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TOR.COM


SCIENCE FICTION. FANTASY. THE UNIVERSE. AND RELATED SUBJECTS.


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 * Original Fiction


AS YET UNSENT

Tamsyn Muir
Wed Jun 8, 2022 9:00am 7 comments 31 Favorites [+]

Culled from Judith Deuteros’ secret report on Blood of Eden activities, this
story was originally published in the trade paperback edition of Harrow the
Ninth.

[Read more]

 * Original Fiction


INDIA WORLD

Amit Gupta
Wed Jun 1, 2022 9:00am 6 comments 18 Favorites [+]

One day, Rohit receives the opportunity of a lifetime; a job offer in India with
promises of fulfilling the sense of purpose he’s so desperately sought after in
a country that seems to have forgotten him. Or so he thinks.

[Read more]

 * Original Fiction


ARBITRIUM

Anjali Sachdeva
Wed May 25, 2022 9:00am 5 comments 9 Favorites [+]

Vashti is a pathogenic diplomat—an ambassador to the world of viruses, whom she
communicates with through a machine that can translate their chemical signals
into images, tastes, smells, sounds, and memories. She begins a negotiation
between the US Government and a diplomatic contingent from Arenavirus, a virus
which has just begun spreading a deadly mutation in Florida. If Vashti is
successful, she and Arena will reach a diplomatic agreement; if not, the
Arenavirus infection will continue to spread, and humans will have to race to
try to find a vaccine or treatment. As she navigates the diplomatic discussions,
Vashti is also trying to connect with her daughter Alma, who lives on the other
side of the country in a technology-averse commune. By the time the negotiation
ends, Vashti discovers that Arenavirus have learned some impressive and deadly
tricks from their interactions with humans.

[Read more]

 * Original Fiction


HEARTS OF STONE

Emma Newman
Wed May 18, 2022 9:00am 8 comments 12 Favorites [+]

For over 35 years, the Wild Cards universe has been entertaining readers with
stories of superpowered people in an alternate history. In Emma Newman’s “Hearts
of Stone”, a young woman learns how to control her deadly powers from an
unlikely ally.

Kerry —a.k.a Stonemaiden— is a monster. Or at least… she thinks she is. Ever
since she turned her parents into granite statues, she lives in constant fear of
hurting other people. To prove herself a hero–someone worthy of joining the
Silver Helix–she embarks on her first field mission to Central London where
she’s tasked with surveying a Russian diplomat named Kazimir Nazarenko. When she
finally comes into contact with Kazimir, it becomes evident everything is not
what it appears, leading her to question everything she’s been led to believe.

Note from the author: This story contains references to, and characters from,
Russia and Ukraine. It was written in 2020, and was inspired by my fear of what
was then a potential war, rather than any of the devastating events unfolding in
Ukraine as a result of the Russian invasion in 2022.

[Read more]


SERIES: WILD CARDS ON TOR.COM

 * Original Fiction


THE LONG VIEW

Susan Palwick
Wed Apr 27, 2022 9:00am 14 comments 37 Favorites [+]

A university student seeks special accommodations for her new support animal,
causing havoc all around her.

[Read more]

 * Original Fiction


MEN, WOMEN, AND CHAINSAWS

Stephen Graham Jones
Wed Apr 20, 2022 9:00am 1 comment 31 Favorites [+]

It’s been two years since Jenna’s ex-boyfriend left her alone in East Texas
heartbroken. Now he’s back in town and she wants to payback. One night, she
stumbles upon a bloodthirsty Camaro that may be the key to carrying out her
revenge.

[Read more]


HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE BLOG

 * art


15 YEARS LATER, RATATOUILLE’S MESSAGE ABOUT ART STILL INSPIRES ME

Leah Schnelbach
Mon Jun 27, 2022 12:00pm 12 comments 10 Favorites [+]

When I went to see Ratatouille in 2007, I was trapped in a terrible job. I was
exhausted all the time, I felt completely uninspired, and spent a sickening
amount of energy questioning myself, beating myself up, hating every decision
I’d made that led me to that moment in my life, and creating a vomitous feedback
loop of self-loathing. When I went to the movie with friends, I was paying for
two hours of forgetfulness. Two hours to stop thinking about my life, and lose
myself in a cute Pixar story. I remember hoping I liked the short. And then the
film started, and I didn’t get forgetfulness—I got a much-needed slap in the
face.

[Read more]

 * Mark as Read


SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENTS FOR GROWN-UPS

Molly Templeton
Thu Jun 23, 2022 11:00am 18 comments 6 Favorites [+]

It is finally summer on both technicality and weather report. The solstice, with
its long dreamy evening, has come and gone, and the rain has gone, too, from my
northwestern neck of the woods. Sunlight sticks around so late in the day that
every night I marvel at the still-blue sky after 9 pm.

It’s time to read outdoors without cold fingers, to shed coats and cardigans
while reading on the bar patio, and to turn my mind to a long-beloved topic:
summer reading.

This is a concept we will have to define in order to talk about.

[Read more]

 * Science Fiction


FIVE STORIES ABOUT SENDING TEENS INTO SPACE

James Davis Nicoll
Mon Jun 27, 2022 11:00am 85 comments 6 Favorites [+]

Why send teens into space? They are the ideal astronaut candidates: They are
less likely to grasp the inherent risks involved in space travel, so might be
less terrified to know they are about to be launched into space by a rocket
built by the lowest bidder. Also, if things don’t turn out well, losing a
fifteen-year-old in the vast emptiness of space is arguably less costly than
losing a seasoned, experienced adult.

…or so the authorities in some SF settings would argue.

In our real world, space efforts are kneecapped by namby-pamby nanny-state-isms
like safety and basic human decency. Not so science fiction creators, who have
gleefully jumped on the story potential of TEENS…IN…SPACE.

Consider these five works about space-going teens.

[Read more]


 * awards


ANNOUNCING THE 2022 ARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARD SHORTLIST

Molly Templeton
Fri Jul 8, 2022 12:16pm Favorite This
Image: Arthur C. Clarke Award

Each year, the Arthur C. Clarke Award is given to the best science fiction novel
that has its first UK publication in the previous year. This year, the award’s
four judges read more than 100 books submitted by more than 39 publishers and
independent authors in order to arrive at the six-book shortlist.

[Read more]

 * Fantasy


FIVE FANTASY CAFES I’D LOVE TO VISIT

Cole Rush
Fri Jul 8, 2022 12:00pm 3 Favorites [+]
Photo: Natanja Grün [via Unsplash]

Sometimes, our favorite fantasy characters need a break—an escape from the woes
of brutal, unforgiving worlds and a safe space to ruminate on life, or simply
exist in peaceful solitude. Or perhaps characters just need a warm and welcoming
atmosphere to encourage a few hours of friendship and laughter, insulated
against the stress and harsh realities of life by four walls and the rich aroma
of roasting coffee beans and steaming pots of tea.

Thankfully, fantasy writers and creators give us these spaces in droves. The
genre brims with comforting, often whimsical cafes, and many of them make me
long for a real-world equivalent. I’d love to nestle into a corner booth at all
five of these fantasy cafes with a good book, basking in the ambiance and
sipping on whatever delightful brews the owners have on offer…
[Read more]

 * Terry Pratchett Book Club


TERRY PRATCHETT BOOK CLUB: FEET OF CLAY, PART IV

Emmet Asher-Perrin
Fri Jul 8, 2022 11:00am 4 comments Favorite This

We’re back to talk about Words of the heart.

[Read more]


SERIES: TERRY PRATCHETT BOOK CLUB

 * star trek: strange new worlds


THE TERROR OF BALANCE — STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS: “A QUALITY OF MERCY”

Keith R.A. DeCandido
Fri Jul 8, 2022 10:00am 45 comments 4 Favorites [+]
Image: CBS

The Anson Mount/Ethan Peck/Rebecca Romijn iterations of Pike, Spock, and Number
One debuted in Discovery’s second season, with Spock missing, Pike put in
temporary command of the U.S.S. Discovery, and everyone chasing the Red Angel.
At one point, in the episode “Through the Valley of Shadows,” Pike takes
possession of a time crystal, one of many housed in a monastery on the Klingon
world of Boreth. By doing so, he committed himself to the vision of the future
that he saw when he first touched it: his saving the life of many cadets, but in
doing so, suffering from brutal radiation burns that would leave him immobile,
mute, in constant pain, and only able to signal “yes” or “no” through an
interpretive computer, as seen in the original series’ “The Menagerie” (the
episode where Pike first appeared to audiences). “If you take the crystal, your
fate will be sealed forever,” Tenavik, the Klingon monk, tells him. “There will
be no escaping it.”

So, of course, Pike tries to escape it…

[I knew you were gonna say that—does that help?]

 * book reviews


THE LONG ROAD THROUGH THE UNDERWORLD: HANNAH WHITTEN’S FOR THE THRONE

Molly Templeton
Thu Jul 7, 2022 3:00pm 1 comment Favorite This

Last year, Hannah Whitten made her debut with For the Wolf, a rich and immersive
fantasy that twined the familiar threads of fairy tales into the eerie mythology
of her fantastical world. Two royal sisters, Red and Neve, had their futures set
before they were born. Neve, the elder, would ascend the throne of Valleyda.
Red, the younger, would be sacrificed to the Wolf, who lives in the threatening,
magical Wilderwood—and who is not at all what he seems.

For the Wolf was largely Red’s book, but Neve’s story was necessary to fully
understand Red’s, to get the bigger picture of how Valleydan politics, religion,
and lore came to shape the lives of these two young women. In the Wilderwood and
at court, they both learned how stories can be twisted to serve the people who
tell them—and how something can be true and untrue at the same time.

[Read more]

 * Excerpts


READ AN EXCERPT FROM THE STONE ROAD

Trent Jamieson
Thu Jul 7, 2022 2:00pm 1 Favorite [+]

On the day Jean was born, the dead howled.

We’re thrilled to share an excerpt from The Stone Road by Trent Jamieson, out
from Erewhon Books on July 19th.

[Read more]

 * Science Fiction


FIVE SF STORIES ABOUT LONG-VANISHED FORERUNNERS

James Davis Nicoll
Thu Jul 7, 2022 12:00pm 25 comments 8 Favorites [+]

Stories about precursors and forerunners appear frequently in science fiction
(and fantasy). Why? For one thing, it’s just way cool to think that ancient
civilizations and species might have risen and vanished long before we arrived
on the scene. This is true in our real world. Why wouldn’t it be true of
galactic civilizations? Also, relics of otherwise extinct civilizations play
well in plots.

Consider these five works that employ this plot device in five distinct ways,
using the existence of ancient forerunners to explore different speculative
possibilities:

[Read more]

 * Teen Horror Time Machine


HELP WANTED: SUMMER JOBS AND SURVIVAL IN MOTHER’S HELPER AND THE CLAW 

Alissa Burger
Thu Jul 7, 2022 11:00am 1 Favorite [+]

Summer is a great opportunity for teens to get some work experience, finding a
part-time job to earn a bit of spending money or landing an internship to add to
their college application portfolios. But like everything else in ‘90s teen
horror, these jobs are never easy and they invariably come with a wide range of
dangers that definitely weren’t listed in the job description. In A. Bates’
Mother’s Helper (1991) and Carmen Adams’ The Claw (1995), their female
protagonists find unique and exciting summer jobs that end up being more than
they bargained for. Interestingly, while many novels of the ‘90s teen horror
tradition lean into the supernatural, Mother’s Helper and The Claw both keep
their horrors firmly grounded in the realistic, providing not just thrills and
chills, but a glimpse of some of the everyday dangers of the adult world
beyond. 

[Read more]

 * The Stormlight Archive


RHYTHM OF WAR REREAD: CHAPTER EIGHTY-FOUR

Alice Arneson and Paige Vest
Thu Jul 7, 2022 10:00am 9 comments Favorite This

Welcome back to the Rhythm of War reread! If you aren’t into the science-y
scholar-y stuff, this is probably not your favorite chapter. It is one of mine,
and as a bonus we get bits of ancient history and Cosmere touches too! Along
with creating some very clever weapons, Navani gets Raboniel to assist her in an
experiment that results in a tremendous fabrial breakthrough. We’ll see the
weapons come into play many chapters from now (November-ish?), but we’ll have to
wait a year beyond that to see what she does with the breakthrough. These
unfinished series…!

[Energy will be conserved.]


SERIES: RHYTHM OF WAR BY BRANDON SANDERSON

 * news


MORE EVIL WILL BE COMING OUR WAY! PARAMOUNT+ RENEWS SERIES FOR A FOURTH SEASON

Vanessa Armstrong
Wed Jul 6, 2022 3:06pm Favorite This
Photo Credit: Elizabeth Fisher/Paramount+

We’ve got heavenly news for Evil fans out there! The show, which is in the
middle of its third season, will be back for a fourth season on Paramount+.

[Read more]

 * Weird Fiction


LIONS DRINKING WITH JACKALS: MOLLY TANZER’S “GRAVE-WORMS”

Ruthanna Emrys and Anne M. Pillsworth
Wed Jul 6, 2022 3:00pm 1 comment Favorite This

Welcome back to Reading the Weird, in which we get girl cooties all over weird
fiction, cosmic horror, and Lovecraftiana—from its historical roots through its
most recent branches.

This week, we cover Molly Tanzer’s “Grave-Worms,” first published in the Joseph
Pulver’s 2015 Cassilda’s Song anthology. Spoilers ahead!

[“To desire is to live, and to live is to desire.”]


SERIES: READING THE WEIRD

 * news


HERE’S HOW TAIKA WAITITI DECIDES WHO HE’LL PLAY IN HIS OWN PROJECTS

Vanessa Armstrong
Wed Jul 6, 2022 2:49pm 1 Favorite [+]
Credit: Aaron Epstein/HBO Max

Writer-director Taika Waititi has a lot of projects under his belt, his most
recent one being the fourth Thor movie, Thor: Love and Thunder. In almost all of
his projects, he’s played unique characters, from the soft-spoken alien made of
rocks, Korg, to the feared pirate Blackbeard in Our Flag Means Death.

In turns out that Waititi has a guiding principle in choosing what roles he
wants to step into, especially in his own projects.

[Read more]

 * Short Fiction Spotlight


MUST-READ SPECULATIVE SHORT FICTION FOR JUNE 2022

Alex Brown
Wed Jul 6, 2022 2:00pm 1 Favorite [+]

My ten favorite speculative fiction stories I read in June are full of magical
cooks, floating cities, futuristic technology, and strange monsters. I’ve got
all the adventure, drama, and queerness you could want.

[Read more]

 * star trek: strange new worlds


THE WRONG KIND OF RETRO — STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS: “ALL THOSE WHO WANDER”

Keith R.A. DeCandido
Wed Jul 6, 2022 1:30pm 50 comments 2 Favorites [+]
Image: CBS

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. I’ve absolutely adored Strange New
Worlds this season, and while it hasn’t been perfect, it’s been fun, and I was
willing to forgive such indulgences as the dress-up episode and the space-pirate
episode because they were enjoyable. Maybe they were cheesy, but the day was
carried by how much fun the cast and production staff had with the dopey tropes.

This week, though, the tropes are all tired, the clichés are irritating as hell,
and we lose more than one character.

[It is better to leave than to be the one left behind…]

 * news


AN ADAPTATION OF BEN AARONOVITCH’S RIVERS OF LONDON SERIES IS IN THE WORKS
(AGAIN)

Molly Templeton
Wed Jul 6, 2022 1:25pm 4 Favorites [+]

Television adaptation is a wacky game; so many books are optioned, never to see
the glowing light of a TV screen. In 2019, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost were set to
adapt Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London into a series, but the project never
came to fruition. Now, though, it has another shot. Variety reports that Pure
Fiction Television and Unnecessary Logo—a production company Aaronovitch himself
has created—is set to adapt the series. And they’re not stopping with the nine
novels; Variety notes “the deal includes Aaronovitch’s short stories, novellas,
and graphic novels.”

[Read more]

More Posts


NEW IN SERIES

 * Terry Pratchett Book Club: Feet of Clay, Part IV
 * Rhythm of War Reread: Chapter Eighty-Four
 * Lions Drinking With Jackals: Molly Tanzer’s “Grave-Worms”
 * Superhero Rewatch: Timecop
 * 5 Fantasy Villains You Love to Hate
 * Star Trek: Enterprise Rewatch: “Dead Stop”
 * Why “Partners in Crime” Is the Perfect Episode of Doctor Who

all series


RECENT COMMENTS

 * Cayuse on The Terror of Balance — Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: “A Quality
   of Mercy” 31 mins ago
 * Crœsos on The Terror of Balance — Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: “A Quality
   of Mercy” 48 mins ago
 * AndrewHB on Rhythm of War Reread: Chapter Eighty-Four 1 hour ago
 * ClarkEMyers on Heinlein’s Worst Novel 1 hour ago
 * Browncoat Jayson on Rhythm of War Reread: Chapter Eighty-Four 1 hour ago
 * Cayuse on The Terror of Balance — Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: “A Quality
   of Mercy” 1 hour ago
 * Eduardo S H Jencarelli on The Wrong Kind of Retro — Star Trek: Strange New
   Worlds: “All Those Who Wander” 1 hour ago
 * davep1 on Terry Pratchett Book Club: Feet of Clay, Part IV 2 hours ago
 * ChristopherLBennett on The Terror of Balance — Star Trek: Strange New Worlds:
   “A Quality of Mercy” 2 hours ago
 * Eduardo S H Jencarelli on Fairy Tale Fanfic — Star Trek: Strange New Worlds:
   “The Elysian Kingdom” 2 hours ago

more comments

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