When your day job is fighting dragons, or being a cantankerous mage in an imposing tower, or keeping the lava hot at the fantasy forge, or befriending dragons—basically if you’re doing anything in Epic Fantasy Town, you’ll have to unwind on the weekend. Where better to go than Epic Fantasy Tavern? The ale is frothy, the laughter is mirthy, and there’s no way you’ll meet your untimely end while you’re out relaxing!
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Better take this quiz, just to be sure. And then if you like the vibes, check out The Silverblood Promise by James Logan 😎
Last year, TJ Klune provided us with a fantastic official playlist and write-up for his new novel, In the Lives of Puppets. Now that Puppets is releasing in paperback, we’re bringing his tunes and commentary back 😎
As of the day I’m writing this—April 12, 2023—I have over five hundred songs in my In the Lives of Puppets playlist. Below, I’ve selected fifteen songs from that list to tell the musical story of the novel. These songs are in narrative order to take you on the journey with Vic, Hap, Nurse Ratched and Rambo to save one of their own. There’s a mix of jazz, contemporary and some different versions of songs you’ll recognize.
Each of the major characters—from Vic to Giovanni—are based upon a particular type of music and/or musical performance. For example, the Coachman is partially based on Gerard Way’s performance as part of My Chemical Romance for Welcome to the Black Parade. The Blue Fairy is pure Annie Lennox in Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).
Heaven, I’m in heaven
And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak
And I seem to find the happiness I seek
When we’re out together dancing cheek to cheek
It’s a thief in the night to come and grab you
It can creep up inside you and consume you
A disease of the mind, it can control you
I feel like a monster
Some little joy some little joy, it’s complicated
Some little time some little time, my heart’s been faded
Some little hope some little hope, and I pray again for love
(original substituted for remix on the linked Spotify playlist)
I’ve become so numb, I can’t feel you there
I’ve become so tired, so much more aware
I’m becoming this
All I want to do is be more like me
And be less like you
I can’t tell which way is home
I’ve been gone for so long
It’s an empty world pp here
I skip stones and wonder
How long ’til I’m discovered?
It’s a quiet life up here
Long afloat on shipless oceans
I did all my best to smile
‘Til your singing eyes and fingers
Drew me loving to your isle
And you sang
Sail to me
Sail to me, let me enfold you
Here I am, here I am
Waiting to hold you
In the night to hear the engines purr
There’s a pain
It does ripple
Through my frame, makes me lame
There’s a thorn in my side
It’s the shame, it’s the pride
Of you and me
TJ Klune’s Green Creek series is filled with heart-melting stories about queer love and werewolves. You know what else melts our hearts? The canine companions in our lives, and also TJ’s latest Green Creek release, Heartsong!
Check out this series of dogs we love with this lovely book!
Rosie the Chihuahua is notoriously difficult to photograph. Perpetually on the move, she is very puppy.
Bobby the Australian Shepherd is a Very Good Boy and not even the intended subject of this picture. This was supposed to be a snapshot with Marie (pictured below), but he was so excited about TJ Klune’s Heartsong that he had to jump in early.
Marie the Chihuahua is shockingly agile for her age and spends most of her time scaling to the highest point where people are around. Affectionately referred to as a “parrot” because of her penchant for perching on people’s shoulders, here she perches with Heartsong by TJ Klune.
Bobby wanted more pictures and has very pretty eyes.
Dolly the Australian Shepherd also has pretty eyes, and is the fastest thing on four legs. She loves her pack, her home, and hates riding in cars due to bad motion sickness.
Yeah? Well forget it. This is the winter of being ALIVE and we’re taking that to the EXTREME.
Because nothing is more EXTREME than a silly quiz. Remember that.
Forget the dead of winter; remember that.
Check it out!
And while you’ve got books on the brain, check out The Atlas Complex by Olivie Blake, and don’t forget to enter our gift-with-purchase campaign to receive a cool enamel pin!
Six magicians were selected for the chance to study the foundational magics and laws of the world. You have been selected to listen to the playlist to compliment their heart-shattering series finale.
Here at Tor, we love Halloween, and we love our pets! And our pets, for the most part, also love Halloween, when there’s lots of treats and love to make up for their ridiculous costumes. Check out this line up of Tor employee familiars in their holiday best!
Don’t let the brooding expression fool you, Kaz is a good boy.
Rosita is honestly not a big fan of her costume but being such a good sport about it.
Hermes was framed for his crimes! Framed, we say!
Not quite a costume but Bao is living out his Fall vibes.
Also not quite a costume, but here’s Bandit with his last victim…
Here’s Sophie the dragon!
Tom, seen here in his Halloween tent, is a frequent guest around Tor’s digital office
Shakespeare was not excited to put his cape on but jokes on him, his attitude made it better!
Endless night streams soft and silver through the reading room’s wide window. You are surrounded by volumes and tomes, candle and moonlight, and out that window—so many stars.
Inside there are so many spirits.
If you do not escape the library, you will join them. FOREVER.
The Fragile Threads of Power by V. E. Schwab is now available! At last, readers return to the many worlds spun into being by Schwab’s Shades of Magic series…and did we mention there’s art?? Check out these renditions of the Fragile Threads cast created by lasq.draws.
The Wild Cards are back with Full House—an adventure edited by George R. R. Martin—now in paperback! With new Aces and Jokers, as well as some old favorites, the latest book in this long-running shared-world series has us wondering: if we lived in Martin’s shared world, what powers would we have? Would we be the famous Dr. Tachyon, mind reader extraordinaire? Or Croyd, whose abilities constantly change? Wonder no longer, because our quiz will tell you!
