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Ancient Magic in Modern Cities

May 17, 2024May 8, 2024Rachel Taylor

Modern cities can hold ancient magic, some more literally than others. Check out our favorite cities turn magical epicenters below!

**Chicago in When Among Crows by Veronica Roth**

Pain is Dymitr’s calling. His family is one in a long line of hunters who sacrifice their souls to slay monsters. Now he’s tasked with a deadly mission: find the legendary witch Baba Jaga. To reach her, Dymitr must ally with the ones he’s sworn to kill. Pain is Ala’s inheritance. A fear-eating zmora with little left to lose, Ala awaits death from the curse she carries. When Dymitr offers her a cure in exchange for her help, she has no choice but to agree. Together they must fight against time and the wrath of the Chicago underworld. But Dymitr’s secrets—and his true motives—may be the thing that actually destroys them.

London in the Shades of Magic series by V. E. Schwab

Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black. After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they’ll first need to stay alive.

**Manhattan in One for My Enemy by Olivie Blake**

In modern-day Manhattan where we lay our scene, two rival witch families fight to maintain control of their respective criminal empires. On one side of the conflict are the Antonova sisters — each one beautiful, cunning, and ruthless — and their mother, the elusive supplier of premium intoxicants, known only as Baba Yaga. On the other side, the influential Fedorov brothers serve their father, the crime boss known as Koschei the Deathless, whose ventures dominate the shadows of magical Manhattan. After twelve years of tenuous co-existence, one family member brutally crosses the line. Bad blood reignites old grudges; at the same time, fate intervenes with a chance encounter between enemies. In the wake of love and vengeance, everyone must choose a side. As each of the siblings struggles to stake their claim, bloodshed in inevitable. The question is: Whose?

**Tokyo in Blood Jade by Julia Vee and Ken Bebelle**

Emiko Soong, newly minted Sentinel of San Francisco, just can’t catch a break. Just after she becomes the guardian for a sentient city, a murder strikes close to home. Called by the city and one of the most powerful clans to investigate, she traces the killer whose scent signature bears a haunting similarity to her mother’s talent. The trail will lead her back to Tokyo where the thread she pulls threatens to unravel her whole world and bring dark family secrets to light. Meanwhile, the General rises in the East and Emiko must fight the hidden enemies of his growing army who are amped up on Blood Jade, while keeping her promises to her brother Tatsuya as he prepares for his tourney. Her duties as Sentinel and her loyalties collide when she must choose between hiding her deepest shame or stopping the General’s relentless march.

Edinburgh in the Edinburgh Nights series by T. L. Huchu

The Library of the Dead introduces readers to Ropa, a precocious and cynical teen who can talk to ghosts. She explores the shadowy magical underside of modern Edinburgh searching for clues to uncover what’s behind the evil bewitching all the children, leaving them shells of themselves. Along the way she encounters an occult library, a magical mentor, and some unexpected allies. This atmospheric, paranormal fantasy series continues with Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments.

Lists

6 Stories You Can Enjoy on Page and Screen

March 21, 2024March 13, 2024a cat

Don’t you just love it when books leap off the page? And onto the screen? Here’s a list of exciting titles with series and movie accompaniments!

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

Set against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth.

Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion. The result is a science fiction masterpiece of enormous scope and vision.

And meanwhile, on Netflix, you’ll soon be able to watch their adaption of Liu’s work!

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

This New York Times bestselling classic tale of Earth’s last survivor of a vampire plague inspired the hit film I Am Legend (2007), and if you haven’t gotten around to reading the book yet, now is seriously the time, because I Am Legend 2 is set to release in 2025.

The Caladan Trilogy by Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson

Dune and Dune: Part Two have been all the rage in the box offices of recent years, and decades before that, David Lynch’s Dune (1984) captivated fans of epic science fiction. And all these movies beg a new question: What if there were more Dune books? Answer: There are. The Caladan Trilogy adds more detail to the lives of Duke Leto, Lady Jessica, and Paul. And if you want even more Dune, we’re thrilled to share even more with Princess of Dune and Sands of Dune.

The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan

How epic do you like your fantasy? If you said “Very!” then The Wheel of Time is for you. All 14 books in the series (plus a prequel!). And if once you’re done with those stacks and stacks of epic writing, or honestly at whatever point you prefer, check out The Wheel of Time on Amazon Prime, starring Rosamund Pike. The first two seasons cover Jordan’s first two books, The Eye of the World and The Great Hunt.

Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge

Halloween, 1963. They call him the October Boy, or Ol’ Hacksaw Face, or Sawtooth Jack. Whatever the name, everybody in this small Midwestern town knows who he is. How he rises from the cornfields every Halloween, a butcher knife in his hand, and makes his way toward town, where gangs of teenage boys eagerly await their chance to confront the legendary nightmare. Both the hunter and the hunted, the October Boy is the prize in an annual rite of life and death.

Pete McCormick knows that killing the October Boy is his one chance to escape a dead-end future in this one-horse town. He’s willing to risk everything, including his life, to be a winner for once. But before the night is over, Pete will look into the saw-toothed face of horror—and discover the terrifying true secret of the October Boy.

You too can discover this secret, in the pages and now on screen with David Slade’s Dark Harvest (2023)!

Pinocchio with Introduction by Guillermo del Toro; Illustrated by Gris Grimly; written by Carlo Collodi

This edition of the timeless classic Pinocchio has the full text with a mixture of full-page and spot illustrations in black and white integrated in the text, in pen-and-ink style. The ink is sepia brown, and the introduction is from Guillermo del Toro, the director of Netflix’s adaptation of Pinocchio.

You’ll love it, no lie!

Lists / What's New

Six Bookish Betrayals to Beware on the Ides of March!

March 15, 2024March 5, 2024a cat

Caesar: “What sayst thou to me now? Speak once again.”

Soothsayer: “Beware the Ides of March.”

Caesar: “He is a dreamer. Let us leave him. Pass.”

This snippet from Act 1, Scene 2 of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is quite famous. Often the clues that nod to a fate we don’t want to see are so clear, in retrospect. Even with this prophecy, Shakespeare’s subject perished in terrible surprise when he was betrayed by his besties.

Here are six reading suggestions full of betrayals that you’ll never see coming!

The Silverblood Promise by James Logan

Ah, Saphrona! Fabled city of merchant princes! You can find anything you might like here, for a price, and loyalty? Well. That can be very cheap. Saphrona is the destination of Lukan Gardova, a disgraced noble scion on a quest to unravel the mysterious murder of his father. It’s a good thing Lukan is an excellent cheat in his own right (cardsharp) because in this investigation, a single lie could spell death.

One for My Enemy by Olivie Blake

Sometimes love is betrayal. In this modern speculative reimagining of Romeo & Juliet, the two sparring factions are rival corners of the Manhattan magic underworld. The Antonova sisters are the daughters of the elusive chemical supplier Baba Yaga. The Federov brothers are the sons of the shadow kingpin Koschei the Deathless.

To fall in love would constitute a betrayal of their families. To act for your family would be a betrayal of your lover.

Uh oh.

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

This book is actually the most amount of betrayal one can fit in a book, probably. There’s so much. Literally so much. Our protagonist Zhu’s engagement with both betrayal and murder is well above average, but General Ouyang is the real revenge warrior. His entire life is revenged and the only person he loves is his target. Ouch.

Daughter of Redwinter by Ed McDonald

After so many shocking betrayals, here’s a new angle: Our main character Raine is the one doing the betraying. Kind of. Her primary goal is to accumulate power so she can stay alive, and she’s staying true to that, even if it means lying to everyone else. Here’s the thing: Raine can see the dead. Everyone around her would just hate that if they found out. Probably to a lethal degree.

So they never will.

The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey

In marriage, you’re supposed to have your partner’s back. Evelyn’s husband goes behind her back when he steals her cloning research to create a gentler replicant of his wife. He’s the worst. Luckily, he’s soon dead. Evelyn and her clone, Martine, have a mess to clean.

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

Sha stared at Wang for a long time and then nodded. “I understand. Strange things have been happening to scientists lately…”

“Yes.” Wang ducked into the car. He didn’t want to discuss the subject any further.

“Is it our turn?”

“It’s my turn, at least.” Wang started the engine.

The Trisolarans are coming. They have inside help.

The Three-Body Problem will release soon as a Netflix series!

Lists

Fantasizing About Revenge

February 23, 2024June 11, 2024a cat

Revenge is a dish best served cold, but these revenge-centric fantasy novels are hot!

Check ‘em out!

Projections by S. E. Porter

Catherine Bildstein is dead. She is not gone. She was murdered. Now, she’s out for revenge.

In a gothic historical fantasy about poisonous attraction and strange magic, a sorcerer obsesses over a woman, and when he understands he cannot possess her, kills her. Unsatisfied with this peak level of despicability, he sends projections of himself out into the world to ruin the lives of more women who won’t deliver to him the affection to which he believes himself entitled.

Dead Catherine may be, but her slighted ghost feels strongly the magnetism of revenge. The world is full of strange magic. Garbage wizards better watch out.

One for My Enemy by Olivie Blake

This story of star-crossed love and Manhattan’s occult underworld is Romeo & Juliet done Olivie Blake-style. Those who have read The Atlas Series know that Blake doesn’t play when it comes to writing emotionally devastating arcs, and One for My Enemy is no exception. It’s the scions of shadow underlord Koschei the Deathless versus the daughters of potion maven Baba Yaga as heirs to two respective magical crime families. Doesn’t matter how supernatural you are though—love will turn the lives of you and everyone you know upside down, and strong feeling is a prerequisite for revenge.

The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson

Baru wants revenge. She needs it, and her target: a colonial empire called the Masquerade. Educated in their schools and knowledgeable in their ways, Baru begins accumulating power but plays by their rules—for now. She becomes an accountant. Her goal is to hold the Masquerade accountable.

Sometimes revenge is a numbers game.

Vicious by V. E. Schwab

Victor and Eli start out as college roommates and that’s also where things go wrong. In their senior year, their shared passion leads them to research superpowers and the conditions under which a person might develop them. Of course, like many roommates in college, everything goes wrong and they despise each other. Victor’s been in prison for ten years now but is cooking an escape. Eli is at large in the world on a mission to exterminate everyone with superpowers. They both want vengeance.

The Archive Undying by Emma Mieko Candon

This epic science fantasy about giant robots that eat people, tyrannical AI deities, and totalitarian police states follows a man named Sunai who cannot die. He was inferfacing with his AI god when it corrupted and now he’s immortal and upset about it. He’s been killed plenty of times though. It just hasn’t stuck. Sunai is fundamentally sad however, and unlikely to seek revenge against his many killers. Himself though? Yeah, he’ll take revenge on himself for every mistake he’s ever made.

Pretty heavy, and the rest of this book is too. It’s also heart-achingly beautiful and there’s a robot composed of a chittering shifting coral carapace.

Lists / What's New

Twistory: History with a Twist

February 3, 2024January 25, 2024a cat

‘The past is in the past’ is a saying that, presumably at some point in the past, was said by somebody. But the past isn’t just in the past—not really. It’s also in a space outside of time, and even outside of actual space. It’s in books, and ironically, it’s not pre-written.

Novels twist the past into new stories, and we’ve got a list of great ones right here.

Kinning by Nisi Shawl

In her novel Everfair, Nisi Shawl imagined a new history, where technological innovations in the Congo gave a fledgling nation the resources and strength to challenge the tyrant Leopold II, a Belgian monarch and one of history’s bloodiest colonizers. In an alternate world where barkcloth airships soar through the sky, the nation of Everfair grapples with its identity in the wake of the Great War. Kinning chronicles the fight for the soul of Everfair to remain a beacon of hope and progress in the face of resistance both external and internal.

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

A reimagining of the rise of the Ming Dynasty, She Who Became the Sun follows a young girl whose brother is destined for greatness. Her brother is also dead, so in defiance of fate, she steals his identity, and his destiny. This is a story of betrayal, destiny, love, and lots and lots of betrayal. In the previous sentence, betrayal was mentioned twice. That was not a mistake. It’s the only way to properly evoke the potency of this book.

The First Bright Thing by J. R. Dawson

Rin is a professional ringmaster who can jump through time, and her circus is a haven for the outcast and the magical. In the aftermath of World War I, times are tough, and the Circus of the Fantasticals is a welcome respite to audiences across the American midwest.But the present is not safe: There’s war in the future and Rin’s past stalks them in the form of a malevolent shadow circus.

Trouble the Saints by Alaya Dawn Johnson

“Juju assassins, alternate history, a gritty New York crime story…in a word: awesome.” — N.K. Jemisin, New York Times bestselling author of The Fifth Season

In the dark glamor of New York city, an assassin tries to change her fate on the cusp of World War II. She was drawn from Harlem, bringing her knives to glittering Manhattan for work. She fell in love. She gave up on everything. The ghosts of the past never leave her side.

Ten years later, they show up on her doorstep.

The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson

Hard to twist history more than dropping a cost-conscious magic-user into the medieval past.

Lists / New Releases / What's New

Forge Characters & Classic Cocktails

September 15, 2023March 7, 2024Ariana Carpentieri

By Ariana Carpentieri:

With the weekend right in front of us, it’s time to get cozy with a good book and wind down from the week with a drink! And in light of the upcoming October 10th release of the dazzling new mystery The Bell in the Fog by Lev AC Rosen, we’re pairing Forge characters with cocktails. Main character Andy Mills is no stranger when it comes to bars and classy drinks. So if any of these delicious cocktails strike your fancy, be sure to give them a try!

Andy Mills, Mint Julep – The Bell in the Fog by Lev AC Rosen

Missing people. Violent strangers. Scandalous photos. An old flame showing up out of the blue. Andy Mills clearly has his work cut out for him. He frequents many bars in The Bell in the Fog as he tries to solve a mystery that’s also tied to his past. While he doesn’t do much drinking on the job, this scene from the book features a perfect cocktail to pair with his character:

“He smiles and mixes something up, crushing leaves into ice, and making him smell like mint. I watch his arms as he turns the muddler, muscles swelling as they fill out his sleeves. He sets the drink down in front of me. ‘Mint julep. It won’t make you forget, but I think it’ll help you sleep through this when you head upstairs.’”

This mint julep recipe is sure to be just as refreshing as reading this historical mystery is!

Sasha Severn, Honey Mojito Cocktail – The Last Beekeeper by Julie Carrick Dalton

Julie Carrick Dalton’s The Last Beekeeper is a celebration of found family, an exploration of truth versus power, and the triumph of hope in the face of despair. In this beautiful ode to the natural world, Sasha witnesses the impossible: She sees a honey bee, presumed extinct. With bees comes honey, so I think this honey mojito cocktail will BEE the star of the show. This drink is pleasing to the pallet and might even give you a little BUZZ!

Maggie Mae Brightwell, Espresso Martini – At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities by Heather Webber

Maggie Mae Brightwell is a bundle of energy as she runs Magpie’s, Driftwood’s coffee and curiosity shop, where there’s magic to be found in pairing the old with the new. But lurking under her cheerful exterior is a painful truth—keeping busy is the best way to distract herself. With ‘Coffee Shop’ literally in the title and all of Maggie’s wonderful energy, I think a coffee-themed drink with a caffeine-infused jolt of alcohol would work best here! Give this espresso martini cocktail recipe a try (from personal experience I can say this drink is definitely an excellent choice and tastes delicious!)

Mrs. Plansky, Long Island Iced Tea – Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge by Spencer Quinn

It’s no secret that Mrs. Planksy is a sweet but strong old woman. She’s got a lot on her plate and is determined to get her life back after everything was unjustly stolen from her. I think a drink that’s sweet, but also packs a punch, would be a perfect fit for Mrs. Plansky. So I’d say a Long Island Iced Tea is the way to go! This is especially a perfect fit if you’re holding on to the last moments of summer before fall officially starts!

Katie Kuhlmann, Old Fashioned – A Good Family by Matt Goldman

Katie Kuhlmann’s marriage is falling apart. But she has a secure job, her children are healthy, and her house, a new construction in the prestigious Country Club neighborhood of Edina, Minnesota, is beautiful. She can almost ignore the way her husband, Jack, has been acting–constantly checking his phone, not going to work, disappearing from the house only to show up again without explanation. Outwardly, they have a seemingly perfect home life and are a good family with everything in order…but secrets are often hidden behind closed doors. So I think a classic, staple cocktail like an old fashioned would be the perfect fit. After all, a perfect ‘all-American’ family is a pretty ‘old fashioned’ notion!

Lists / What's New

5 Literary Encounters with Legendary Beings

July 27, 2023April 9, 2024a cat1 Comment

by a cat

Many mortal constructs began as stories, we say, confident in spite of our unwillingness to invest the research hours necessary to prove such a thesis. Why else would we tell time?

Anyway, having thus established the relevance of myth within our lives, let’s talk about something more fun than the ticking of the clock. Let’s talk about vampires, werewolves, and other myth-folk* by running down some awesome books within whose pages they reside.

Check it out!

Wolfsong by TJ Klune

Werewolves are for kissing. Don’t believe us? Let the gay lycans of TJ Klune’s Green Creek series melt your heart, and then achingly break it. These books are about a pack of werewolves, yes, but it’s important to remember that many mythical beings are people too: Given to all the messy yearning, loving, and hurting that comes with being alive.

Masters of Death by Olivie Blake

Vampires kind of have an image problem, unhelped by numerous depictions of bloody splatterfests and exploitative aristocratic legacies. Now who better to act on an image problem than a real estate agent? Viola Marek might be a vamp but she’s also got houses to sell. Unfortunately, one of them is very inconveniently haunted, and this is the inciting incident in Masters of Death by Olivie Blake—a story about (among other things) how immortality doesn’t actually spare the indignities, gifts, and difficulties of life. It just gives you more time to experience them.

On Sale 8/8/23

Ebony Gate by Julia Vee & Ken Bebelle

And the next entry in our rundown of legendary entities is an urban fantasy full of assassins and dragon magic in San Francisco. Here’s a partial list of the mythical beings encountered within this thrilling debut:

a guardian foo lion
a shinigami in a business suit
a cat yokai
a LOT of ghosts

Spring’s Arcana by Lilith Saintcrow

The mythical and magical entities that populate our stories often embody aspects of our mortal lives. From this oblique angle, we as narrative-enthusiasts can sneak up on emotional and abstract truths otherwise inaccessible. But our lives change, and so do our stories, and Spring’s Arcana by Lilith Saintcrow is an excellent candidate to demonstrate this phenomenon. Nat Drozdova’s mother is sick, and she must cross an America full of modern divinities (the God of Money, Law and Order, the King of Thieves, etc.) in order to procure a stolen relic for a winter goddess in a skyscraper office who has the power to save her ailing mother.

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher

“Toadling was, more or less, lucky. She was not harvested by the flesh-smiths nor devoured by redcaps, nor raised in the retinue of a great lord of Faerie. Instead she was thrown to the greenteeth, the slimy swamp-dwelling spirits who devour unwary swimmers. Boy-children they eat, always. Girl-children they eat, mostly. But occasionally their numbers will fall, or one of them will be seized with some murky maternal instinct, and they will raise a child instead.”

This snippet comes from the beginning of T. Kingfisher’s twisted fable, and already we are blessed with a dearth of fae folk. If you like mythical beings in fiction, pick this one up as soon as you can!

On Sale 8/15/23

Tor Blog-cat’s Note: Diligent readers may note that the introduction to this book roundup seems to imply the veracity of werewolves, vampires, and other beings of legend. While this question certainly lays beyond the scope of the Tor Publishing Group to answer, we do heartily encourage all readers to show kindness to any vamps, wolves, etc. that might or might not exist <3

Lists / New Releases / What's New

Five Sites in SC that Highlight the History and Culture of the Gullah

July 21, 2023March 7, 2024Ariana Carpentieri1 Comment

By Zoe Bushman:

From Hurston/Wright Legacy Award-winning author Rita Woods, The Last Dreamwalker tells the story of two women, separated by nearly two centuries yet inextricably linked by the Gullah-Geechee Islands off the coast of South Carolina—and their connection to a mysterious and extraordinary gift passed from generation to generation.

In the wake of her mother’s passing, Layla Hurley unexpectedly reconnects with her mother’s sisters, women she hasn’t been allowed to speak to, or of, in years.

Her aunts reveal to Layla that a Gullah-Geechee island off the shore of South Carolina now belongs to her. As Layla digs deeper into her mother’s past and the mysterious island’s history, she discovers that the terrifying nightmares that have plagued her throughout her life and tainted her relationship with her mother and all of her family, is actually a power passed down through generations of her Gullah ancestors. She is a Dreamwalker, able to inhabit the dreams of others—and to manipulate them.

As Layla uncovers increasingly dark secrets about her family’s past, she finds herself thrust into the center of a potentially deadly, decades-old feud fought in the dark corridor of dreams.

The Last Dreamwalker is a gripping, contemporary read about power and agency; family and legacy; and the ways trauma, secrets, and magic take shape across generations.

The Last Dreamwalker features the Gullah people and the Gullah-Geechee islands off the South Carolina coast. In honor of its upcoming release in trade paperback, here are five sites in South Carolina that highlight the unique history and culture of the Gullah!

McLeod Plantation

Part of the Gullah/Geechee Historical Corridor, the McLeod Plantation is now a historic site that examines the history of the plantation while emphasizing the perspectives and humanity of the enslaved. The McLeod Plantation explores the emergence of Gullah culture from the Africans enslaved on the South Carolina coast.

Gullah Geechee Gallery

Located in the International African American Museum in Charleston, the Gullah Geechee Gallery features both the history of the Gullah and their contemporary culture. With a variety of displays, from a full-size boat to media showcasing modern-day community organizing, the Gullah Geechee Gallery links past to present while grappling with the meaning of Gullah Geechee identity.

Gullah Museum of Hilton Head Island

Found on Hilton Head Island off the coast of South Carolina, the Gullah Museum was founded in 2003 to preserve and share the history of Gullah culture on the island from before it was linked to the mainland. The museum provides lectures, displays artifacts, and works to maintain traditions, songs, stories, and more.

Gullah Grub Restaurant

The Gullah Grub Restaurant is dedicated to serving authentic Gullah food while also honoring traditions such as sustainable, local eating. If you’re in Beaufort, stop by for a delicious bite!

Penn Center

Built on St. Helena Island, the Penn School was the first school in the American South dedicated to teaching Black students (including freed, formerly enslaved Gullah children) and has served as a community center in the years since. Often used as a center for civil rights conferences and organizations such as the NAACP, SCLC, and SNCC, the center was visited several times by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974.

Click below to pre-order your trade paperback edition of The Last Dreamwalker, available 8.15.23!

Lists / New Releases / What's New

5 Historic Sights to Visit in Korea

May 16, 2023July 11, 2023Ariana Carpentieri

By Athena Palmer:

One of the beautiful things about books is that they give you the ability to travel places you might never have a chance to see in real life… but sometimes that isn’t quite enough to satisfy your wanderlust. In her newest novel Can’t I Go Instead, Lee Geum-yi writes about the history of early 20th-century Korea in an emotionally compelling way that will leave you wanting to dig in even further. If you happen to find yourself in Korea, here are 5 historic sights to visit that will help satisfy your thirst for knowledge.

Gyeongbokgung Palace

Despite being destroyed and rebuilt multiple times, Gyeongbokgung Palace holds an immense amount of historical significance. It began as the primary royal residence of the Joseon dynasty, and now stands as an example of resilience and reconstruction in a post-war Korea. If you visit between 10 AM and 3 PM, you might be able to watch the iconic changing of the guards ceremony!

Heungdeoksa Temple Early Printing Museum

This one is for my fellow bibliophiles! The Early Printing Museum is located on the site of the printing of Jikji, the oldest existing book printed using movable metal type. The museum is home to many artifacts and exhibits related to the art of book printing through the ages!

Songnisan National Park

Songnisan is a National Park located along the border between Gyeongsangbuk-do and Chungcheongbuk-do, the province where the author of Can’t I Go Instead, Lee Geum-yi, was born! Songnisan National Park features some especially picturesque hikes, hundreds of species of flora and fauna, and 17 known temples, including the temple that houses the largest bronze Buddha statue in the world.

Changgyeonggung Palace

Similar to the Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changgyeonggung Palace has undergone significant changes since it was originally built during the Joseon dynasty. The palace was often used to house queens and their concubines before being turned into a park by occupying Japanese forces. Restoration efforts have been in effect since the 1980’s in an attempt to return Changgyeonggung Palace to its original state, but the palace is open and ready for visitation!

House of Sharing Museum

The House of Sharing Museum of Sexual Slavery by the Japanese Military is an incredibly emotionally intense visit, yet a relevant and necessary one nonetheless. As Lee Geum-yi writes about in both Can’t I Go Instead and The Picture Bride, hundreds of Korean women were forced into the role of ‘Comfort Women’ before and during the Japanese occupation of Korea. Although it might not be the most lighthearted museum visit, it’s important that what these women went through isn’t lost to history.

Click below to order your copy of Can’t I Go Instead, available now!

Lists / What's New

Series That Will Cross the Finish Line in 2023

February 2, 2023February 2, 2023a cat2 Comments

Writing books isn’t a race! Artists create unique and beautiful works in their own good time. But that doesn’t matter, because with our authors, we’re absolutely winning 😎

Check out these final books in series slated to arrive in stores this year!

The Salt-Black Tree by Lilith Saintcrow

Nat Drozdova has crossed half the continent in search of the stolen Dead God’s Heart, the only thing powerful enough to trade for her beautiful, voracious, dying mother’s life. Yet now she knows the secret of her own birth—and that she’s been lied to all her young life. The road to the Heart ends at the Salt-Black Tree, but to find it Nat must pay a deadly price. Pursued by mouthless shadows hungry for the blood of new divinity as well as the razor-wielding god of thieves, Nat is on her own. Her journey leads through a wilderness of gods old and new, across a country as restless as its mortal inhabitants, and it’s too late to back out now. Blood may not always prevail. Magic might not always work. And the young Drozdova is faced with an impossible choice: Save her mother’s very existenc…or accept the consequences of her own.

On sale 8/8/23

Contrarian by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

L. E. Modesitt, Jr. is the bestselling author of The Saga of Recluce and the Imager Portfolio, and with Contrarian, he concludes his new gaslamp political fantasy series, The Grand Illusion. Recently elected to the Council of Sixty-Six, Steffan Dekkard is the first Councilor who is also an Isolate, a person invulnerable to the emotional manipulations and emotional surveillance of empaths—but not not, as it turns out, invulnerable to explosions. His patron has been assassinated. He has little political experience, less allies, and so many enemies. Perhaps even nested high within his own camp. Insurrectionists are being supplied with illicit ordinance, but more than that: they stole a naval cruiser, and no one can seem to find it.

On sale 8/15/23

He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan

How much would you give to win the world? Zhu Yuanzhang, the Radiant King, is riding high after her victory that tore southern China from its Mongol masters. Now she burns with a new desire: to seize the throne and crown herself emperor, but she’s not the only contender. The courtesan Madam Zhang wants the throne for her husband, and Zhu’s only chance at mustering the strength to match is to ally with an old enemy: the talented but unstable eunuch general Ouyang, who has already sacrificed everything for a chance at revenge on his father’s killer, the Great Khan. Speaking of, newcomer and scorned scholar Wang Baoxiang has manipulated his way into the capital, where his maneuvering threatens to topple the empire. His one desire: to become the most degenerate Great Khan in history—and in so doing, make a mockery of every value his Mongol warrior family loved more than him.

On sale 8/22/23

Chicago in When Among Crows by Veronica Roth

London in the Shades of Magic series by V. E. Schwab

Manhattan in One for My Enemy by Olivie Blake

Tokyo in Blood Jade by Julia Vee and Ken Bebelle

Edinburgh in the Edinburgh Nights series by T. L. Huchu

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

The Caladan Trilogy by Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson

The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan

Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge

Pinocchio with Introduction by Guillermo del Toro; Illustrated by Gris Grimly; written by Carlo Collodi

The Silverblood Promise by James Logan

One for My Enemy by Olivie Blake

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

Daughter of Redwinter by Ed McDonald

The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

Projections by S. E. Porter

One for My Enemy by Olivie Blake

The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson

Vicious by V. E. Schwab

The Archive Undying by Emma Mieko Candon

Kinning by Nisi Shawl

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

The First Bright Thing by J. R. Dawson

Trouble the Saints by Alaya Dawn Johnson

The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson

Andy Mills, Mint Julep – The Bell in the Fog by Lev AC Rosen

Sasha Severn, Honey Mojito Cocktail – The Last Beekeeper by Julie Carrick Dalton

Maggie Mae Brightwell, Espresso Martini – At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities by Heather Webber

Mrs. Plansky, Long Island Iced Tea – Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge by Spencer Quinn

Katie Kuhlmann, Old Fashioned – A Good Family by Matt Goldman

Wolfsong by TJ Klune

Masters of Death by Olivie Blake

Ebony Gate by Julia Vee & Ken Bebelle

Spring’s Arcana by Lilith Saintcrow

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher

Click below to pre-order your trade paperback edition of The Last Dreamwalker, available 8.15.23!

Click below to order your copy of Can’t I Go Instead, available now!

The Salt-Black Tree by Lilith Saintcrow

Contrarian by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan

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**Chicago in When Among Crows by Veronica Roth**

**Manhattan in One for My Enemy by Olivie Blake**

**Tokyo in Blood Jade by Julia Vee and Ken Bebelle**