May 2019

Fri May 31

All the New Genre-Bending Books Coming Out in June! by Tor.com

High-Octane Space Opera: A Chain Across the Dawn by Drew Williams by Liz Bourke

Godzilla: King of the Monsters Relies On Plot-Induced Denseness and Dubious Science by Emily Asher-Perrin

“This rotten town…” — Sin City: A Dame to Kill For by Keith R.A. DeCandido

Better Science Fiction Through Actual Science by James Davis Nicoll

Thu May 30

An Altruistic Magical Heist: An Illusion of Thieves by Cate Glass by Paul Weimer

All the New Young Adult SFF Coming Out in June! by Tor.com

Rather Than Defeat the Enemies, You Must Change Them: Earth Logic by Laurie J. Marks by Lee Mandelo

Watch the First Teaser for Netflix’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance by Stubby the Rocket

Exploring the People of Middle-earth: Sauron—Craftsman, Ring-giver, and Dark Lord by Megan N. Fontenot

Oathbringer Reread: Chapters Seventy-Nine and Eighty by Alice Arneson and Lyndsey Luther

Wed May 29

Kudzu From Beyond: Lucy Snyder’s “Blossoms Blackened Like Dead Stars” by Ruthanna Emrys and Anne M. Pillsworth

Beasts that Feed on War: The Red-Stained Wings by Elizabeth Bear by Lee Mandelo

All the New Sci-Fi Books Coming Out in June! by Tor.com

Read an Excerpt from Michael Swanwick’s The Iron Dragon’s Mother by Michael Swanwick

“Not My Batman” Is No Way to Go Through Life by Joe George

Hope Springs Eternal: Five Unfinished Series That Remain a Joy to Read by James Davis Nicoll

Revealing The Menace from Farside, a New Novella from Ian McDonald by Tor.com

Revealing The Good Luck Girls by Debut Author Charlotte Nicole Davis by Tor.com

Tue May 28

All the New Fantasy Books Coming Out in June! by Tor.com

Rereading the Vorkosigan Saga: Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen, Chapters 11-13 by Ellen Cheeseman-Meyer

Sleeps With Monsters: Kaia Sønderby’s Xandri Corelel Novels by Liz Bourke

Damnation and Salvation: Lent by Jo Walton by Liz Bourke

Post-Humans In Space: Michael Blumlein’s Longer by Tobias Carroll

Must-Read Speculative Short Fiction: May 2019 by Alex Brown

Brandon Sanderson on Changes in the Wheel of Time TV Show: “Majority of These Decisions Are Excellent Choices” by Stubby the Rocket

Five Books to Read While Staring Death in the Face by Michael Blumlein

Fantasy Maps Don’t Belong in the Hands of Fantasy Characters by Jonathan Crowe

Reading the Wheel of Time: Good, Evil, and the Choices We Make in Robert Jordan’s The Dragon Reborn (Part 14) by Sylas K Barrett

Mon May 27

Walk Beneath the Canopy of These 8 Fictional Forests by Thoraiya Dyer

SFF Equines Looks at the Friesian Horse by Judith Tarr

Five Ghosts You Should Definitely Invite to Your Barbecue by Jeremy Shipp

Imagining Dinosaurs on the Battlefield by Brian Switek

A Fairy Tale of Dubious Origin: “Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp” by Mari Ness

Fri May 24

13 Optimistic Fantasies to Chase Away the Grimdark Blues by Stubby the Rocket

Aladdin Updates the Original in a Meaningful Way by Emily Asher-Perrin

“Is that the best you can do?” — Sin City by Keith R.A. DeCandido

Is Star Trek: Picard Basically Just seaQuest DSV For a New Generation? by Emily Asher-Perrin

Our 6 Favorite Stories of Being Tossed Into Space by Stubby the Rocket

The Sad But Inevitable Trend Toward Forgotten SF by James Davis Nicoll

Thu May 23

Read an Excerpt from Fireborne, Start of a New YA Fantasy Series by Rosaria Munda

Heart on Fire: The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad by Alex Brown

4 Questions Raised By the New Star Trek Picard Teaser Trailer by Stubby the Rocket

Star Trek: Picard Releases Its First Trailer! by Stubby the Rocket

Living in Hope is a Discipline: Fire Logic by Laurie J. Marks by Lee Mandelo

John Carter and the Origins of Science Fiction Adventure: A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs by Alan Brown

Sarah Connor Did Not Come Here to Play in First Trailer for Terminator: Dark Fate by Stubby the Rocket

Five Books with POV Characters Who Don’t See Eye-to-Eye by Christine Lynn Herman

Oathbringer Reread: Chapter Seventy-Eight by Lyndsey Luther and Aubree Pham

Wed May 22

This Website Compiles Every Single Wall Calendar Dedicated to Tolkien and Lord of the Rings by Stubby the Rocket

Avoiding Angles is Still Harder Than it Sounds: Adam Gauntlett’s “New Build” by Anne M. Pillsworth and Ruthanna Emrys

Read an Excerpt from Last Tango in Cyberspace by Steven Kotler

8 SFF Characters that Embody the Green Man by Stubby the Rocket

Defending Kylara: Dragonquest, Part Three by Mari Ness

Game of Thrones Asks What Kinds of Stories Ultimately Matter by Tyler Dean

Revealing Sisters of the Vast Black by Lina Rather by Tor.com

Read an Excerpt from The Sol Majestic by Ferrett Steinmetz

Tue May 21

Catch Tor Books, Tor Teen, and Tor.com Publishing at BookExpo and BookCon 2019! by Stubby the Rocket

QUILTBAG+ Speculative Classics: The Way of Thorn and Thunder by Daniel Heath Justice (Part 1) by Bogi Takács

Will George R. R. Martin’s Books End Like Game of Thrones? “Yes. And No. And Yes.” by Stubby the Rocket

Trauma and Disorientation: Her Silhouette Drawn in Water by Vylar Kaftan by Liz Bourke

And Now Her Watch Is Ended: Writing 8 Years of Game of Thrones Reviews by Theresa DeLucci

Netflix Reveals Black Mirror Season 5 Episode Titles and Teasers by Natalie Zutter

Rereading The Ruin of Kings: Chapters 36 and 37 by Leigh Butler

Read the First Four Chapters of Kel Kade’s Fate of the Fallen by Kel Kade

Read an Excerpt from Marie Brennan’s Turning Darkness Into Light by Marie Brennan

Read Chapter One of Wayne Barlowe’s The Heart of Hell by Wayne Barlowe

Read the First Chapter of Myke Cole’s The Killing Light by Myke Cole

Read the First Three Chapters of L.E. Modesitt Jr.’s The Mage-Fire War by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

Reading the Wheel of Time: The Power of the Ta’veren in Robert Jordan’s The Dragon Reborn (Part 13) by Sylas K Barrett

Mon May 20

A Rare Win for Wheelchairs in Game of Thrones’ Final Episode by Mari Ness

Rereading the Vorkosigan Saga: Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen, Chapter 10 by Ellen Cheeseman-Meyer

10 Unanswered Questions From the Game of Thrones Finale by Stubby the Rocket

Tracking Evil in Andre Norton’s The Scent of Magic by Judith Tarr

Equal and Opposite: 9 SFF Duos That Bring Out the Best and Worst in Each Other by Stubby the Rocket

Five Books Featuring Terrible Monsters That Tug on Our Human Heartstrings by Kerstin Hall

The Importance of Batwoman’s Feminine Costuming Choices by Emily Asher-Perrin

Read Gideon the Ninth: Chapter 8 by Tamsyn Muir

Sun May 19

Game of Thrones Series Finale Discussion/Review: “The Iron Throne” by Theresa DeLucci

Announcing the 2018 Nebula Awards Winners by Tor.com

Fri May 17

Read an Excerpt from R.F. Kuang’s The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

Subliminal Visions and Secret Manuscripts: Masande Ntshanga’s Triangulum by Tobias Carroll

Now is the Time to Choose a Side in the New His Dark Materials Trailer by Stubby the Rocket

Blaise of No Glory — Modesty Blaise and My Name is Modesty by Keith R.A. DeCandido

Read Tina Connolly’s “The Last Banquet of Temporal Confections” by Tina Connolly

Robert Pattinson in Talks to Star in Matt Reeves’ The Batman by Stubby the Rocket

Here’s What It Felt Like to See The Phantom Menace For the First Time by Ryan Britt

Thu May 16

Read an Excerpt from P. Djèlí Clark’s The Black God’s Drums by P. Djeli Clark

It’s the Little Things: A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay by Niall Alexander

“I’m Not About to Let a Man Take Credit for a Woman’s Work”: Watch the First Batwoman Trailer by Stubby the Rocket

Revealing The Shadows Between Us, a New Fantasy from Tricia Levenseller by Tor.com

Cataracts, Blindness, and Evocations of Horror by Elsa Sjunneson-Henry

We Finally Have a First Look at the New Star Trek Picard Show by Stubby the Rocket

Exploring the People of Middle-earth: Haleth, Tolkien’s “Renowned Amazon” by Megan N. Fontenot

The Luddites Were Right: SF Works That Show the Downside to New Technology by James Davis Nicoll

Download Tor.com Publishing’s 2019 Debut Sampler for Free! by Tor.com

Oathbringer Reread: Chapter Seventy-Seven by Alice Arneson, Lyndsey Luther and Aubree Pham

Wed May 15

The Secret Lives of Serpents: Priya Sharma’s “Fabulous Beasts” by Ruthanna Emrys and Anne M. Pillsworth

Permeable Borders: Tears of the Trufflepig by Fernando A. Flores by Leah Schnelbach

Fire, Phantoms, and Other Details that Didn’t Make it into The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander

We’re Giving Away 50 Copies of Jin Yong’s Wuxia Classic A Hero Born! by Stubby the Rocket

Finding Yourself Through Fantasy and Culture by Hafsah Faizal

Download a Free Ebook of Annalee Newitz’s Autonomous Before May 18, 2019! by Tor.com

How Tea, History, and a Simulated Papal Election Inspired Lent by Jo Walton

Tor.com Publishing is Seeking a Part Time Short Fiction Coordinator (Contract) by Tor.com

Tor.com is Seeking a Part-Time Book Entertainment News Writer (Contract) by Tor.com

Read an Excerpt from Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh

The Nommo Awards Announce 2019 Shortlists by Tor.com

Netflix Releases Trailer and Premiere Date for Black Mirror Season 5 by Natalie Zutter

War Crimes on Westeros and Daenerys’ Missing Character Arc by Michael Livingston

Long is the Way by Carrie Vaughn and Sage Walker

Download the March-April 2019 Tor.com Short Fiction Newsletter by Tor.com

Tue May 14

Sleeps With Monsters: Forthcoming (Queer) Novels Starring (Queer) Women by Liz Bourke

Longing and Loneliness in Amy Rose Capetta’s The Lost Coast by Alex Brown

Get Amazing SFF Reads (for Free!) with the Tor.com Short Fiction Newsletter! by Tor.com

Getting the Research Right: Author Michael Blumlein on the Medical Sources Behind Longer by Michael Blumlein

Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 Easter Egg Could Suggest the Future Federation Is Evil by Ryan Britt

Is “Only Death Can Pay for Life” Game of Thrones’ Ultimate Lesson? by Tyler Dean

Disney Confirms the Next Star Wars Movie Will Come from Game of Thrones Creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss by Stubby the Rocket

Watch the First Trailer for Hereditary Director Ari Aster’s Midsommar by Stubby the Rocket

Building (and Breaking) the Myth of the American Astronaut by Leah Schnelbach

The Redemption of Time and How Fanfiction Led to a Fourth Book in the Three-Body Problem Trilogy by Baoshu

First Trailer for Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Sees Our Favorite Sorceress Up to No Good by Stubby the Rocket

Reading the Wheel of Time: The Amyrlin’s Plots Backfire in Robert Jordan’s The Dragon Reborn (Part 12) by Sylas K Barrett

Mon May 13

Rereading the Vorkosigan Saga: Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen, Chapters 8 and 9 by Ellen Cheeseman-Meyer

Read the First Two Chapters from Kate Heartfield’s Alice Payne Arrives by Kate Heartfield

SFF Equines Looks at the Andalusian by Judith Tarr

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season Six Premiere: But He Looks Just Like Coulson! by Alan Brown

Detective Pikachu is This Generation’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit by Emily Asher-Perrin

11 of Our Favorite Fantasy Pirates by Stubby the Rocket

Revealing K. M. Szpara’s Docile by Tor.com

Exploring Queer Friendship in Martha Wells’ Artificial Condition by Anya Johanna DeNiro

Read Gideon the Ninth: Chapter 7 by Tamsyn Muir

Read the First Three Chapters of Max Gladstone’s Empress of Forever by Max Gladstone

Sun May 12

Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 5 Discussion Thread: “The Bells” by Theresa DeLucci

Fri May 10

Read a Selection from Naomi Novik’s Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

The City of Bicycles: Get to Know the World of Witchmark by C.L. Polk

“Contact Dick Tracy at once” — RKO’s Dick Tracy Features by Keith R.A. DeCandido

Love, Fellowship, and Stories: The Tolkien Biopic Informs and Inspires by Jeff LaSala

Continue Jin Yong’s Kung Fu Wuxia Epic A Hero Born: “Suddenly A Snow Storm” (Part 5) by Jin Yong

Eurovision 2019 Is Here: Science Fiction Fans, Rejoice! by James Davis Nicoll

Thu May 9

Announcing the 2019 Arthur C. Clarke Award Shortlist by Tor.com

Read a Deleted Scene From Sam J. Miller’s Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller

Trouble on Silicon Isle: Waste Tide by Chen Qiufan by Liz Bourke

On the Origins of Modern Biology and the Fantastic : Part 11—J.G. Ballard and the Birth of Biotech by Kelly Lagor

Neukom Institute Literary Arts Awards Announces 2019 Book Shortlist by Stubby the Rocket

After the Endgame, Marvel Movies Adopt One of the Comics Industry’s Biggest Problems by Emily Asher-Perrin

Watch the First Trailer for It: Chapter Two by Stubby the Rocket

Arise, A Knight: Why We Need Brienne’s Unique Journey on Game of Thrones by Amy Imhoff

Fafhrd Meets the Gray Mouser: Swords and Deviltry by Fritz Leiber by Alan Brown

Continue Jin Yong’s Kung Fu Wuxia Epic A Hero Born: “Suddenly A Snow Storm” (Part 4) by Jin Yong

Hooray for Licensed Fiction! Part Deux — Yet Still More Star Trek Discovery Stories to Tide You Over until Season 3 by Keith R.A. DeCandido

Oathbringer Reread: Chapter Seventy-Six by Alice Arneson, Lyndsey Luther and Aubree Pham

Wed May 8

The Amphibious Weird: Mercè Rodoreda’s “The Salamander” by Anne M. Pillsworth and Ruthanna Emrys

“Sit down, write, keep writing” — Seanan McGuire on the Daily Process of Writing a Novel Like Middlegame by Seanan McGuire

Tick-Tock: Watch the First Teaser for HBO’s Watchmen by Stubby the Rocket

Read the First Chapter of Nathan Makaryk’s Nottingham by Nathan Makaryk

Checking the Math: The Big Event From Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 4 is Just as Impossible as You Think by Michael Livingston

Introducing Fire-Lizards: Dragonquest, Part Two by Mari Ness

Continue Jin Yong’s Kung Fu Wuxia Epic A Hero Born: “Suddenly A Snow Storm” (Part 3) by Jin Yong

Announcing Nghi Vo’s Debut Novella The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Tor.com

The Gothic and Game of Thrones, Part II: Theon, Sansa, and Shared Trauma by Tyler Dean

Tue May 7

Trail of Lightning Author Rebecca Roanhorse on Addressing Violence by “Telling Our Stories” by Stubby the Rocket

The People Could Fly: Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison by Nisi Shawl

Announcing the 2019 Locus Awards Finalists by Tor.com

Disney Reveals Release Dates for Next Star Wars Movies (Update) by Stubby the Rocket

Rewriting History Can’t Change the Past as Game of Thrones Reaches Its Endgame by Tyler Dean

Listen to Seanan McGuire’s Middlegame by Tor.com

Rereading The Ruin of Kings: Chapters 34 and 35 by Leigh Butler

Continue Jin Yong’s Kung Fu Wuxia Epic A Hero Born: “Suddenly A Snow Storm” (Part 2) by Jin Yong

The Daring Alchemy of Seanan McGuire’s Middlegame by Shauna Morgan

Read Chapters 1-3 of Duncan M. Hamilton’s Dragonslayer by Duncan M. Hamilton

Reading the Wheel of Time: Farmer’s Weapons and Library Secrets in Robert Jordan’s The Dragon Reborn (Part 11) by Sylas K Barrett

Mon May 6

Rereading the Vorkosigan Saga: Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen, Chapter 7 by Ellen Cheeseman-Meyer

Reflections on Andre Norton’s Mirror of Destiny by Judith Tarr

Let Me Tell You About the Granddaddy of Bewildering New Zealand Kids’ Fantasy: The Halfmen of O by Tamsyn Muir

Jo Walton’s Reading List: April 2019 by Jo Walton

The Future We Imagine Is the Future We Get by Kelly Robson

The Tao of Sir Terry: Pratchett vs. Logic by J.R.H. Lawless

Watch the New Super-Spoilery Spider-Man: Far From Home Trailer by Stubby the Rocket

Read Gideon the Ninth: Chapter 6 by Tamsyn Muir

Read Jin Yong’s Kung Fu Wuxia Epic A Hero Born: “Suddenly A Snow Storm” (Part 1) by Jin Yong

Sun May 5

Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 4 Discussion/Review: “The Last of the Starks” by Theresa DeLucci

Fri May 3

9 Star Wars Books to Fulfill Your Very Specific Fandom Needs by Stubby the Rocket

A Most Subtle Counterfactual: Paul Kerschen’s The Warm South by Tobias Carroll

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

“I came to save my home” — Aquaman by Keith R.A. DeCandido

Avengers: Endgame Is Filled with References to Every Previous MCU Film: Let’s Find Them All by Keith R.A. DeCandido

Peter Mayhew: 1944-2019 by Tor.com

What Reward Do Superheroes Deserve? by Natalie Zutter

Thu May 2

All the New Genre-Bending Books Coming Out in May by Tor.com

2018 Shirley Jackson Award Nominees Announced by Tor.com

The Black Company TV Series Can’t Come Soon Enough by Drew McCaffrey

Beyond Cinderella: Exploring Agency Through Domestic Fantasy by Marissa K. Lingen

Avengers: Endgame Is a Secular Meditation on Death, Resurrection, and a Cathartic Afterlife by Leah Schnelbach

Exploring the People of Middle-earth: Melian, Divine Enchantress and Deathless Queen by Megan N. Fontenot

Read an Excerpt from Rudy Rucker’s Million Mile Road Trip by Rudy Rucker

Oathbringer Reread: Chapter Seventy-Five by Alice Arneson and Aubree Pham

Tor to Launch The Unspoken Name — The Start of an Epic New Fantasy Adventure from A. K. Larkwood by Tor.com

Wed May 1

Ikea in the Fourth Dimension: Jorge Luis Borges’ “There Are More Things” by Ruthanna Emrys and Anne M. Pillsworth

All the New Young Adult SFF Books Coming Out in May! by Tor.com

More Trouble to Come: Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse by Liz Bourke

I Identify Deeply With Thor. I Wish Avengers: Endgame Hadn’t Used His Mental Health For Jokes by Sylas K Barrett

8 Instances of SFF Hyper-Worldbuilding That Truly Go Above and Beyond by Natalie Zutter

Pretty Woman: On the Allure of Androids by Tochi Onyebuchi

Revealing Sarah Gailey’s Upright Women Wanted by Tor.com

Murder in the Spook House by Michael Swanwick