Close
post-featured-image

New Releases: 3/15/16

Here’s what went on sale today!

opens in a new windowThe Last Mortal Bond by Brian Staveley

opens in a new windowThe Last Mortal Bond by Brian Staveley The ancient csestriim are back to finish their purge of humanity; armies march against the capital; leaches, solitary beings who draw power from the natural world to fuel their extraordinary abilities, maneuver on all sides to affect the outcome of the war; and capricious gods walk the earth in human guise with agendas of their own.

But the three imperial siblings at the heart of it all–Valyn, Adare, and Kaden–come to understand that even if they survive the holocaust unleashed on their world, there may be no reconciling their conflicting visions of the future.

NEW FROM TOR.COM:

opens in a new windowPieces of Hate by Tim Lebbon

opens in a new windowPieces of Hate by Tim Lebbon

During the Dark Ages, a thing named Temple slaughtered Gabriel’s family. A man with snake eyes charged him to pursue the assassin wherever he may strike next, and destroy him. Gabriel never believed he’d still be following Temple almost a thousand years later.

Because Temple may be a demon, the man with snake eyes cursed Gabriel with a life long enough to hunt him down. Now he has picked up Temple’s scent again. The Caribbean sea is awash with pirate blood, and in such turmoil the outcome of any fight is far from certain.

NOW IN PAPERBACK:

opens in a new windowThe Machine Awakes by Adam Christopher

opens in a new windowThe Machine Awakes by Adam Christopher Adam Christopher’s The Machine Awakes is a far future space opera set in the universe of Burning Dark. In the decades since the human race first made contact with the Spiders—a machine race capable of tearing planets apart—the two groups have fought over interstellar territory. But the war has not been going well for humankind, and with the failure of the Fleet Admiral’s secret plan in the Shadow system, the commander is overthrown by a group of hardliners determined to get the war back on track.

opens in a new windowRobert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century by William H. Patterson, Jr.

opens in a new windowRobert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century by William H. Patterson Jr. Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with his Century: 1948-1988 The Man Who Learned Better: The real-life story of Robert A. Heinlein in the second volume of the authorized biography by William H. Patterson!

Robert A. Heinlein (1907–1988) is generally considered the greatest American science fiction writer of the twentieth century. His most famous and widely influential works include the Future History series (stories and novels collected in The Past Through Tomorrow and continued in later novels), Starship Troopers, Stranger in a Strange Land, and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress—all published in the years covered by this volume. He was a friend of admirals, bestselling writers, and artists; became committed to defending the United States during the Cold War; and was on the advisory committee that helped Ronald Reagan create the Star Wars Strategic Defense Initiative in the 1980s.

NEW IN MANGA:

opens in a new windowEvergreen Vol. 4 by Yuyuko Takemiya, art by Akira Kasukabe

opens in a new windowFreezing Vol. 7-8 by Dall-Young Lim, art by Kwang-Hyun Kim

opens in a new windowSee upcoming releases.

post-featured-image

Party Like a Writer; or, Why Are You Screaming at Your Cheetos?

opens in a new windowThe Last Mortal Bond
Written by opens in a new windowBrian Staveley

I was at this party a few months ago, and I got cornered somewhere between the refrigerator and the fire-escape by this guy who could not stop talking about the emerald ash borer. The emerald ash borer, for those of you who don’t go this kind of party, is a nasty little creature that’s trying to destroy our ash trees. I like a good ash tree as much as the next guy, except in this case, where the next guy was this guy, whose concern about Vermont’s ash population seemed… disproportionate, his dismay and impotent rage the sort of thing you expect from characters in movies featuring trench warfare or biological terrorism.

Years ago, faced with this sort of arboreal zeal, my strategy would have been simple: immediate exfiltration. Barring that, I would have rummaged in the fridge for the strongest IPA available, then settled in to politely ignore a lecture on the winter range and mating habits of the emerald ash borer. I’ve found that, with the right beer in hand, I can nod and smile through just about anything.

That was before I started writing.

Writing fantasy full time has done strange things to my brain. Instead of fleeing the Ash Warrior, for instance, I found myself perking up. For one thing, the pest in question is straight out of a fantasy novel—a poetically-named scourge upon the land, a curse capable of leveling entire forests, an evil against which there seems to be no recourse. This is good shit, I found myself thinking, leaning closer to make sure I didn’t miss the bit about the egg-laying cycle. I can totally use this.

Even more than the discussion of ash and its borers, however, I was intrigued by this guy. Fantasy needs scourges, obviously, but good scourges are a dime a dozen. Far more important than any zombie army or orcish horde are the characters at a story’s heart, and it’s hard to write good characters without paying attention to people, without caring about them.

I realized this embarrassingly late in life. I used to try to avoid that woman in the bus station who was muttering sweet imprecations to the vending machine or the salesman on the plane who really wanted me to understand that kelp was the bacon of the future. (For the record, I still don’t think that kelp is the bacon of the future. Bacon is the bacon of the future.) More and more, however, I find myself attracted to the kelp-lauders and vending-machine mutterers of the world.

The trick, of course, is not simply to notice people—making notes of clothing and verbal style is easy—but to try to see the world through their eyes, to understand the cravings, loves, and fears that make them who they are. This can be scary. Once I actually bother to understand why that woman is shouting at her Cheetos (Her kid’s sick and she didn’t sleep all night? She’s had strange attacks of rage ever since getting back from Iraq? She just lost her job?) I probably have to start giving a shit, and giving a shit is not easy. Easy is having another beer while nodding and smiling vacuously. Unfortunately, easy does not write the books.

It’s been strange to discover that writing, at least for me, involves this moral component. I might have been less eager to get involved with fantasy if I’d know it would require, not a retreat from the world and all its varied people, but a more comprehensive engagement. I signed up to write about magicians and ancient gods, and found, belatedly, much to my surprise, that I couldn’t do that very well without spending a long damn time talking to this guy about the emerald ash borer, trying to learn, not just about the creature itself, but why he cared so much.

The Last Mortal Bond, the concluding book of my fantasy trilogy that started with The Emperor’s Blades, comes out in just over a month. I was struck by a strange thing as I worked through this final volume: I found myself caring about the characters, even minor characters, in a way I hadn’t when I started writing fantasy. I could imagine running into them at parties—the starch-stiff Aedolian guardsman, that girl with the plague, the vicious, drug-addled magician—and actually talking to them.

When the ship’s captain pulls out his iPhone to show me about a million photos of his daughter, instead of nodding vaguely and sliding away, I imagine leaning closer, poring over those endless images, trying to see in them whatever it is that he sees. Conversely, when the old man on the barstool starts talking about his sciatica, I’m reminded that he’s more than this moment, that there’s a whole story behind him, an epic, something worth knowing, something that I want be told.

Pre-order The Last Mortal Bond today:
opens in a new windowAmazon | opens in a new windowBarnes & Noble | opens in a new windowBooks-a-Million | opens in a new windowiBooks | opens in a new windowIndiebound | opens in a new windowPowell’s

Follow Brian Staveley on opens in a new windowFacebook, on Twitter at opens in a new window@BrianStaveley, and on opens in a new windowhis blog.

post-featured-image

On the Road: Tor/Forge Author Events for March

opens in a new windowRiders by Veronica Rossi opens in a new windowA Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab opens in a new windowCharacter, Driven by David Lubar

opens in a new windowTor/Forge authors are on the road in March! Here is the info on all of our upcoming author events. See who is coming to a city near you!

Charlie Jane Anders, opens in a new windowAll the Birds in the Sky

Tuesday, March 1
Google
Mountain View, CA
2:30 PM

R.S. Belcher, opens in a new windowThe Brotherhood of the Wheel

Thursday, March 3
Fountain Bookstore
Richmond, VA
6:30 PM

Saturday, March 5
Barnes & Noble
Roanoke, VA
2:00 PM

Wednesday, March 9
Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Lexington, KY
7:00 PM

Saturday, March 26
Wondercon
Los Angeles, CA
2:00 PM

Susan Dennard, opens in a new windowTruthwitch

Tuesday, March 1
Half Price Books
Dallas, TX
7:00 PM
Also with Veronica Rossi.

Randy Henderson, opens in a new windowBigfootloose and Finn Fancy Free

Tuesday, March 1
Tattered Cover
Denver, CO
7:00 PM

Tuesday, March 15
Auntie’s Bookstore
Denver, CO
7:00 PM

Wednesday, March 16
Rediscovered Books
Boise, ID
7:00 PM

Glen Hirshberg, opens in a new windowGood Girls

Sunday, March 6
Mysterious Galaxy
San Diego, CA
3:30 PM

Saturday, March 26
Borderlands Books
San Francisco, CA
3:00 PM

David Lubar, opens in a new windowCharacter, Driven

Saturday, March 5
Emmaus Public Library
Emmaus, PA
5:00 PM
Books provided by Let’s Play Books.

Wednesday, March 9
Anderson’s Bookshop
Naperville, IL
5:00 PM

Thursday, March 10
Joseph Beth Booksellers
Crestview Hills, KY
7:00 PM

Saturday, March 12
Valley Ranch Library
Irving, TX
2:00 PM

Veronica Rossi, opens in a new windowRiders

Tuesday, March 1
Half Price Books
Dallas, TX
7:00 PM
Also with Susan Dennard.

Friday, March 11
Rakestraw Books
Danville, CA
7:00 PM

Wednesday, March 16
Kepler’s Books
Menlo Park, CA
7:00 PM
In conversation with Michael Grant.

Friday, March 18
Books Inc
San Francisco, CA
7:00 PM
Also with Caragh O’Brien and Stephanie Kuehn.

Tuesday, March 22
Mysterious Galaxy
San Diego, CA
7:00 PM
Also with Kiersten White and Mary E. Pearson.

Lawrence M. Schoen, opens in a new windowBarsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard

Thursday, March 24
University Bookstore
Seattle, WA
7:00 PM

Monday, March 28
Powell’s Books
Beaverton, OR
7:00 PM

V.E. Schwab, opens in a new windowA Gathering of Shadows

Tuesday, March 1
Third Place Books
Lake Forest Park, WA
7:00 PM

Wednesday, March 2
Old Firehouse Books
Fort Collins, CO
7:00 PM

Thursday, March 3
Poisoned Pen
Scottsdale, AZ
7:00 PM

Saturday, March 5
Malaprop’s
Asheville, NC
3:00 PM

Tuesday, March 8
Joseph Beth Booksellers
Lexington, KY
7:00 PM
Also with Gwenda Bond and Julie Kagawa.

Saturday, March 12
Southeastern Young Adult Book Festival
Murfreesboro, TN

Friday, March 18-Sunday, March 20
Virginia Festival of the Book
Charlottesville, VA

Friday, March 25-Sunday, March 27
WonderCon
Los Angeles, CA
Guest of Honor

Kristen Simmons, opens in a new windowThe Glass Arrow

Monday, March 21
University Bookstore
Naperville, IL
7:00 PM

Brian Staveley, opens in a new windowThe Last Mortal Bond

Tuesday, March 15
Phoenix Bookstore
Burlington, VT
6:30 PM

Friday, March 18
Brookline Booksmith
Saratoga Springs
7:00 PM

Thursday, March 24
Brookline Booksmith
Brookline, MA
7:00 PM

Andrea Thalasinos, opens in a new windowFly By Night

Friday, March 4
Mystery to Me Bookstore
Madison, WI
7:00 PM

Sunday, March 6
Arcadia Books
Spring Green, WI
2:00 PM

post-featured-image

Sneak Peek: The Last Mortal Bond by Brian Staveley

opens in a new windowThe Last Mortal BondIn opens in a new windowThe Last Mortal Bond by opens in a new windowBrian Staveley, the ancient csestriim are back to finish their purge of humanity; armies march against the capital; leaches, solitary beings who draw power from the natural world to fuel their extraordinary abilities, maneuver on all sides to affect the outcome of the war; and capricious gods walk the earth in human guise with agendas of their own.

But the three imperial siblings at the heart of it all–Valyn, Adare, and Kaden–come to understand that even if they survive the holocaust unleashed on their world, there may be no reconciling their conflicting visions of the future. Please enjoy this excerpt.

Chapter 1

Men the size of mountains plowed waist-deep through the world’s oceans. Polished blades—each one long enough to level cities—flashed sunlight. Boots crushed delicate coastlines to rubble, obliterated fishing towns, gouged craters in the soft, green fields of Sia and Kresh.

This is the way the world ends. This was Kaden’s first thought, staring down on the destruction from above.

Read More »

SFF Holiday Sweepstakes

SFF Holiday Sweeps Collections

Want to make your shelves the envy of genre fans everywhere this holiday season? We’re offering the chance to win your choice of boxes of sci-fi or fantasy novels, from authors like John Scalzi, Brandon Sanderson, Elizabeth Bear, and more. Sign up for the Tor Newsletter for you chance to win now!

And don’t forget to let us know which collection you’d like to win below.

Read More »

On the Road: Tor/Forge Author Events in July

opens in a new windowTime Salvager by Wesley Chu opens in a new windowThe Unnoticeables by Robert Brockway opens in a new windowThe Suspicion at Sanditon by Carrie Bebris

opens in a new windowTor/Forge authors are on the road in July! Once a month, we’re collecting info about all of our upcoming author events. Check and see who’ll be coming to a city near you:

Carrie Bebris, opens in a new windowThe Suspicion at Sanditon

Friday, July 24
opens in a new windowBooks & Co.
Dayton, OH
7:00 PM

Saturday, July 25
opens in a new windowOhio State Barnes & Noble
Columbus, OH
2:00 PM

Tuesday, July 28
opens in a new windowJoseph-Beth Books
Cincinnati, OH
7:00 PM

Thursday, July 30
opens in a new windowThe Booksellers at Laurelwood
Memphis, TN
6:30 PM

Alex Bledsoe, opens in a new windowLong Black Curl

Friday, July 10
opens in a new windowArcadia Books
Spring Green, WI
6:30 PM

Saturday, July 18
opens in a new windowParnassus Books
Nashville, TN
2:00 PM

Sunday, July 19
opens in a new windowEagle Eye Bookshop
Decatur, GA
3:00 PM

Robert Brockway, opens in a new windowThe Unnoticeables

Thursday, July 16
opens in a new windowMysterious Galaxy
San Diego, CA
7:30 PM

Friday, July 17
opens in a new windowUniversity Bookstore
Seattle, WA
7:00 PM

Saturday, July 18
opens in a new windowCopperfield’s Books
Petaluma, CA
7:00 PM

Sunday, July 19
opens in a new windowBorderlands Books
San Francisco, CA
3:00 PM

Wednesday, July 22
opens in a new windowPowell’s City of Books
Portland, OR
7:30 PM

Wesley Chu, opens in a new windowTime Salvager

Tuesday, July 7
opens in a new windowThe Last Bookstore
Los Angeles, CA
7:00 PM

Sunday, July 12
opens in a new windowMysterious Galaxy
Also with Carrie Patel and Scott Sigler
San Diego, CA
2:00 PM

Wednesday, July 15
opens in a new windowElliott Bay Book Company
With Ramez Naam
Seattle, WA
7:00 PM

Thursday, July 16
opens in a new windowPowell’s at Cedar Hills Crossing
Beaverton, OR
7:00 PM

Saturday, July 18
opens in a new windowBorderlands Books
San Francisco, CA
3:00 PM

Sunday, July 19
opens in a new windowUncle Hugo’s
Minneapolis, MN
3:00 PM

Monday, July 20
opens in a new windowA Room of One’s Own
Madison, WI
7:00 PM

Tuesday, July 21
opens in a new windowBoswell Book Company
Milwaukee, WI
7:00 PM

Thursday, July 23
opens in a new windowSchuler Books and Music
Lansing Charter Township, MI
7:00 PM

Friday, July 24
opens in a new windowBook People
Austin, TX
7:00 PM

William S. Cohen, opens in a new windowCollision

Wednesday, July 1
opens in a new windowBooks-a-Million
South Portland, ME
7:00 PM

Thursday, July 2
opens in a new windowPolitics and Prose
Washington, D.C.
7:00 PM

Carolyn Ives Gilman, opens in a new windowDark Orbit

Wednesday, July 15
opens in a new windowBarnes & Noble
Washington, D.C.
6:00 PM

Saturday, July 18
opens in a new windowFountain Bookstore
Richmond, VA
2:00 PM

Max Gladstone, opens in a new windowLast First Snow

Tuesday, July 28
opens in a new windowOxford University Press Book Club in Bryant Park
New York, NY
12:00 PM

Neal Griffin, opens in a new windowBenefit of the Doubt

Sunday, July 26
opens in a new windowCarlsbad City Library
Carlsbad, CA
7:00 PM

Kristen Simmons, opens in a new windowThe Glass Arrow

Thursday, July 23
opens in a new windowSundance Books and Music
Reno, NV
6:30 PM

Anne A. Wilson, opens in a new windowHover

Saturday, July 25
opens in a new windowPayson Book Festival
Gila Community College
Payson, AZ
9:00 AM

Also, don’t miss the Big Summer Road Trip Tour! To celebrate the 2015 releases from some of our Northeastern authors, Tor Books is excited to send Elizabeth Bear ( opens in a new windowKaren Memory), James Cambias ( opens in a new windowCorsair), Max Gladstone ( opens in a new windowLast First Snow), and Brian Staveley ( opens in a new windowThe Providence of Fire) on tour in the New England region. opens in a new windowCheck out the dates and locations.

opens in a new windowJulyRoadtrip

Presenting the Big Summer Road Trip Tour!

JulyRoadtrip

To celebrate the 2015 releases from some of our Northeastern authors, Tor Books is excited to send Elizabeth Bear ( opens in a new windowKaren Memory), James Cambias ( opens in a new windowCorsair), Max Gladstone ( opens in a new windowLast First Snow), and Brian Staveley ( opens in a new windowThe Providence of Fire) on tour in the New England region!

Tuesday, July 14
opens in a new windowHarvard Book Store
Cambridge, MA
7:00pm

Thursday, July 16
opens in a new windowPandemonium Books and Games
With a special live game of Pathfinder, with GM David Montgomery!
Cambridge, MA
7:00pm

Friday, July 17
opens in a new windowOdyssey Bookshop
South Hadley, MA
6:00pm

Saturday, July 18
opens in a new windowFriends of the Simsbury Library
Simsbury, CT
1:00pm—3:00pm

Sunday, July 19
opens in a new windowBank Square Books
Mystic, CT
1:00pm

Monday, July 20
opens in a new windowFerguson Library
Stamford, CT
7:00pm

Wednesday, July 22
opens in a new windowTowne Book Center
Moderated by Chris Urie from opens in a new windowGeekadelphia
Collegeville, PA
7:00pm

Friday, July 24
opens in a new windowNorthshire Books
Saratoga Springs, NY
6:00pm

Saturday, July 25
opens in a new windowEveryone’s Books
Brattleboro, VT
6:00pm

Sunday, July 26
opens in a new windowPhoenix Books
Burlington, VT
Hosted by opens in a new windowGeek Mountain State
2:00pm

post-featured-image

24 Audiobooks to Match Your Travel Time

Fourth of July weekend is almost here and that has us thinking about SUMMER VACATION! We’ve planned our trip and packed our bags. The car is gassed up and ready to go. But here’s the hardest part: what audiobook are we going to listen to on the drive?

If we’re having this problem, we’re assuming you are too. So we decided to put together a list of recommended audiobooks of varying lengths. Whether it’s a short train ride or a long flight with transfers, here are 24 audiobooks that will help make the journey memorable!

Read More »

post-featured-image

Three Ekphrastic Dialogues; or NO DUAL WIELDING UNTIL BOOK THREE

The Providence of Fire by Brian Staveley
By opens in a new windowBrian Staveley

SCENE ONE
Setting: Book One of the Epic Trilogy

In the first scene the WRITER is bright-eyed, fresh-faced, and recently showered, perhaps even wearing a jaunty blazer. The CHARACTER looks confused, wary, even a little frightened.

Character: Hey! Who are you?
Writer: I’m the writer. I made up your world. I made you up.
C: That’s impossible.
W: Amazing, right? But it’s true. That beard you have–I put it there. That mysterious dude over there–the one in the black cloak; I made him up. That suspicious ancient ruin; I made that up, too.
C: Whoa. Why don’t I…know more stuff? Why don’t I have a better sword? Why can’t I do anything awesome?
W: Like what?
C: I don’t know. Call down a rain of fire on my foes. Maybe I could defeat a dozen knights single-handed?
W: Nice try, kid. This is book one. You can’t be too cool yet. Gotta leave room to grow.
C: Can I at least shave this stupid beard? It itches.
W: Nope.
C: You’re an asshole.
W: Good! You have spirit! You’re starting to get a life of your own!
C: If I have a life of my own, why can’t I shave my…hey! HEY! What the hell just happened?
W: Your house burned down. That guy in the black cloak did it.
C: You made him do it.
W: Sorry. Needed an inciting incident.
C: Well who the hell is he?
W: No way. This is book one. You don’t get to know that. I might not even know that.
C: I think I hate you.
W: Just don’t lose that spirit.

SCENE TWO
Setting: Book Two of the Epic Trilogy

The WRITER looks more disheveled than last time–slightly twitchy, slightly confused. The CHARACTER has a larger sword now. His hand rests comfortably on the pommel.

Character: I shaved my beard.
Writer: No! That’s not until…Fuck it. Fine. I’ve got other problems to deal with.
C: Also, that asshole in the black cloak. The one who burned down my house. He’s Algar Ka, the Dread Lord.
W: What? No. He’s not. He is most definitely not.
C: He totally is. It’s obvious. Should I kill him?
W: Of course you shouldn’t kill him! Are you insane? This is only book two. You’re not even supposed to know who he is yet.
C: Well I know who he is. He’s right there, and he’s not looking. I’m going to stick him with the sword.
W: NO! What do you think we’re going to do in book three? Eat lasagna and watch cartoons for six hundred pages?
C: Here goes…Wait. What just happened?
W: He’s gone.
C: What do you mean, gone?
W: Whisked away by a greater power.
C: By which you mean you. [Shakes head] Fine. Can I do something else awesome? Maybe I’ll defeat those lizard men over there.
W: Fine, fight the damn lizard men, but you can’t be too awesome.
C: Check out this double-sword flip attack…
W: NO. No dual-wielding in book two. No flips in book two. Did you forget that there’s a whole other book after this? Can you please make this fight look difficult? It would actually be ideal if it looked perfectly commensurate with your growing confidence and abilities.
C: Sounds contrived.
W: DO NOT SAY CONTRIVED. Ginny said contrived.
C: Who’s Ginny?
W: I don’t know. Someone on Twitter. She didn’t like book one.
C: Whatever. Contrived. I said it. This is contrived…Ouch! What the hell was that?
W: Lizard man spear. In your leg.
C: The lizard men don’t have spears, you asshole.
W: That one did. Anyway, it’s book two. You needed to suffer a setback. There you go. Setback. Now go get the mysterious cloaked guy.
C: You mean Algar…
W: [Singing loudly] MYSTERY! MYSTERIOUS!
C: I know who he is…
W: Shut up and get him.
C: Where is he?
W: [Whistles innocently] Other end of the continent.
C: The other end of the…why?
W: This is book two. You need to do some walking. Everybody walks a lot in book two.
C: I really hate you.

SCENE THREE
Setting: Book Three of the Epic Fantasy Trilogy

The WRITER looks crazed, even a little demented. Hair is unwashed. Clothes are unwashed. There is a coffee pot filled with stale pizza crusts next to the computer monitor. The CHARACTER, on the other hand, has never looked better. The leg is healed, leaving a nasty scar that does nothing to slow him down. His stare is so hard it might have been hammered out on an anvil.

C: Ah, the Golden Western Sea. Almost as impressive as the Mountains of Night.
W: What? You saw the Mountains of Night?
C: [Patiently] Yes. Chapter twenty-two of Book Two. I defeated the Ice Demons there?
W: Right. Shit! [Scribbles madly on a notecard while muttering] He already saw the Ice Demons? That means none of this works. This whole chapter doesn’t work!
C: Hey, there’s an evil army over there.
W: What? Who are they?
C: You let them loose in Book Two. Said something about needing to set-up the big, set-piece battle.
W: Holy hell, I did. But….
C: Don’t worry, I’m on it.
W: You’re going to attack the army alone?
C: Sure–I got the blessing of the goddess. Plus this orcish gizmo that fits on here, like this. Plus, double battle-axes.
W: NO DUAL….
C: It’s book three.
W: What?
C: I said, it’s book three. I can dual wield now. I can do all the stuff now.
W: [Reverently, to self] It’s book three. We can do all the stuff.
C: There. I routed that evil army. Wait, what is that?
W: [Cackling madly] ANOTHER EVIL ARMY! It’s book three!
C: [Sighs. Annihilates second evil army.] Now what?
W: Kiss your love interest!
C: Did that in book two.
W: Right. Right! Have sex with your love interest! Here–have a whole chapter, just for that.
C: Cool….
W: Now fight these guys!
C: I’m still….
W: Now fight those guys!
C: Fine….
W: Destroy that fortress.
C: Don’t you think there’s been enough violence?
W: IT’S BOOK THREE!
C: Good point. Done. You want me to get Algar Ka now?
W: THERE ARE TEN OF HIM AND HE’S UNKILLABLE.
C: I think you need to take a break.
W: HE’S A THOUSAND FEET TALL. AND GODS. AND MONSTERS. AND A TIDAL WAVE.
C: I’m unleashing the ancient powers.
W: UNLEASH THE ANCIENT POWERS. AND THOSE OTHER POWERS THAT ARE EVEN MORE ANCIENT–UNLEASH THOSE, TOO! IT’S BOOK THREE. UNLEASH IT ALL. IT’S BOOK THREEEEEEEEEEEE!
C: Done.
W: [Reeling.] Done?
C: It’s done. I did it. I won.
W: We won.
C: Well, you went sorta crazy while I did the work, but yes. Now I want to eat lasagna and snuggle my love interest. You should get some sleep.
W: Sleep? [Shakes head slowly, in a daze.] No sleep. I need to start on the PREQUEL.
C: I hate you.

…………………………

From the Tor/Forge January newsletter. Sign up to receive our newsletter via email.

…………………………

More from the January Tor/Forge newsletter:

post-featured-image

Starred Review: The Providence of Fire by Brian Staveley

The Providence of Fire by Brian StaveleyComparing Staveley to the likes of George R. R. Martin and Joe Abercrombie, Kirkus concludes that The Providence of Fire is “Brutal, intriguing and continuing to head toward exciting events and places unknown.”

Brian Staveley’s The Providence of Fire got a starred review in Kirkus!

Here’s the full review, from the December 15 issue:

starred-review-gif The heirs of the murdered Annurian Emperor Sanlitun take separate paths toward uncovering and defeating the coup that toppled their father in this sequel to The Emperor’s Blades (2014). Kaden, the uncrowned emperor tutored as a monk, vainly seeks answers and aid from the Ishien, a vicious cult devoted to defeating the immortal, emotionless Csestriim who are apparently at the heart of the conspiracy. Kaden’s younger brother, Valyn, and his band of elite warriors struggle across the steppe toward the imperial seat at Annur, only to encounter a vast army of the nomadic Urghul, seemingly poised to invade. And the dead emperor’s eldest, Princess Adare, having discovered the true assassin of her father—the Empire’s regent, head general and her lover, Ran il Tornja—attempts to secure her own army, that of the fanatic worshipers of the goddess Intarra. At every juncture, the siblings confront constantly shifting truths concerning why their father died and who deserves their trust. Following in the footsteps of George R.R. Martin, Joe Abercrombie and the like, Staveley doesn’t hesitate to treat his protagonists harshly, subjecting them to utter privation and pain, devastating betrayals and the vast uncertainty that results when long-distance communication between potential allies is impossible (ah, for the magical equivalent of a cellphone!). But none of this feels gratuitous; all is in the service of the series plot, which remains gloriously unpredictable, although it’s at least clear by the end of this installment that an affectionate reunion among the three imperial siblings has been ruled out. Brutal, intriguing and continuing to head toward exciting events and places unknown.

The Providence of Fire will be published on January 13.

The owner of this website has made a commitment to accessibility and inclusion, please report any problems that you encounter using the contact form on this website. This site uses the WP ADA Compliance Check plugin to enhance accessibility.