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Download the May/June 2020 Tor.com Short Fiction Newsletter
Revealing Adrian Tchaikovsky’s The Expert System’s Champion
Photo: Kate Eshelby
We are thrilled to be sharing the cover for Adrian Tchaikovsky’s science fiction novella, The Expert System’s Champion— sequel to his much-loved work The Expert System’s Brother—available from Tordotcom Publishing in January 2021.
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Tor.com Reviewers’ Choice: The Best Books of 2020—So Far
We’re halfway through the year, and we have a lot of favorite new reads already. Our reviewers each picked their top contenders for the best books of the year (so far)—and they almost all chose different titles! This year’s highlights run the gamut from timely, techy science fiction and genre-bending epic fantasy, to heart-racing neo-gothic horror and powerful anthologies. We’ve got dragons, we’ve got empresses, we’ve got revolutionaries and superheros and wormholes in retail stores!
Take a look at our favorites below, and leave your additions in the comments!
After the Anomaly: Revealing A Broken Darkness by Premee Mohamed, Sequel to Beneath the Rising!
We are so excited to share the cover for Premee Mohamed’s A Broken Darkness, the thrilling sequel to Beneath the Rising! A Broken Darkness will be available from Rebellion Publishing/Solaris on March 2, 2021.
Revealing the New Paperback Edition of Erin Morgenstern’s The Starless Sea
Photo credit: Allan Amanto
We are so excited to share the new cover for Erin Morgenstern’s The Starless Sea, which is out in paperback on August 4th from Anchor! Check out a larger version of the cover below, along with an exclusive interview with the author on visual representation of her story, what an omnibus of The Starless Sea and The Night Circus would look like, and what she’s reading right now!
Download a Free eBook of The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal Before June 27!
Mary Robinette Kowal’s science fiction debut, 2019 Winner of the Hugo and Nebula Award for best novel, The Calculating Stars, explores the premise behind her award-winning story “The Lady Astronaut of Mars.”
How it works: Subscribers to the Tor.com eBook Club get a free sci-fi/fantasy book at least once a month (lately it’s been much more than that) just by signing up with a valid email address. You’ll get an email when the download window is open.
This week, the Tor.com eBook Club is offering The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal the winner of:
- 2018 Nebula Award for Best Novel
- 2019 Locus Award for Best Novel
- 2019 Hugo Award for Best Novel
- 2019 Campbell Memorial Award
Fairytale Past Meets Science Fiction Future in Aimee Ogden’s Debut Novella Sun-Daughters, Sea-Daughters
Tordotcom Publishing is thrilled to announce that Christie Yant has acquired World English rights to Sun-Daughters, Sea-Daughters by Aimee Ogden, a debut science fiction novella.
V.E. Schwab Reads an Excerpt From The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
We are so excited to share this exclusive clip of V.E. Schwab reading the first chapter of her highly anticipated novel, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue! The novel will be available from Tor Books on October 6, 2020. Read along with the author below!
Check Out the Gorgeous Art From the Illustrated Edition of Robin Hobb’s Royal Assassin
We are so excited to share an exclusive sneak peek at the artwork from the Illustrated Edition of Robin Hobb’s Royal Assassin, available now from Del Rey. Book two of the Farseer trilogy, this anniversary edition of Royal Assassin contains illustrations from artist Magali Villeneuve. Check out the art below, and read an excerpt from Fitz’s classic adventure!
Immigrant, Socialite, Magician: Announcing Nghi Vo’s Gatsby-Inspired Novel-Length Debut
Photo courtesy of Nghi Vo.
Tordotcom Publishing is thrilled to announce that Ruoxi Chen has acquired Nghi Vo’s The Chosen and the Beautiful, a magical reimagining of The Great Gatsby told through the eyes of a queer, Asian-American Jordan Baker as the American immigrant narrative that Gatsby always should have been. The two-book deal, for North American rights, was brokered by Diana Fox at Fox Literary.
Reminder! Join Cory Doctorow and Nnedi Okorafor in Conversation at 7 PM ET
It’s the fourth and final day (June 14) of TorCon, a virtual convention in partnership with Den of Geek! There will be eight panels featuring over 20 authors, across a variety of digital platforms, including marquee events featuring: Christopher Paolini & Brandon Sanderson; Neil Gaiman & V.E. Schwab; and Cory Doctorow & Nnedi Okorafor.
The final event of TorCon is a conversation between critically acclaimed, award-winning authors Cory Doctorow (Attack Surface, Little Brother) and Nnedi Okorafor (Binti, Remote Control). Technology. Science. Politics. Their books touch on all of these, and now…they’re talking about it. Kayti Burt of Den of Geek will moderate.
Reminder! Join TorCon2020 for Chaos & Cosmos at 4 PM ET Today
It’s the fourth and final day (June 14) of TorCon, a virtual convention in partnership with Den of Geek! There will be eight panels featuring over 20 authors, across a variety of digital platforms, including marquee events featuring: Christopher Paolini & Brandon Sanderson; Neil Gaiman & V.E. Schwab; and Cory Doctorow & Nnedi Okorafor.
The second event today is Chaos & Cosmos. Pop culture has shifted its attention to the messy, the morally ambiguous, and the weird, and we’re all in on that! Come join some of the genre’s most exciting authors as they discuss how they are breaking traditional rules of genre fiction, creating compelling and truly thought-provoking works of science fiction and fantasy – and how chaos may reign in both fantasy worlds, the cosmos, and the real world alike. Panelists include Kate Elliott (Unconquerable Sun), Andrea Hairston (Master of Poisons), Alaya Dawn Johnson (Trouble the Saints), and Ryan Van Loan (The Sin in the Steel), moderated by Kayti Burt of Den of Geek.
4 PM ET: Chaos & Cosmos
Jump in Now to the TorCon 2020 “Books & Brunch” Panel with Authors Jenn Lyons & Nathan Makaryk
It’s the fourth and final day (June 14) of TorCon, a virtual convention in partnership with Den of Geek! There will be eight panels featuring over 20 authors, across a variety of digital platforms, including marquee events featuring: Christopher Paolini & Brandon Sanderson; Neil Gaiman & V.E. Schwab; and Cory Doctorow & Nnedi Okorafor.
The first event today is a live-reading, just in time for brunch. And what better to pair with your brunch than books? Join authors Jenn Lyons (The Ruin of Kings and the upcoming The Memory of Souls), and Nathan Makaryk (Nottingham and the upcoming Lionhearts) for a balanced brunchfest of book talk…and a sneak peek at their new books! The two will be joined by our moderator, Natalie Zutter (Den of Geek, Tor.com).
Jenn Lyons was a graphic artist and illustrator for 20 years and worked in video games for over a decade. She previously worked on The Saboteur and Lord of the Rings: Conquest at EA Games. She is based out of Atlanta, Georgia. Her epic fantasy saga A Chorus of Dragons began with last year’s The Ruin of Kings and The Name of All Things and continues with The Memory of Souls, due out August 25 from Tor.
Nathan Makaryk is a theater owner, playwright, director and actor, living in southern California. History and myth collide in his debut, Nottingham, a riveting saga of vengeance, redemption and war, perfect for fans of Game of Thrones. His follow-up, Lionhearts, is due out September 15 from Tor.
TorCon2020: A Whole Universe in Pages – Worldbuilding for SFF
It’s Day 3 (June 13) of TorCon, a virtual convention in partnership with Den of Geek that runs through Sunday June 14th! There will be eight panels featuring over 20 authors, across a variety of digital platforms, including marquee events featuring: Christopher Paolini & Brandon Sanderson; Neil Gaiman & V.E. Schwab; and Cory Doctorow & Nnedi Okorafor.
The third and final event today is “A Whole Universe in Pages,” a panel on worldbuilding in science fiction and fantasy. Books are portals to different worlds, or so people say—but what exactly goes into creating those worlds? Join P. Djèlí Clark (Ring Shout), Charlotte Nicole Davis (The Good Luck Girls), Bethany C. Morrow (A Song Below Water), Tochi Onyebuchi (Riot Baby), and moderator Saraciea Fennell as they discuss worldbuilding, craft, and the fun of creating limitless new universes contained within the pages of their works.