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Our Favorite SFF Short Story Collections of 2021

Our Favorite SFF Short Story Collections of 2021

Books come in all forms and lengths, from short novellas to sprawling epic series. Today, we’re taking a look at one of our favorite ways to consume SFF stories—short story anthologies! Check out some of our favorite ones coming out this year.


Image Placeholder of - 47Even Greater Mistakes by Charlie Jane Anders

In her short story collection, Even Greater Mistakes, Charlie Jane Anders upends genre cliches and revitalizes classic tropes with heartfelt and pants-wettingly funny social commentary. The stories in this collection, by their very outrageousness, achieve a heightened realism unlike any other. Anders once again proves she is one of the strongest voices in modern science fiction, the writer called by Andrew Sean Greer, “this generation’s Le Guin.”

Place holder  of - 7Never Say You Can’t Survive by Charlie Jane Anders

Things are scary right now. We’re all being swept along by a tidal wave of history, and it’s easy to feel helpless. But we’re not helpless: we have minds, and imaginations, and the ability to visualize other worlds and valiant struggles. And writing can be an act of resistance that reminds us that other futures and other ways of living are possible. Full of memoir, personal anecdote, and insight about how to flourish during the present emergency, Never Say You Can’t Survive is the perfect manual for creativity in unprecedented times.

Image Place holder  of - 24The Wandering Earth by Cixin Liu

These ten stories, including five Chinese Galaxy Award-winners, are a blazingly original ode to planet Earth, its pasts, and its futures. Liu’s fiction takes the reader to the edge of the universe and the end of time, to meet stranger fates than we could have ever imagined. With a melancholic and keen understanding of human nature, Liu’s stories show humanity’s attempts to reason, navigate, and above all, survive in a desolate cosmos.

Poster Placeholder of - 36Burning Girls and Other Stories by Veronica Schanoes

In Burning Girls and Other Stories, Veronica Schanoes crosses borders and genres with stories of fierce women at the margins of society burning their way toward the center. Emma Goldman—yes, that Emma Goldman—takes tea with the Baba Yaga and truths unfold inside of exquisitely crafted lies. In “Among the Thorns,” a young woman in seventeenth century Germany is intent on avenging the brutal murder of her peddler father, but discovers that vengeance may consume all that it touches. Dreamy, dangerous, and precise, with the weight of the very oldest tales we tell, Burning Girls and Other Stories introduces a writer pushing the boundaries of both fantasy and contemporary fiction.

Placeholder of  -86Alias Space and Other Stories by Kelly Robson

Alias Space and Other Stories is the first fiction collection from Nebula Award-winning writer Kelly Robson, who vaulted onto the Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror stage in 2015, earning spots in multiple Year’s Best anthologies. This volume collects Robson’s best stories to date, along with exciting new work, and notes to accompany each piece.

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Our Favorite SFF for Foodies

Our Favorite SFF for Foodies

We love a good snack, and we can almost taste the treats described in these tasty titles. From donuts to tea to humans themselves, there’s something for everyone to sample! Check out our round-up here.


By Lizzy Hosty

Image Place holder  of - 41Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

When transgender runaway Katrina Nguyen dazzles Shizuka Satomi with her violin mastery, Shizuka thinks she might’ve found the seventh and final prodigy to convince to give up their soul to the devil so she can escape damnation. But when Lan Tran – retired starship captain, interstellar refugee, and mother of four – walks into Shizuka’s donut shop in the San Gabriel Valley, Lan’s kind smile and eyes like stars have Shizuka questioning whether she should go through with her plans.

Image Placeholder of - 19Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

Wallace starts to think he’s dead when, at his own funeral, a grim reaper comes to collect him. And when the owner of a peculiar tea shop, Hugo, decides to help him cross over, he realizes he’s really dead. But Wallace isn’t ready to cross over. After being told he has one week to cross over, Wallace decides to set out and live the life he’s always wanted within the last seven days he has left.

Placeholder of  -35The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

Rose Edelstein has a unique gift – by simply eating the food that others have prepared, she is able to feel that person’s emotions. When nine year old Rose bites into her mother’s homemade lemon cake, she discovers that her happy, go-lucky mom actually tastes of despair and desperation. Suddenly, food is a threat to Rose, because it unlocks the secret knowledge that all families keep hidden, such as how her family members interact with the world and each other.

Poster Placeholder of - 90Star Eater by Kerstin Hall

Elfreda Raughn, a member of a group of cannibalistic nuns called the Sisterhood of Aytrium, can usually stomach her usual day-to-day tasks. But when she discovers what is necessary to preserve their magical bloodline, she’s horrified and wants out. Suddenly, someone offers her a chance at just that, as long as she becomes a spy into the Sisterhood. Elfreda Raughn accepts, because she wants to be able to make her own choices – like making sure she never comes pregnant – even if it kills her.

Place holder  of - 30You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo

At the edge of the known universe, Niko Larson, former Admiral in the Grand Military of the Hive Mind, spends her retirement with the remnants of her former unit working at The Last Chance restaurant at the TwiceFar station. But soon, Niko and her crew are kidnapped – onto a sentient ship that believes it’s been stolen – and have to survive a sadistic pirate king if they want to make it back to The Last Chance.

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Every Tor Book Coming Fall 2021

Every Tor Book Coming Fall 2021

What is that in the air? Freshly fallen leaves? The smell of pumpkin spice? Oh wait, it’s the sound of brand new books dropping! Check out every book coming from Tor Books this fall here.


September 14

Placeholder of  -37Mordew by Alex Pheby

God is dead, his corpse hidden in the catacombs beneath Mordew. In the slums of the sea-battered city, a young boy called Nathan Treeves lives with his parents, eking out a meagre existence by picking treasures from the Living Mud and the half-formed, short-lived creatures it spawns. Until one day his desperate mother sells him to the mysterious Master of Mordew. The Master derives his magical power from feeding on the corpse of God. But Nathan, despite his fear and lowly station, has his own strength—and it is greater than the Master has ever known.

September 21

Image Placeholder of - 47Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead. And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he’s definitely dead. But even in death he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days. Hilarious, haunting, and kind, Under the Whispering Door is an uplifting story about a life spent at the office and a death spent building a home.

Place holder  of - 63Dune: The Lady of Caladan by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

Lady Jessica, mother of Paul, and consort to Leto Atreides. The choices she made shaped an empire, but first the Lady of Caladan must reckon with her own betrayal of the Bene Gesserit. She has already betrayed her ancient order, but now she must decide if her loyalty to the Sisterhood is more important than the love of her own family. Meanwhile, events in the greater empire are accelerating beyond the control of even the Reverend Mother, and Lady Jessica’s family is on a collision course with destiny.

September 28

Poster Placeholder of - 33Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

Shizuka Satomi made a deal with the devil: to escape damnation, she must entice seven other violin prodigies to trade their souls for success. When Katrina Nguyen, a young transgender runaway, catches Shizuka’s ear with her wild talent, Shizuka can almost feel the curse lifting. She’s found her final candidate. But in a donut shop off a bustling highway in the San Gabriel Valley, Shizuka meets Lan Tran, retired starship captain, interstellar refugee, and mother of four. Shizuka doesn’t have time for crushes or coffee dates, what with her very soul on the line, but Lan’s kind smile and eyes like stars might just redefine a soul’s worth.

Image Place holder  of - 92Invisible Sun by Charles Stross

An inter-timeline coup d’état gone awry. A renegade British monarch on the run through the streets of Berlin. And robotic alien invaders from a distant timeline flood through a wormhole, wreaking havoc in the USA. Can disgraced worldwalker Rita and her intertemporal extraordaire agent of a mother neutralize the livewire contention before it’s too late?

October 5

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Special Edition by V. E. Schwab

A gorgeous new collector’s edition of V. E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, including: six new pieces of art from Addie’s story never-before-seen to North America readers; designed alternate debossed stamp under the cover; ribbon bookmark; an exclusive note from the author. In the vein of The Time Traveler’s Wife and Life After LifeThe Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab’s genre-defying tour de force.

The Eye of the World, TV Tie-In by Robert Jordan

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow. When The Two Rivers is attacked by Trollocs–a savage tribe of half-men, half-beasts–five villagers flee that night into a world they barely imagined, with new dangers waiting in the shadows and in the light. Soon to be an original series starring Rosamund Pike as Moiraine!

October 12

Destroyer of Light by Jennifer Marie Brissett

Having destroyed Earth, the alien conquerors resettle the remains of humanity on the planet of Eleusis. In the three habitable areas of the planet–Day, Dusk, and Night–the haves and have nots, criminals and dissidents, and former alien conquerors irrevocably bind three stories, skating across years, building to a single confrontation when the fate of all—human and alien—balances upon a knife’s-edge. Warning: This book is designed for audiences 18+ due to scenes of physical and sexual violence, and themes that some may find disturbing.

October 19

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, Paperback by Christopher Paolini 

During a routine survey mission on an uncolonized planet, Kira finds an alien relic. At first she’s delighted, but elation turns to terror when the ancient dust around her begins to move. As war erupts among the stars, Kira is launched into a galaxy-spanning odyssey of discovery and transformation. First contact isn’t at all what she imagined, and events push her to the very limits of what it means to be human. While Kira faces her own horrors, Earth and its colonies stand upon the brink of annihilation. Now, Kira might be humanity’s greatest and final hope . . . New York Times bestseller To Sleep in a Sea of Stars is out in paperback on 10/19!

October 26

Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson

After forming a coalition of human resistance against the enemy invasion, Dalinar Kholin and his Knights Radiant have spent a year fighting a protracted, brutal war. Neither side has gained an advantage, and the threat of a betrayal by Dalinar’s crafty ally Taravangian looms over every strategic move. Now, as new technological discoveries by Navani Kholin’s scholars begin to change the face of the war, the enemy prepares a bold and dangerous operation. The arms race that follows will challenge the very core of the Radiant ideals, and potentially reveal the secrets of the ancient tower that was once the heart of their strength. #1 New York Times bestseller Rhythm of War is out in paperback on 10/26!

The Wandering Earth by Cixin Liu

These eleven stories, including five Chinese Galaxy Award-winners, are a blazingly original ode to planet Earth, its pasts, and its futures. Liu’s fiction takes the reader to the edge of the universe and the end of time, to meet stranger fates than we could have ever imagined. With a melancholic and keen understanding of human nature, Liu’s stories show humanity’s attempts to reason, navigate, and above all, survive in a desolate cosmos.

November 2

Perhaps the Stars by Ada Palmer

In the future, the leaders of Hive nations—nations without fixed location—clandestinely committed nefarious deeds in order to maintain an outward semblance of utopian stability. But the facade could only last so long. The comforts of effortless global travel and worldwide abundance may have tempered humanity’s darkest inclinations, but conflict remains deeply rooted in the human psyche. Now, war spreads throughout the globe, splintering old alliances and awakening sleeping enmities. All transportation systems are in ruins, causing the tyranny of distance to fracture a long-united Earth and threaten to obliterate everything the Hive system built.

November 9

The World of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and Teresa Patterson

In this series companion book, over eighty full color paintings include maps of the world, portraits of the central characters, landscapes, objects of Power, and national flags. The reader will learn about the exotic beasts used by the Seanchan, witness the rise and fall of Artur Hawking, peruse the deeper story of the War of the Shadow, and discover the tale of the founding of the White Tower, and the creation of the Ajahs. In a new hardcover edition with a beautiful updated cover, The World of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time is a must-buy for devoted fans of the series and newcomers alike.

November 16

The God is Not Willing by Steven Erikson

Many years have passed since three warriors brought carnage and chaos to Silver Lake. Now the tribes of the north no longer venture into the southlands. The town has recovered and yet the legacy remains. Responding to reports of a growing unease among the tribes beyond the border, the Malazan army marches on the new god’s people. They aren’t quite sure what they’re going to be facing. And in those high mountains, a new warleader has risen amongst the Teblor. Scarred by the deeds of Karsa Orlong, he intends to confront his god even if he has to cut a bloody swathe through the Malazan Empire to do so.

Even Greater Mistakes by Charlie Jane Anders

The woman who can see all possible futures is dating the man who can see the one and only foreordained future. A wildly popular slapstick filmmaker is drawn, against his better judgment, into working with a fascist militia, against a background of social collapse. Two friends must embark on an Epic Quest To Capture The Weapon That Threatens The Galaxy, or else they’ll never achieve their dream of opening a restaurant. The stories in this collection, by their very outrageousness, achieve a heightened realism unlike any other. Anders once again proves she is one of the strongest voices in modern science fiction, the writer called by Andrew Sean Greer, “this generation’s Le Guin.”

You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo

TwiceFar station is at the edge of the known universe, and that’s just how Niko Larson, former Admiral in the Grand Military of the Hive Mind, likes it. Retired and finally free of the continual war of conquest, Niko and the remnants of her former unit are content to spend the rest of their days working at the restaurant they built together, The Last Chance. But, some wars can’t ever be escaped, and unlike the Hive Mind, some enemies aren’t content to let old soldiers go. Niko and her crew are forced onto a sentient ship convinced that it is being stolen and must survive the machinations of a sadistic pirate king if they even hope to keep the dream of The Last Chance alive.

Death Draws Five edited by George R. R. Martin

It’s really quite simple. Mr. Nobody wants to do his job. The Midnight Angel wants to serve her Lord. Billy Ray, dying from boredom, wants some action. John Nighthawk wants to uncover the awful secret behind his mysterious power. Fortunato wants to rescue his son from the clutches of a cryptic Vatican office. John Fortune just wants to catch Siegfried and Ralph’s famous Vegas review. The problem is that all roads, whether they start in Turin, Italy, Las Vegas, Hokkaido, Japan, Jokertown, Snake Hill, the Short Cut, or Yazoo City, Mississippi, lead to Leo Barnett’s Peaceable Kingdom, where the difference between the Apocalypse and Peace on Earth is as thin as a razor’s edge and where Death himself awaits the final, terrible turn of the card.

The Last Shadow by Orson Scott Card

Orson Scott Card’s The Last Shadow is the long-awaited conclusion to both the original Ender series and the Ender’s Shadow series, as the children of Ender and Bean solve the great problem of the Ender Universe—the deadly virus they call the descolada, which is incurable and will kill all of humanity if it is allowed to escape from Lusitania.

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Five Books About Contagions with Hopeful Endings

Five Books About Contagions with Hopeful Endings

It might seem a bit on the nose to read books about contagions right now, but what better than a book to give you hope that we’ll make it to the other side? Here are five books about contagions that plague worlds from our near past to our distant future, and the indomitability of humanity in building relationships of love and joy despite them.

 By Yvonne Ye


Poster Placeholder of - 3Immunity Index by Sue Burke

Orphan Black meets Contagion in Burke’s novel as three perfectly normal young women in Wisconsin, discover that they are all clones of each other. Meanwhile, the gifted scientist who made them races to find a cure for a rapidly-spreading virus while battling the cover-up that would conceal the virus’s sinister origins. Around them, the nation destabilizes in the face of disaster, food shortage, and a burgeoning fascist regime.

Image Place holder  of - 66Sun-Daughters, Sea-Daughters by Aimee Ogden 

What happens to the Little Mermaid after the fairytale ends? When a devastating plague strikes her husband and her adopted people, Atuale takes to the stars seeking a cure. In order to do so, however, she’ll need the help of Yanja, the powerful World-Witch, but it’s been twenty years and a vicious war since these childhood friends have seen each other last, and Yanja is no longer the person that Atuale once knew.

Placeholder of  -5The Endless Skies by Shannon Price

Rowan has been training for her entire life to become one of the Leonodai, one of the famed winged-lion warriors who guard the floating city of the Heliana from the evils of the world of humans. But just before Rowan can take the oath and assume the mantle, a disease strikes the city’s children, forcing the Leonodai to depart for a dangerous mission seeking a cure in enemy lands. Meanwhile in Heliana, Rowan learns of a terrible secret—one that would force her to choose between becoming what she’d always dreamed of, and saving everyone she loves.

Image Placeholder of - 91Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

In Mandel’s intricate and lyrical novel, the world is ending, has already ended, or will end very soon as the Georgia Flu sweeps through the world, halting human civilization in its tracks. Twenty years after the epidemic, Kirsten Raymonde travels what was formerly known as the Midwest with the Travelling Symphony, performing Shakespeare after the apocalypse. When the members of the troupe begin to go missing, one by one, the Travelling Symphony strikes out for the “Museum of Civilization” on a journey that explores faith, family, and the importance of storytelling in a world recovering from disaster.

Place holder  of - 26I Am Legend by Richard Maltheson 

No list about apocalyptic contagions would be complete without this title, which already has at least three film adaptations. After a viral plague causes all of humanity, both living and dead, to turn into vampiric creatures, former factory worker Robert Neville spends his days fending off vampires, scavenging to survive, and teaching himself virology to figure out exactly what caused the plague. The arrival of Ruth, the first human survivor he’s seen in three years, might change everything for the better—or bring it all crashing down.

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All the Tor Essentials from 2021

All the Tor Essentials from 2021

Our Tor Essentials line was created to give readers new editions of science fiction and fantasy titles that have stood the test of time, and to bring back ones current SFF fans might have missed out on in the past. Check out every Tor Essentials title coming out in 2021 here!


Image Placeholder of - 71The Wood Wife by Terri Windling

Leaving behind her fashionable West Coast life, Maggie Black comes to the Southwestern desert to pursue her passion and he dreams. Her mentor, the acclaimed poet Davis Cooper, has mysteriously died, bequeathing her his estate and the mystery of his life—and death. Maggie is astonished by the power of this harsh but beautiful land and captivated by the uncommon people who call it home—especially Fox, a man unlike any she has ever known, who understands the desert’s special power. As she reads Cooper’s letters and learns the secrets of his life, Maggie comes face-to-face with the wild, ancient spirits of the desert—and discovers the hidden power at its heart, a power that will take her on a journey like no other. On sale now!

Image Place holder  of - 86The Best of R. A. Lafferty by R. A. Lafferty

Acclaimed as one of the most original voices in modern literature, Raphael Aloysius Lafferty (1914-2002) was an American original, a teller of acute, indescribably loopy tall tales whose work has been compared to that of Avram Davidson, Flannery O’Connor, Flann O’Brien, and Gene Wolfe. The Best of R. A. Lafferty presents 22 of his best flights of offbeat imagination, ranging from classics like “Nine Hundred Grandmothers” to his Hugo Award-winning “Eurema’s Dam.” Introduced by Neil Gaiman, the volume also contains story introductions and afterwords by, among many others, Michael Dirda, Samuel R. Delany, John Scalzi, Connie Willis, Jeff VanderMeer, Kelly Robson, and more. On sale now!

Poster Placeholder of - 43Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner

Now available in a Tor Essentials edition, the Hugo Award-winning, uncannily prophetic Stand on Zanizbar is a science fiction novel unlike any before. It remains an insightful look at America’s downfall that allows us to see what has been, what is, and what is to come. With an introduction by cyberpunk pioneer Bruce Sterling, author of Distraction and Islands In the Net. On sale now!

Placeholder of  -24Shadow & Claw by Gene Wolfe

The Book of the New Sun is acclaimed as Wolfe’s most remarkable work, hailed as “a masterpiece of science fantasy comparable in importance to the major works of Tolkien and Lewis,” by Publishers Weekly and “one of the most ambitious works of speculative fiction in the twentieth century,” by the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. The Shadow of the Torturer is the first volume, the tale of young Severian, an apprentice to the Guild of Torturers on the world called Urth, exiled for committing the ultimate sin of his profession—showing mercy toward his victim. The Claw of the Conciliator continues the saga of Severian, banished from his home, as he undertakes a mythic quest to discover the awesome power of an ancient relic and learn the truth about his hidden destiny. On sale now!

Place holder  of - 63Sword & Citadel by Gene Wolfe

Gene Wolfe has been called “the finest writer the science fiction world has yet produced” by The Washington Post. The Sword of the Lictor is the third volume in Wolfe’s remarkable epic, chronicling the odyssey of the wandering pilgrim called Severian, driven by a powerful and unfathomable destiny, as he carries out a dark mission far from his home. The Citadel of the Autarch brings The Book of the New Sun to its harrowing conclusion, as Severian clashes in a final reckoning with the dread Autarch, fulfilling an ancient prophecy that will alter forever the realm known as Urth. On sale now!

Redshirts by John Scalzi

Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid, flagship of the Universal Union since the year 2456. It’s a prestige posting, with the chance to serve on “Away Missions” alongside the starship’s famous senior officers. Life couldn’t be better…until Andrew begins to realize that (1) every Away Mission involves a lethal confrontation with alien forces, (2) the ship’s senior officers always survive these confrontations, and (3) sadly, at least one low-ranking crew member is invariably killed. Then Andrew stumbles on information that transforms his and his colleagues’ understanding of what the starship Intrepid really is…and offers them a crazy, high-risk chance to save their own lives. On sale 10/12!

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What Do Poetry and SFF Have in Common? Some of Our Favorite Authors!

What Do Poetry and SFF Have in Common? Some of Our Favorite Authors!

While poetry doesn’t seem to have much in common with science fiction and fantasy, these multi-talented authors prove that these genres can go hand in hand more often than you think. With fantastical stories told in verse to science fiction story collections containing poetry, there’s something here for all lovers of the written word to enjoy. Check it them out here!

By Elizabeth Hosty


Poster Placeholder of - 19The Freedom Race by Lucinda Roy

Known for Fabric, The Humming Birds, and Wailing the Dead to Sleep, Lucinda Roy is making her first foray into speculative fiction with her new novel, The Freedom Race, on sale from Tor Books now! Following the events of the Second Civil War, the United States became fractured. One faction, the Homestead Territories, began a new slave trade by recruiting immigrants from Africa. Ji-ji Lottermule is one of the slaves born into captivity and forced to breed new “muleseeds,” the only way to gain her freedom is through winning the annual Freedom Race.

Image Placeholder of - 76Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

With collections such as Seasonal Velocities and Why Dust Shall Never Settle Upon This Soul, Ryka Aoki has now written the upcoming Light From Uncommon Stars that takes place in a donut shop in San Gabriel Valley. Over fresh made donuts, Shizuka Satomi meets Lan Tran, retired starship captain, interstellar refugee, and mother of four. While Lan’s kind smile and eyes that could redefine a soul’s worth are enticing, Shizuka doesn’t have time for crushes. Especially considering she’s currently trying to convince Katrina Nguyen, a young transgender runaway, to give up her soul to the devil for success so Shizuka can escape damnation.

Place holder  of - 41Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers and Other Stories by Alyssa Wong

Alyssa Wong is well known for her compelling science fiction and fantasy short stories, including a poem published by Uncanny Magazine titled For The Gardener’s Daughter and her new story collection Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers and Other Stories. The anthology contains eight of her award winning short stories and flash fiction, along with five entirely new short stories.

Image Place holder  of - 3Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott

Author of the Spiritwalker series, including a short story told entirely in verse entitled The Beatriceid, Kate Elliott’s book Unconquerable Sun follows Princess Sun when she finally comes of age, only for the cutthroat ambassador corps and conniving noble houses to attempt to remove Sun as heir, or better yet, kill her. To survive, the princess must rely on her wits and companions: her biggest rival, her secret lover, and a dangerous prisoner of war.

Placeholder of  -70Book of Night by Holly Black

Having dabbled in poetry through her publication of The Third Third: Israfel’s Tale and Bone Mother, Holly Black has returned to science fiction and fantasy with her upcoming adult novel, Book of Night. In a world where altering someone’s feelings and memories come free, but manipulating shadows can cost hours or days off your life, Charlie Hall is scraping by on an existence of odd jobs for the patrons and new money in the edges of Berkshire. But when someone from her dark past returns, Charlie finds herself facing a maelstrom of secrets and murder, of doppelgangers, mercurial billionaires, shadow thieves, and her own sister – all desperate to control the magic of the shadows.

 

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Step Aside, Shadowfax—6 Books Featuring Fantasy Steeds That Aren’t Horses

Step Aside, Shadowfax—6 Books Featuring Fantasy Steeds That Aren’t Horses

Sure, horses are majestic and noble beasts, but why limit yourself to four legs and hooves in fantasy when you could be riding anything from gigantic sandworms to man-eating hippos? Here are six titles that feature alternative steeds for riding into battle on, or just riding to work on.

By Yvonne Ye


Image Place holder  of - 30Empire’s Ruin by Brian Staveley

The Annurian Empire—the setting for Staveley’s popular series The Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne—is back, and it’s disintegrating rapidly. After a disastrous mission gone terribly awry, Gwenna Sharpe must embark on a voyage beyond the edges of any maps in search for the ancient nesting grounds of the giant war hawks—massive, proud birds that can carry an entire Wing of highly skilled soldiers—the empire needs to survive.

Image Placeholder of - 55American Hippo by Sarah Gailey

 In the early 20th century, the U.S. Congress seriously entertained the proposition of importing hippos into the southern marshlands to be nurtured as an alternative meat source. Sarah Gailey follows that proposition to its logical conclusion: a hair-raising heist on hippo-back. Brutal, brilliant, bold, and brash, American Hippo follows Winslow Houndstooth and his crew of outlaws, con artists, assassins, and their hippo counterparts as they wreak absolute mayhem in the bayous of Louisiana—and take bloody revenge.

Poster Placeholder of - 85The Red Threads of Fortune by Neon Yang

After the explosive ending of The Black Tides of Heaven, Sanao Mokoya—ex-prophet, trained Tensor, rebel, and daughter of the supreme Protector—now spends her days hunting sky-obscuring naga: great, lizard-like beasts that soar through the heavens on clawed wings of leather, whose jaws could slice a man in half. When she meets the mysterious yet enchanting Rider, who can take to the skies on the back of a naga, Mokoya must confront conspiracy and betrayal, buried secrets and deadly magic while navigating her own trauma and grief.

Placeholder of  -89Star Eater by Kerstin Hall

Come for the incisive deconstruction of power in a bloody sisterhood of matriarchal nuns; stay for the haqules, the giant, swift-footed, fork-tailed feline steeds that the high-ranking members of the sisterhood ride. Elfreda Raughn wants out of the Sisterhood of Aytrium, which offers her great power at a gruesome cost. Sometimes, that means riding giant cats while making one’s dramatic escape. Sometimes, that also means evading giant cats whilst making one’s dramatic escape, but such are the dangers of infiltrating and rebelling against a cannibalistic priestesshood.

Place holder  of - 9The Dinosaur Lords by Victor Milán

If you’ve ever looked at 14th century Europe and thought to yourself that it would be improved by the addition of dinosaurs, look no further. Mercenary and Dinosaur Lord Karyl Bogomirsky has been betrayed and left for dead, but he won’t let his story end there. Milán crafts a world full of dinosaurs as wildlife, as husbandry, as pets, and of course—as steeds of war.

Dune by Frank Herbert

When the House of Atreides accepts stewardship over the planet of Arrakis, young Paul Atreides is flung into a storm of interstellar intrigue and deadly competition. Arrakis is inhospitable, desolate, and covered primarily in harsh deserts; it is also the only source of melange, a rare and exclusive spice that can both extend life and heighten mental abilities. The catch? The spice is guarded by the giant sandworms of Arrakis, who are made of little more than teeth and territorial instinct. With an upcoming film this fall featuring a powerhouse cast of Oscar Isaac, Timothée Chalamet, and Zendaya, we’re looking forward to at least one scene where a character rides the famed sandworms.

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Dragons Vs. Sharks: Tokyo Drift Style

Dragons Vs. Sharks: Tokyo Drift Style

Welcome to Dragon Week: Tokyo Drift, our third year celebrating of all things Dragon!

Back in 2019, we put some of our favorite dragons and sharks in glorious battle for honor, accolades, and internet fame. So we decided, LET’S DO IT AGAIN! Introducing, Dragons Vs. Sharks: TOKYO DRIFT STYLE! Check out our contenders below!

Theodore vs. The Sharks

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Match Prediction: For Round 1 of Dragons vs. Sharks, we placed the adorable Theo from The House in the Cerulean Sea against the amazing dancing Sharks from West Side Story! So who wins in the battle of cuteness vs. rhythm? Cuteness, duh! We predict the Sharks will be so won over by the power of friendship, Theo’s innate cuteness, and his collection of hidden treasure (AKA the buttons they happily surrender) that they attempt to adopt our favorite wyvern and make him their newest member. Theo is swiftly retrieved by his caretaker Arthur Parnassus, much to the disappointment of the Sharks.

Street Sharks vs. Rand al’Thor

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Match Prediction: It’s time for ROUND 2! We’ve pitted the Street Sharks against Rand al’Thor from the Wheel of Time series and wow, what a match. The Street Sharks have the combined strength of four half-human whale sharks, but Rand al’Thor IS the Dragon Reborn, the champion of the Light in the battle against the Dark One, the prophesied savior and breaker of the world, AND the reincarnated soul of Lews Therin Telamon so…yeah. This one is going to Rand al’Thor.

The Meg vs. Falkor from The NeverEnding Story

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Match Prediction: For Round 3, we’ve put The Meg (of MEG fame) and Falkor from The NeverEnding Story in a match TO THE DEATH!!!! Or…okay, maybe not to the death. We predict that Falkor would use his gifts of luck and flight to zoom away from The Meg, leaving this insanely large Megalodon without its meal for the day. Let’s call it a tie, shall we?

Needle-Throated Verdun vs. Sharknado

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Match Prediction: The Needle-Throated Verdun from Blood of an Exile by Brain Naslund for the most part just wants to eat, sleep, and chill, so the victory here is going to the Sharknado, hands-down. And really, how would one fight an ENTIRE TORNADO OF SHARKS anyway?!

Which sharks do you think make the best dragon snacks? Which Tor staff members could beat both a dragon AND a shark with their bare hands? Tell us in the comments and keep the Dragon Week: Tokyo Drift fun going!

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Our Favorite Historical SFF Retellings

Our Favorite Historical SFF Retellings

History is written by the victors; or in this case, re-written to explore what could have been. From a young assassin who uses knives to instil fear in her targets, to a young woman who steals her older brother’s destiny of greatness, travel to a reimagined history with these fantastical stories.


Image Placeholder of - 42She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

In this reimagining tale about the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, the second daughter of a family of starving peasants is told her fate will amount to nothingness, while her older brother, Zhu Chongba, will achieve greatness. However, when their father is killed, and Zhu dies from despair, the daughter decides to take on her brother’s identity to steal his fate.

Poster Placeholder of - 73Trouble the Saints by Alaya Dawn Johnson

When a young woman from Harlem is hired as an assassin, she uses knives to scare the most dangerous of citizens. Ten years later, and at the beginning of World War II, the assassin, Phyllis LeBlanc, has given up on her past – including the man she loved, Dev. But her past hasn’t given up on her, and soon Phyllis has to make a choice – but is there ever enough blood in the world to wash clean generations of injustice?

Place holder  of - 78The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo

In the glittering 1920s of this reinvented tale from The Great Gatsby, Jordan Baker is Asian, queer, and a magician. Jordan has grown up in the most elite circles of society – she has money, education, and invites to all the hottest parties. But as a Vietnamese adoptee, she is also treated as exotic by those around her, and the most important doors remain closed to her. But the world of lost ghosts, elemental mysteries, dazzling illusions, and infernal pacts is calling to her.

Placeholder of  -6The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

A huge meteorite crashed to earth in 1952 and took out most of the East Coast. Soon a looming climate crisis that could make the earth inhospitable for humans forces humanity to expedite their efforts to colonize space. As a WASP pilot and mathematician, Elma York is given a chance to live on the moon. But Elma’s drive to be an astronaut is so strong that not even the International Aerospace Coalition can keep her from exploring space.

Image Place holder  of - 21Lent by Jo Walton

In fifteenth century Florence, young Girolamo can see demons and cast them out on his own will. And not only that, but Girolamo seems to have the charisma and charm to make friends out of noblemen, convince Charles VIII of France to not invade Florence and instead protect, and to make any crowd he preaches to swoon. Soon, people begin to feel threatened by his power, such as the Pope who is bent on preventing him from controlling Florence. But Girolamo is just getting started.

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“I See Dead People”: Our 5 Favorite Ghost Talkers in SFF

“I See Dead People”: Our 5 Favorite Ghost Talkers in SFF

While “I see dead people” might cause the average person to flee in terror, for the protagonists of these books, it’s just business as usual. From lesbian necromancers, to spirit mediums during World War I, to a ghostalker who carries messages to those left behind, here are five stories where characters don’t seem to mind talking with folks who should be dead and buried.

By Lizzy Hosty


Image Placeholder of - 3The Library of the Dead by T. L. Huchu

Cynical teen Ropa dropped out of school to become a ghostalker, and business is booming. Listening to the never-ending parade of ghosts who ask her to take messages back to the ones they left behind, Ropa soon hears of someone on her patch who is bewitching children and leaving them husks, empty of joy and strength. Calling on Zimbabwean magic and Scottish

Place holder  of - 44The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison

In this follow-up to The Goblin Emperor, which follows Thara Celehar, the Prelate of Ulis that found the truth for the half-goblin Maia and inadvertently ousted from his place as emperor. Now, Celehar lives among the commoners, which suits him just fine. Until his skills as a Witness for the Dead – which lets him speak to the recently dead, see the last thing they saw, know the last thought they had, and experience the last thing they felt – thrusts him deep into a treacherous plot.

Placeholder of  -50Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal

During World War I, not even the phrase “dead men tell no tales” is true. Because as long as the recently deceased speak with a member of the Spirit Corps, the Allies can fight on. Ginger Stuyvesant is an American living in London during World War I, and she is such a member of the Spirit Corps. But when Ginger discovers a traitor amongst their ranks, and goes to report what she has found, no one believes her. Ginger realizes it’s all up to her to find out exactly how the Germans are targeting the Spirit Corps and stop them herself.

Poster Placeholder of - 6Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel by Susanna Clarke

In England in the midst of the Napoleonic era, with wars being waged on land and sea, two very different magicians emerge to challenge the belief that magic is dead and gone. One of the magicians, the reclusive Mr. Norrel, reveals his powers and becomes a celebrity instantly. The other magician – a young and handsome Jonathan Strange – comes forth to become Mr. Norrel’s protege and to join the war against France. But Jonathan dares to practice the most dangerous forms of magic, which puts his relationship with Mr. Norrel – and everything he’s worked for – at risk.

Image Place holder  of - 54Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Gideon’s afterlife as a reanimated corpse involves a life of servitude that Gideon is ready to be done with. Packing up her sword, shoes, and her dirty magazines, Gideon prepares to run away – only to be stopped by her nemesis, Harrowhark Nonagesimus who demands a service. Harrow is the Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and a bone witch extraordinaire and has been invited to a deadly trial of wits that, if she succeeds at, could make her an immortal servant of the Resurrection. Harrow needs Gideon to help her win, because to lose is to have the Ninth House die.

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