earth
by Jeff LaSala
Oathbringer Reread: Chapter Sixty-Two
by Alice Arneson, Lyndsey Luther and Aubree Pham
Wed Jan 23
The Wheel of Time TV Series to Start Production in Fall 2019
by Stubby the Rocket
Fast, Fun Fantasy: Song of the Dead by Sarah Glenn Marsh
by Liz Bourke
No Bargains at the Used Tome Store: Karl Edward Wagner’s “I’ve Come to Talk With You Again”
by Anne M. Pillsworth and Ruthanna Emrys
Glass Is an Unnecessary Sequel that Undercuts Unbreakable
by Emmet Asher-Perrin
5 SFF Stories About Surviving the Dangers of Boarding School
by James Davis Nicoll
Bad Dads Make for Family-Friendly Drama, But Bad Moms Are the Stuff of Nightmares
by Emmet Asher-Perrin
His Footsteps, Through Darkness and Light
by Mimi Mondal
Tue Jan 22
Sleeps With Monsters: Queering Classic Fantasy Stories
by Liz Bourke
Vultures by Chuck Wendig is the Perfect End to Miriam’s Story
by Alex Brown
For The Killing of Kings
by Howard Andrew Jones
Swashbuckling Fantasy with Political Intrigue: A Labyrinth of Scions and Sorcery by Curtis Craddock
by Liz Bourke
The Federation Allowed Families On Starships to Keep Starfleet Enlistment Up
by Emmet Asher-Perrin
5 Young Adult Novels That Blew Me Away
by Django Wexler
Why Science Fiction Authors Need to be Writing About Climate Change Right Now
by Charlie Jane Anders
Black Panther Nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars
by Stubby the Rocket
Reading The Ruin of Kings: Chapter 14
by Leigh Butler
The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons: Chapter 14
by Jenn Lyons
Challenging Your Average Human Lifespan — Revealing Longer by Michael Blumlein
by Tor.com
Reading the Wheel of Time: Despair and the Shadow in Robert Jordan’s The Great Hunt (Part 25)
by Sylas K Barrett
Mon Jan 21
Unicorn Magic with Realistic Underpinnings: Meredith Ann Pierce’s Birth of the Firebringer
by Judith Tarr
Rereading the Vorkosigan Saga: The Flowers of Vashnoi
by Ellen Cheeseman-Meyer
Meet Murderbot in Chapter One of Martha Wells’ All Systems Red
by Martha Wells
Did We ALL Write a Book About Space Elevators? (And Other Coincidences in Science Fiction)
by James Davis Nicoll
You Don’t Need to Understand Magic: The Gathering to Fully Enjoy Brandon Sanderson’s Children of the Nameless
by Aidan Moher
Five SFF Books that Subvert Gender Roles
by Amy Ewing
Pull List: Captain Marvel and Miles Morales: Spider-Man Get Back to Basics
by Alex Brown
Fri Jan 18
5 Books in Which Superpowers Have Unfortunate Side Effects
by Sarah Fine
Listen to the Echoes: The Ultimate Profile of Ray Bradbury
by Ian Martínez Cassmeyer
“This isn’t freedom, this is fear” — Captain America: The Winter Soldier
by Keith R.A. DeCandido
“Where’s my damn red thing?” — Star Trek: Discovery’s “Brother”
by Keith R.A. DeCandido
Robert Jordan’s Never-Before-Seen First Novel is Coming From Tor Books in 2019
by Tor.com
Gentle Giants: Rescue Dogs, Pet Adoption, and Lessons in Love and Survival
by Sarah Glenn Marsh
Thu Jan 17
Can You Ever Go Home Again? 9 Stories That Continue After Journey’s End
by Stubby the Rocket
Andre Norton’s Star Gate Inspired Me Before I Knew I Wanted to Write
by Martha Wells
Fairy Tales for Survivors: The Armless Maiden
by Mari Ness
The Perfect Blend of Adventure and Romance in The Sharing Knife: Beguilement by Lois McMaster Bujold
by Alan Brown
The Clarkson Twins Join The Wheel of Time TV Series Writers Room
by Stubby the Rocket
Five SFF Books about Family Drama
by S. A. Chakraborty
Oathbringer Reread: Chapter Sixty-One
by Alice Arneson, Lyndsey Luther and Aubree Pham
Wed Jan 16
Bad Influences From Atlantis: H.P. Lovecraft and Adolphe de Castro’s “The Last Test”
by Ruthanna Emrys and Anne M. Pillsworth
Here and Now and Then
by Mike Chen
“This must be what vengeance felt like”: Roshani Chokshi’s The Gilded Wolves
by Alex Brown
The Ethical Drama of Farscape’s John Crichton
by Arkady Martine
Stolen Bodies, Warped Minds—Wild Cards IX: Jokertown Shuffle
by Katie Rask
Revealing Radicalized, A New Book From Cory Doctorow
by Tor.com
Beyond the El
by John Chu
Tue Jan 15
Tor.com Community is Seeking an In-House Publicity Coordinator
by Tor.com
Sleeps With Monsters: Phyllis Ann Karr’s Sword and Sorcery Novels
by Liz Bourke
A Fun Space Adventure: Yoon Ha Lee’s Dragon Pearl
by Ellen Cheeseman-Meyer
The Test
by Sylvain Neuvel
Download a Free Ebook of The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander Before January 19, 2019!
by Tor.com
Five Books About Bad-Ass Modern-day Magicians
by David Mack
Zombie Musicals are the Perfect Genre Mash-up
by Seanan McGuire
Reading The Ruin of Kings: Chapter 13
by Leigh Butler
The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons: Chapter 13
by Jenn Lyons
Watch the First Trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home!
by Stubby the Rocket
Reading the Wheel of Time: The Hubris of the Seanchan in Robert Jordan’s The Great Hunt (Part 24)
by Sylas K Barrett
Mon Jan 14
Rereading the Vorkosigan Saga: Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance, Chapter 25 and Epilogue
by Ellen Cheeseman-Meyer
Killer Flora, Fascinating Fauna: Andre Norton’s Voorloper
by Judith Tarr
Announcing the Nominees for the 2019 Philip K. Dick Award
by Tor.com
Vigilance
by Robert Jackson Bennett
SF Stories Featuring Abandoned Earths
by James Davis Nicoll
Five Fascinating Works of Israeli Speculative Fiction
by Eyal Kless
Highway to the Danger Zone: The Heterosexual Tragedy of Top Gun
by Sarah Gailey
Green Magic and Romance: Revealing Emily Tesh’s Silver in the Wood
by Ruoxi Chen
The Last Voyage of Skidbladnir
by Karin Tidbeck
Sun Jan 13
HBO Announces Game of Thrones Season 8 Premiere Date with a Starktastic New Teaser
by Stubby the Rocket
Fri Jan 11
Luna: Moon Rising
by Ian McDonald
Listen to an Audiobook Excerpt from David Weber’s Through Fiery Trials
by Tor.com
The Witch and the Winter King: Katherine Arden’s The Winter of the Witch
by Alex Brown
“I’d rather be a good man than a great king” — Thor: The Dark World
by Keith R.A. DeCandido
Five Books About the Magical Post-Apocalypse
by Shaun Barger
A Lean, Mean, Writing Machine: Jack Vance Was Science Fiction’s Tightest Worldbuilder
by Hector DeJean
Netflix’s Castlevania Adaptation Explores Hidden Depths
by Alex Livingston
Thu Jan 10
Eric Heisserer to Adapt Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse Books as Shadow and Bone TV Series
by Stubby the Rocket
Modern Folk Horror: Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss
by Leah Schnelbach
Snow White Learns Witchcraft: “Conversations with the Sea Witch”
by Theodora Goss
The Mirror World of the Dyslexic Novelist
by Rod Duncan
Fairness and Feathers: Reading Seanan McGuire’s In An Absent Dream
by Ruthanna Emrys
Netflix Shares New Trailer and Premiere Date for The Punisher Season 2
by Stubby the Rocket
Outlaw King Is a Lot Smarter About History Than Braveheart
by Michael Livingston
Here’s What You Need to Know about Wild Cards Before It Comes to TV
by Katie Rask
Oathbringer Reread: Chapter Sixty
by Alice Arneson, Lyndsey Luther and Aubree Pham
Wed Jan 9
Save the Whales, or Else: Nibedita Sen’s “Leviathan Sings to Me in the Deep”
by Anne M. Pillsworth and Ruthanna Emrys
Elegant and Eloquent: A Cathedral of Myth and Bone by Kat Howard
by Liz Bourke
Unlocking the Mystery of Procedurals (And Why We Love Them)
by Malka Older
Holding the Hill: The Wicked King by Holly Black
by Lee Mandelo
Captain Pike Sets a New Tone for Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 (Non-Spoiler Review)
by Ryan Britt
Putting Your Worst Foot Forward: Why You Should Play to Your Weaknesses as an Author
by Charlie Jane Anders
A Monster with a Name: Revealing the Cover to Jennifer Giesbrecht’s The Monster of Elendhaven
by Tor.com
Tue Jan 8
HBO Announces Game of Thrones Prequel Series Cast and Director SJ Clarkson
by Stubby the Rocket
SFWA Names William Gibson as Newest Damon Knight Grand Master
by Stubby the Rocket
Read an Excerpt from New SF Thriller The Kingdom
by Tor.com
Revising the Legacies of the Past: Middle Passage by Charles Johnson
by Nisi Shawl
Sleeps With Monsters: More Books to Look Forward to in 2019
by Liz Bourke
A Wish Your Heart Makes: In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire
by Alex Brown
Saturn’s Rings are Doomed, so Enjoy Them While You Can!
by James Davis Nicoll
Visit the Goblin Market in Illustrated Scenes from Seanan McGuire’s In An Absent Dream
by Tor.com
Carol Danvers Explains Skrulls vs. Kree in New Captain Marvel Trailer
by Stubby the Rocket
Reading The Ruin of Kings: Chapter 12
by Leigh Butler
The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons: Chapter 12
by Jenn Lyons
Reading the Wheel of Time: What’s in a Name? Egwene the Damane in Robert Jordan’s The Great Hunt (Part 23)
by Sylas K Barrett
Mon Jan 7
How “Wicked Girls” Inspired Wayward Children and Other Answers from Seanan McGuire
by Stubby the Rocket
Rereading the Vorkosigan Saga: Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance, Chapters 20-24
by Ellen Cheeseman-Meyer
Fantasy with Refreshingly Real Animals: Constance Ash’s The Horsegirl
by Judith Tarr
Pomegranates and Lollipops: Rereading Seanan McGuire’s Beneath the Sugar Sky
by Ruthanna Emrys
Did Star Trek: Discovery Just Make Harry Mudd Responsible For TNG’s Data?
by Ryan Britt
HBO Teases First Looks at Game of Thrones Season 8 and Watchmen
by Stubby the Rocket
How to Create a Wiki to Support Your Fantasy Worldbuilding
by Jenn Lyons
Read a Chapter From S. A. Chakraborty’s The Kingdom of Copper
by S. A. Chakraborty
Queering Hogwarts: Fantasy Books That Succeed Where Harry Potter Fails
by Jessica Needham
Get Deeply Comfortable With the Cover to Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth
by Tor.com
Fri Jan 4
A Realtime Breakdown On How Pottermore Made the Chamber of Secrets Weird For Me
by Emmet Asher-Perrin
Barnes & Noble Bookseller’s Picks for January
by Tor.com
Here’s Mudd in Your Eye — Star Trek’s “The Escape Artist”
by Keith R.A. DeCandido
“I’m just a man in a can” — Iron Man 3
by Keith R.A. DeCandido
Listen to an Audiobook Excerpt from Roshani Chokshi’s The Gilded Wolves
by Tor.com
Young Einstein is Serious Alternate History for Serious Scientists
by Joe M. McDermott
A Life of Dark and Stormy Nights: Rereading Seanan McGuire’s Down Among the Sticks and Bones
by Ruthanna Emrys
Thu Jan 3
Read Ken Liu’s Introduction to Broken Stars, a New Anthology of Chinese SF
by Ken Liu
A Fairy Tale with the Worst of Husbands: “The Swan Maidens”
by Mari Ness
Read an Excerpt from Charlie Jane Anders’ The City in the Middle of the Night
by Charlie Jane Anders
J.R.R. Tolkien: The Man, the Myth, the Coffee Table Book!
by Jeff LaSala
How The Lord of the Rings Changed Publishing Forever
by Alan Brown
Romance, Revenge, and Revolutions in This Winter’s Upcoming Young Adult SFF
by Alex Brown
Oathbringer Reread: Chapters Fifty-Eight and Fifty-Nine
by Alice Arneson and Lyndsey Luther
Wed Jan 2
Asimov Reads Again: The Favorite Books of An SF Luminary
by Alvaro Zinos-Amaro
Wishes as Curses: The Curses by Laure Eve
by Mahvesh Murad
The Stark Realities of John Steakley’s Military SF Novel Armor
by J Barton Mitchell
The 3 Best Cartoons From 2018 (That You Can Stream Right Now)
by Jordan M. Calhoun
Looking for the Way Home: Rereading Seanan McGuire’s Every Heart a Doorway
by Ruthanna Emrys
Classic SF Works Set on Thrilling Space Habitats
by James Davis Nicoll
Revealing Supernova Era, a New Standalone Novel from Cixin Liu
by Tor.com
Tue Jan 1
Backed Up By the Best of Humanity: Doctor Who, “Resolution”
by Emmet Asher-Perrin
Hippos, Worldbuilding, and Amateur Map-Making
by Sarah Gailey
Sleeps With Monsters: What I’m Looking Forward to in 2019
by Liz Bourke
What’s the First Line of the First Book You’re Reading in 2019?
by Stubby the Rocket
Tamora Pierce’s Fantasy Changes Lives
by Meghan Ball
Reading the Wheel of Time: A Variety of Villains in Robert Jordan’s The Great Hunt (Part 22)
by Sylas K Barrett