Close
post-featured-image

New Releases: 4/5/16

Here’s what went on sale today!

Alien Hunter: White House by Whitley Strieber

Alien Hunter: White House by Whitley StrieberThe aliens have seen many worlds, but they know that Earth in particular is a jewel. They lust for its soaring mountains, its shining seas, its gorgeous forests, and majestic deserts. There is just one part of the planet that they don’t want: us.

Flynn Carroll knows that the aliens are a race of brilliance and extraordinary cruelty. And he knows that they have found a way to eliminate humanity: capture the mind of the president of the United States. Control him, and you control the most powerful man in the world.

Hellknight by Liane Merciel

Pathfinder Tales: Hellknight by Liane Merciel The Hellknights are a brutal organization of warriors dedicated to maintaining law and order at any cost. For devil-blooded Jheraal, even the harshest methods are justified if it means building a better world for her daughter. Yet when a serial killer starts targeting hellspawn like Jheraal and her child, Jheraal has no choice but to use all her cunning and ruthlessness in order to defeat an ancient enemy to whom even death is no deterrent.

In the Labyrinth of Drakes by Marie Brennan

In the Labyrinth of Drakes by Marie BrennanEven those who take no interest in the field of dragon naturalism have heard of Lady Trent’s expedition to the inhospitable deserts of Akhia. Her discoveries there are the stuff of romantic legend, catapulting her from scholarly obscurity to worldwide fame. The details of her personal life during that time are hardly less private, having provided fodder for gossips in several countries.

As is so often the case in the career of this illustrious woman, the public story is far from complete. In this, the fourth volume of her memoirs, Lady Trent relates how she acquired her position with the Royal Scirling Army; how foreign saboteurs imperiled both her work and her well-being; and how her determined pursuit of knowledge took her into the deepest reaches of the Labyrinth of Drakes, where the chance action of a dragon set the stage for her greatest achievement yet.

Nightstruck by Jenna Black

Nightstruck by Jenna Black The night is the enemy, and the city of Philadelphia is its deadliest weapon. Becket is an ordinary teenage girl, wrestling with the upheaval of her parents’ divorce. A studious high school senior, her biggest problems to date have been choosing which colleges to apply to, living up to her parents’ ambitious expectations for her, and fighting her secret crush on her best friend’s boyfriend. But that all changes on the night she tries to save an innocent life and everything goes horribly wrong.

Night Work by David C. Taylor

Night Work by David C. Taylor Michael Cassidy, a New York cop plagued by dreams that sometimes come true, escorts a prisoner accused of murder to Havana on the cusp of Fidel Castro’s successful revolution against the Batista dictatorship. After delivering the man to La Cabaña prison and rescuing Dylan McCue, a Russian KGB agent and his now-married former lover, from her scheduled execution, Cassidy returns to New York and retreats into the comforts of alcohol and sex.

Quantum Break: Zero State by Cam Rogers

Quantum Break: Zero State by Cam Rogers Jack Joyce spent six years trying to escape—escape his life, escape time, escape the madness of his brother, Will. But when he finally returns home, it turns out his brother isn’t quite so mad. Will has created a time machine, one with the potential to save humanity. War? Preventable. Natural disasters? Stoppable.

Except for one tiny problem… his machine will also cause the end of the time as we know it. Now Jack has just one chance to turn back time, to fix what was broken, to save the world.

NEW SHORT STORY:

Down to Zero by Jon McGoran

Down to Zero by Jon McGoranWhen a beekeeper removing hives from an inner city warehouse is greeted with gunfire, Detective Doyle Carrick is called in to help aging mentor Jack Conroy catch the shooters. Although a previous case involving genetically modified bees has made Doyle the closest thing to a bee expert the Philly PD has, it’s a subject he wants nothing to do with. But Doyle owes Jack plenty of favors. Soon, the pair are clashing with foreign agents, corporate security agents, and lowlife thugs while tracking the mysterious bees across the city. As they work to figure out why these bees are worth killing over before the shooters can strike again, Doyle finds himself racing against a clock he could never have imagined.

NEW FROM TOR.COM:

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere… else. But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced… they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.

NOW IN PAPERBACK:

Assassin’s Game by Ward Larsen

Blood of the Cosmos by Kevin J. Anderson

Fractured by Kate Waterson

Night Life by David C. Taylor

The Suspicion at Sandition by Carrie Bebris

Trial of Intentions by Peter Orullian

NEW IN MANGA:

Akuma no Riddle: Riddle Story of Devil Vol. 3 by Yun Kouga; Art by Sunao Minakata

Hour of the Zombie Vol. 1 by Tsukasa Saimura

See upcoming releases.

post-featured-image

Paperback Spotlight: Trial of Intentions by Peter Orullian

Trial of Intentions by Peter OrullianOnce a month, we’re spotlighting a Tor/Forge book that will soon become available in paperback! This month, Trials of Intentions by Peter Orullian comes out in paperback April 5th.

The gods who created this world have abandoned it. In their mercy, however, they chained the rogue god—and the monstrous creatures he created to plague mortalkind—in the vast and inhospitable wasteland of the Bourne. The magical Veil that contains them has protected humankind for millennia and the monsters are little more than tales told to frighten children. But the Veil has become weak and creatures of Nightmare have come through. To fight them, the races of men must form a great alliance.

Chapter One

The Right Draw

Mercy has many faces. One of them looks like cruelty.

Reconciliationist defense of the gods’ placement of the Quiet inside the Bourne

Tahn Junell raced north across the Soliel plain, and his past raced with him. He ran in the dark and cold of predawn. A canopy of bright stars shone in clear skies above. And underfoot, his boots pounded an urgent rhythm against the shale. In his left hand, he clenched his bow. In his mind, growing dread pushed away the crush of his recently returned memory. Ahead, still out of sight, marching on the city of Naltus Far … came the Quiet.

(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.

(more…)

Tor Books Announces Programming for New York Comic-Con 2015

Poster Placeholder of - 45 It’s time for New York Comic Con again! This year, we are pleased to announce that the Tor: The Next Generation! stage from BEA has been chosen as a panel. As always, Tor Books will continue its popular in-booth (#2223) signings and giveaways, offering you a chance to meet your favorite authors and pick up free books! Our exciting line-up includes author appearances by John Scalzi, Catherynne M. Valente, Charlie Jane Anders, and more!

Be sure to follow @TorBooks on Twitter for up-to-date information and last minute events.

Thursday, October 8th

Friday, October 9th

Look at something like The Martian vs. The Fold vs. the Iron Man movies. Is hard science always a good thing? Authors discuss the pros and cons and the sometimes slippery slope of including hard science in a work of fiction, especially in a paradigm era of technological development.
Panelists: A.G. Riddle, Mindy McGinnis, Robin Wasserman, Ian McDonald, Barry Lyga
Moderator: Peter Clines

  • 6:45 PM – Signing to follow, Bookstore Hall 1-B

Saturday, October 10

  • 12:00pm Tor Booth Signing: Trial of Intentions – Peter Orullian
  • 1:30pm Masters of Unreality: Heavy Metal and SFF, Room 1A18
    It’s well known that heavy metal songs have been based on fantasy novels; however, it can be argued that they’re also the perfect soundtrack to any battle scene, whether deep in the forest or in deep space. Authors Myke Cole, Michael Fletcher, and Peter Orullian are not just talented writers, but they’ve all been in metal bands! Join them along with James Dashner as they discuss what they listen to as they write epic scenes, discuss seminal albums and how the two cross reference each other.
    Panelists: Peter Orullian, Myke Cole, Michael R. Fletcher
    Moderator: Tricia Narwani of Del Rey
  • 1:45pm Signing to follow
  •  2:00pm Tor Booth Signing: All the Birds in the Sky – Charlie Jane Anders
  •  4:00pm Books to Movies Wishlist, Room A101
    The Martian. Foundation. American Gods. Redshirts: So many iconic SFF novels are finally scheduled to it the big screen, thanks to the rabid fandom of recent dramatizations of Game of Thrones, Outlander, The Hunger Games, and Divergent. But what’s on the big screen wish list of this panel of bestselling speculative fiction superstars? They all agree that the obvious franchises have been done already – and now, they want to discuss with NYCC attendees what lesser-know/cult fave titles should invade theaters and march into cable programming! Join us for a nerdy-fun discussion about which science fiction and fantasy must-reads would really make celluloid magic!
    Panelists: Christopher Golden, Chuck Wendig, Jennifer Armentrout, Charlie Jane Anders
    Moderator: Michael Underwood
  • 5:15pm Signing to Follow, Bookstore Hall 1-B
  • 5:00pm Tor Booth Signing: Radiance – Catherynne M. Valente

Sunday, October 11

  • 12:00pm Tor Booth Signing: Chasing the Phoenix – Michael Swanwick
  • 1:30pm Get Out of Your Chair and Off the Planet! Room A101

Whether it’s satisfying readers’ desires for interstellar armchair travel or sparking ambitions for SF fans to pursue extra-terrestrial encounters, in actuality, science fiction is the fiction of the imagination and inspiration. Authors Michael Swanwick, Jay Allen, Catherynne M. Valente, Judd Winnick, CH Higgin stake readers to the final frontier … and beyond.
Panelists: Michael Swanwick, Catherynne M. Valente, CH Higgins, Judd Winnick
Moderator: Maryelizabeth Hart

  • 2:45pm Signing to follow, Bookstore Hall 1-B

Giveaways are on a first-come, first-served basis

Tor Books Announces Programming for San Diego Comic-Con 2015

Tor30SDCC

Tor Books is heading to San Diego Comic-Con!

 

Once again Tor (Booth #2707) continues our wildly popular *in-booth signings and giveaways, offering you a chance to meet your favorite authors up close and personal and pick up free books. We’ve got a great line up including appearances by: Brandon Sanderson, Charlie Jane Anders, Susan Dennard, and more!

For excerpts, a spotlight on our newest authors, panel schedules, giveaway times and much more, please visit torbooks2015.com. And make sure to follow @TorBooks on Twitter for up to date information and last minute events.

Wednesday, July 8

Thursday, July 9

  • 1:00pm—2:00pm Resurgence of Science Fiction, Room 32AB
    Welcome to the promised land, oh geeks and nerds: your time has come. Star Wars is getting new movies, and so is Star Trek. Andy Weir’s The Martian and John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War are heading to the big and small screens and Mars One is looking for volunteers—Science Fiction and the draw of technology, futurism, space and the final frontier are hot on everyone’s mind. Come join Adam Christopher (Made To Kill), Margaret Stohl, Peter Clines, and others as they discuss this renaissance of SF and why now is an exciting time to live in, for both fiction and fact.
  • 2:30pm—3:00pm Signing to follow in the autographing area, Table AA06
  • 1:30pm—2:30pm Authors of Epic Fantasy, Room 24ABC
    How do you best describe stories of epic fantasy? Expansive worlds with long histories, huge casts of characters, political intrigue, massive battles, magic, legend, and much more… they are indeed epic! Join authors of fantasy fiction Peter Orullian (Trial of Intentions), Susan Dennard (Truthwitch), Peter Brett, and others as they discuss their own works, as well as other popular series that have made epic fantasy one of pop culture’s most successful genres.
  • 3:00pm—4:00pm Signing to follow in the autographing area, Table AA09
  • 2:00pm Tor Booth (#2707) Signing: Greg Van Eekhout, Pacific Fire
  • 3:00pm—4:00pm Worldbuilding, Room 25ABC
    Fact: worlds are important. But how are they made? Join our panel of top authors as they describe how they set the stage for their stories and create a living universe for their characters. Moderated by Charlie Jane Anders (All the Birds in the Sky).
  • 4:30pm—5:30pm Signing to follow in the autographing area, Table AA09
  • 4:00pm—5:00pm I’m Sleeping with the Lights On: Horror and Thriller Authors in Discussion, Room 25ABC
    Horror and thriller books have an amazing way of keeping readers up at night. From demons to zombies, and from historical to even seemingly mundane settings, certain authors can find bone-chilling ways to make sure the reader keep turning the pages. Join Robert Brockway (The Unnoticeables), Mary Kubica, Matthew Riley, and others as they discuss their books and what motivates them to scare you! Moderated by Del Howison (Midian Unmade), owner of the Dark Delicacies Bookstore.
  • 5:30pm—6:30pm Signing to follow in the autographing area, Table AA09

Friday, July 10

  • 11:30am—12:30pm Gender in Science Fiction, Room 24ABC
    Pizza rolls, not gender roles! From the strong female protagonist to the battle of the sexes, Science Fiction has long given us the ability to challenge the way we think about traditional gender roles. Come listen to Maryelizbeth Yturralde, owner of the bookstore Mysterious Galaxy, lead acclaimed authors such as Wes Chu (Time Salvager), Nick Cole, and more in a discussion about the importance of gender in Science Fiction, how Science Fiction novels open our minds to non-traditional ideas, and just what is the difference between gender and sex.
  • 1:00pm—2:00pm Signing to follow in the autographing area, Table AA09
  • 12:00pm—1:00pm Autographing Area, Table AA18 Signing: Luis Royo, The Ice Dragon
  • 2:00pm Tor Booth (#2707) Signing: Brandon Sanderson In-booth sales by Mysterious Galaxy

Saturday, July 11th

  • 12:00pm—1:00pm Family Feud: Sci-Fi vs. Fantasy, Room 7AB
    Calling all Nerds! Since the dawn of time we have argued and contemplated crucial matters: What’s cooler? Who would win in a fight? Who would lose? Star Trek or Star Wars? Ironman or Captain America? Now, in an open forum, join us as other diehard Nerds and geek experts—including Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn series), Chuck Palahniuk, Ernie Cline, and others—prove their mettle by squaring off into furious debates about the hottest topics in geek culture.
  • 1:30pm—2:30pm Signing to follow in the autographing area, Table AA09
  • 4:00pm—5:00pm Epic Fantasy, Room 29AB
    Learn about fantasy literature and book-to-movie adaptations from New York Times bestselling authors Heather Brewer, Jonathan Maberry, Kami Garcia, Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn series) and Maggie Stiefvater. Moderated by Henry Herz.
  • 5:00pm Tor Booth (#2707) Signing: Adam Christopher, Made to Kill

Sunday, July 12

All Tor Booth signings are on a first come first serve basis and while supplies lasts. Limit one book per person.

On the Road: Tor/Forge Author Events in June

The Darkness Rolling by Win Blevins and Meredith BlevinsLong Black Curl by Alex BledsoeSeriously Wicked by Tina Connolly

Tor/Forge authors are on the road in June! 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:

Alex Bledsoe, Long Black Curl

Thursday, June 11
A Room of One’s Own
Madison, WI
6:00 PM

Saturday, June 13
The Avid Reader
Davis, CA
7:30 PM

Sunday, June 14
Borderlands Books
San Francisco, CA
3:00 PM

Saturday, June 27
Mystery to Me Bookstore
Madison, WI
2:00 PM

Win and Meredith Blevins, The Darkness Rolling

Saturday, June 20
The Poisoned Pen
Scottsdale, AZ
2:00 PM

Tuesday, June 23
Bookworks
Albuquerque, NM
7:00 PM

Tuesday, June 30
Marie’s Bookshop
Durango, CO
6:30 PM

Tina Connolly, Seriously Wicked

Thursday, June 4
Stayton Public Library
Stayton, OR
7:00 PM

Saturday, June 6
YA-Landia
Also with Fonda Lee, Ali Berman, Paula Stokes, and Mary Elizabeth Summer
Barnes & Noble
Beaverton, OR
2:00 PM

Thursday, June 18
Raven Book Store
Lawrence, KS
7:00 PM

Alan Gratz, The Dragon Lantern

Tuesday, June 9
Malaprop’s
Asheville, NC
7:00 PM

Peter Orullian, Trial of Intentions

Monday, June 1
Powell’s Cedar Hills Crossing
Beaverton, OR
7:00 PM

Tuesday, June 2
Weller Book Works
Salt Lake City, UT
6:00 PM

Wednesday, June 3
Barnes & Noble
Orem, UT
7:00 PM

Anne A. Wilson, Hover

Tuesday, June 2
The Poisoned Pen
Scottsdale, AZ
7:00 PM

Dan Wells, The Devil’s Only Friend

Tuesday, June 16
Weller Book Works
Salt Lake City, UT
6:00 PM

Wednesday, June 17
Barnes & Noble University Crossings Plaza
Orem, UT
6:00 PM

On the Road: Tor/Forge Author Events in May

Benefit of the Doubt by Neal GriffinVoyage of the Basilisk by Marie BrennanOf Noble Family by Mary Robinette Kowal

Tor/Forge authors are on the road in May! 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:

James O. Born, Scent of Murder

Friday, May 1
Murder on the Beach
Delray Beach, FL
7:00 PM

Saturday, May 16
South Carolina Book Festival
Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center
Columbia, SC
9:30 AM

Marie Brennan, Voyage of the Basilisk
Mary Robinette Kowal, Of Noble Family

Tuesday, May 5
DePaul University Bookstore
Chicago, IL
6:00 PM

Wednesday, May 6
Mysterious Galaxy
San Diego, CA
7:30 PM

Thursday, May 7
Copperfield’s Books
Petaluma, CA
7:00 PM

Tuesday, May 12
Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills Crossing
Beaverton, OR
7:00 PM

Thursday, May 14
Weller Book Works
Salt Lake City, UT
6:00 PM

Saturday, May 16
Poisoned Pen
Scottsdale, AZ
2:00 PM

Sunday, May 17
Murder by the Book
Houston, TX
2:00 PM

Monday, May 18
Quail Ridge Books & Music
Raleigh, NC
7:00 PM

Tuesday, May 19
Flyleaf Books
Chapel Hill, NC
7:00 PM

Wednesday, May 20
Malaprops
Asheville, NC
7:00 PM

Thursday, May 21
Borderlands Books
San Francisco, CA
7:00 PM

Tina Connolly, Seriously Wicked

Tuesday, May 5
Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills Crossing
Beaverton, OR
7:00 PM

Saturday, May 9
Mysterious Galaxy
San Diego, CA
1:00 PM

Saturday, May 16
Redmond Library
With Jennifer Brozek, Cat Rambo, and Raven Oak
Hosted by Cascade Writers, books provided by University Bookstore
Redmond, WA
12:30 PM

Saturday, May 23
Seattle Mystery Bookshop
Seattle, WA
12:00 PM

P.N. Elrod, The Hanged Man

Friday, May 22
Barnes & Noble at Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX
4:00 PM

Neal Griffin, Benefit of the Doubt

Saturday, May 9
Mysterious Galaxy
San Diego, CA
3:00 PM

Wednesday, May 13
Warwick’s Books
San Diego, CA
7:30 PM

Thursday, May 14
Book Carnival
Orange, CA
7:00 PM

Friday, May 15
Poisoned Pen
Scottsdale, AZ
7:00 PM

Sunday, May 17
Norman P. Murray Community Center
Mission Viejo, CA
9:30 AM

Monday, May 18
Murder by the Book
Houston, TX
6:30 PM

Dave Gross, Pathfinder Tales: The Lord of Runes

Thursday, May 21
University Bookstore
Seattle, WA
7:00 PM

May 22—May 25
PaizoCon
Seattle, WA

Rachel Howzell Hall, Skies of Ash

Tuesday, May 19
Book Carnival
Launch party!
Orange, CA
7:00 PM

Wednesday, May 20
The Last Bookstore
Los Angeles, CA
7:00 PM

Thursday, May 21
Eso Won Books
Los Angeles, CA
7:00 PM

Wednesday, May 27
Mysterious Galaxy
San Diego, CA
7:30 PM

Saturday, May 30
Poisoned Pen
Scottsdale, AZ
2:00 PM

Sunday, May 31
A Great Good Place for Books
Oakland, CA
6:30 PM

Peter Orullian, Trial of Intentions

Tuesday, May 26
University Bookstore
Seattle, WA
7:00 PM

Thursday, May 28
Mysterious Galaxy
San Diego, CA
7:30 PM

Saturday, May 30
Borderlands Bookstore
San Francisco, CA
3:00 PM

Sunday, May 31
Copperfield’s Books
Petaluma, CA
1:00 PM

Kit Reed, Where

Thursday, May 14
Skylight Books
Also with Scott O’Connor
Los Angeles, CA
7:30 PM

Tuesday, May 26
R.J. Julia Booksellers
Madison, CT
7:00 PM

post-featured-image

Is it Okay if I Cook You Slowly?

Trial of Intentions by Peter Orullian
Written by Peter Orullian

I learned the phrase “Violating Your Expectations” in college, when studying Shakespeare, and it’s stuck with me ever since. It’s the idea of taking a reader someplace they’re not anticipating. With my series, The Vault of Heaven, that was always my plan: To begin in a warm place of familiarity and comfort, and then apply heat enough to boil you. Kind of like that thing where the crab is placed in a pot of room temperature water. It sits, content. And before it knows what’s happening, the water is boiling, cooking the crab.

I started down that path with my first book, The Unremembered. Now, in my second book, Trial of Intentions, I turn up the heat. And there are a number of things in the book that I think equate to cranking the dial on the stove.

First might be the music. In book one, it’s clear there’s a music magic system. But it’s not understood or used much. In Trial of Intentions, that changes. In spades. Not only does a character use that ability with savage intent and results, but she also goes to the one place where she can study it. Take it further. These were some of my favorite scenes to write, as I found in them a dark beauty.

And, in keeping with the “violate your expectations” theme, there’s this whole science thing that begins to amp up in book two. This is where readers who think they have one of my main characters pegged as a farm boy are in for some violation. I’m a bit of an amateur astronomer. And I use it as a leap point for creating an entire city dedicated to science and populated with colleges of astronomy, physics, mathematics, philosophy, and cosmology. Like the music scenes, these were a blast to write, and also where the lion’s share of my research time was spent.

Of course, what’s an epic fantasy without war, right? And I give you some. In fact, there’s an entire culture dedicated to what it calls “gearworks”—the building of siege engines and the like. But then, I had this counter notion: What if one of the main characters decides that it would be best to avert war? While some people are building alliances and escalating to war on a grand scale, others are employing every means possible to stop the war before it begins. I found the juxtaposition of these opposing motivations a fun challenge to write.

I’ve also spent quite a bit of time on my magic systems. So far, there are five. But most of that time was devoted to creating what I call “governing dynamics.” Each magic system ladders up to a set of unifying principles. It made sense to me that this world would have something akin to mechanical laws for magic, laws that different cultures would tap into in different ways. The various cultures might not even call those laws by the same name. But readers will see that all these different magic systems tie into something I call Resonance. I think it gives the world a kind of coherence.

Finally, it’s always been the case that the world of my series is a harsh place. So much so that there are those who find refuge in self-slaughter. This is only lightly touched upon in The Unremembered. But in Trial of Intentions, suicide steps into the glare of the spotlight. It lays near the center of motivation for at least one of my characters, who’s seen it up close and too often.

Like I said, this was always part of the story. But when I finished writing book two, I realized the resonance of it was stronger than I’d planned. Or maybe that’s just my read of it, because I had a friend recently make that choice. The book doesn’t linger overlong on the topic, but I hope it gives some emotional context for a few of the characters and their relationships.

In the end, however, some carnage is inevitable. Battles happen. Some involve skills of science. Some involve swords. And some, music magic.

All of which is to say, I think Trial of Intentions turns the gas up to get the pot boiling. Cook you good.

Preorder Trial of Intentions today:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | iBooks | Indiebound | Powell’s

Follow Peter Orullian on Twitter at @PeterOrullian, on Facebook, or visit him online.

Tor Books Announces Programming for Phoenix Comic-Con 2014

Image Place holder  of - 43

Once again Tor (Booth# 646) continues our wildly popular *in-booth signings and giveaways, offering you a chance to meet your favorite authors up close and personal and pick up free books.

Friday, June 6th

Saturday, June 7th

  • 2:00 pm Tor Booth (#646) Signing: John Scalzi, Lock In
  • 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm Creating Your Fantasy World
    Peter Orullian
  • 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm Microsoft XBox Panel
    Peter Orullian

Sunday, June 8th

  • 12:00 pm Tor Booth (#646) Signing: Cathrynne Valente, Deathless
  • 2:00 pm Tor Booth (#646) Signing: Melanie Rawn, Touchstone

Make sure to follow @Torbooks on Twitter for up to date information and last minute events!

All Tor Booth signings are on a first come first serve basis and while supplies lasts. Limit one book per person.

post-featured-image

Violating Your Expectations

Place holder  of - 45By Peter Orullian

I love this phrase: “violating your expectations.” The fact that I do probably discloses way too much about who I am, but there you go. I first heard “VYE” in a 500 level Shakespeare course I had in college. The bard knew a thing or two about it. You have your mind or heart set on something, and “Ker-pow!” it don’t go the way you hoped or thought it would.

For good or ill, this has carried over into my fiction. As I got rolling on The Vault of Heaven series, I thought a lot about how I would make it different and new. If you get reductive on storylines, there aren’t many out there. That, and I’ve read so many books by authors whose efforts to be different wind up sounding, ironically, very contrived. They just feel like they’re working too hard to be different.

So, one of the things I did was take a close look at the conventions of fantasy fiction: the stuff I liked, the stuff I liked less. And I decided that the best way to evolve some of these tropes into new terrain was to establish them up front in my story. In other words, I decided I wanted to violate your expectations. It’s kind of blasé to say, “things aren’t what they seem,” when talking about one’s book. So, I’ll just caution readers about their expectations of where the story is going, ‘cause you know, you could get hurt.

Beyond all that, some things you might not expect: music in The Vault of Heaven—there’s a music magic system, and it gets kind of dark; and the notion of human trafficking, which, in a somewhat disturbing way, feeds several of the story lines so naturally. And choice. I love exploring the choices my characters make, how they arrive at the decisions, what consequences will result. And more than anything, I love putting them in impossible situations, where there simply is no good or right choice, but they are nonetheless forced to choose. This, as much as anything else, proves to be the leap point for violating your expectations, since what you might expect my characters to decide . . . well, you know.

But then, here’s the deal: most of us love surprises. And at the end of it, having your expectations violated amounts to much the same thing. So with any luck at all, you’re gonna dig The Unremembered, since I’m going to carefully lead you down a path, and early on you may recognize a few of the signposts, but pretty soon—if I’ve done my job—you won’t know where you are, and then, “ker-pow!”

…………………………

Read two short stories set in the same universe on Tor.com:

Image Place holder  of - 94 Sacrifice of the First Sheason

By Peter Orullian

Illustration by Kekai Kotaki

Palamon was part of the collective that formed the world, made its mountains, its people, its rules. When the fledgling world is threatened, only he will do whatever it takes to save it. Read the story >>

…………

Image Placeholder of - 91The Great Defense of Layosah

By Peter Orullian

Illustration by Kekai Kotaki

Layosah has lost five sons and her husband to her kingdom’s endless wars; all she has left is an infant daughter and a dangerous idea. Read the story >>

…………………………

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1F72X091aw]

…………………………

Peter Orullian is the debut epic fantasy author of The Unremembered (0-7653-2571-3 / $$27.99), the first novel in “The Vault of Heaven” out from Tor Books on April 12, 2011. He is also the author of two short stories set in the same universe, “Sacrifice of the First Sheason” and “The Great Defense of Layosah,” freely available on Tor.com. More information including a series of webisodes can be found on his website, Orullian.com.

…………………………

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

…………………………

More from our March newsletter:

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.