Announcing Tor Books Programming at San Diego Comic-Con 2024!

July 18, 2024July 25, 2024Tiana Tolbert1 Comment

We’re thrilled to join you all at San Diego Comic-Con 2024! Check out all the awesome panels and booth events we’ve got slated for this epic weekend.

Please note that giveaways and drops do not indicate author attendance at San Diego Comic Con. For attending authors, please check out panels and signing events.

Thursday — July 25

Panels

Don’t Stick Me in a Box: Genre Mashup Edition

DESCRIPTION: Rules were meant to be broken and genres were meant to be mashed—or however the saying goes. Leave your ideas of conventional genre at the door and join genre legends Olivie Blake (The Atlas Complex), Sarah Beth Durst (The Spellshop), TJ Klune (Somewhere Beyond the Sea), Seanan McGuire (Tidal Creatures), and Chuck Tingle (Bury Your Gays) as they gather to talk fantasy, romance, horror, and everything in between. Moderated by Maureen Lenker (Entertainment Weekly).

Room 24ABC
10:30 – 11:30 AM

Supporting Women’s Wrongs

DESCRIPTION: This panel dedicated to the damsels dishing out distress features Ava Reid (Lady Macbeth; A Study Drowning), CJ Leede (American Rapture), Rachel Howzell Hall (The Last One), and Comic-Con special guests Cecy Robson (Bloodguard) and Kiersten White (Lucy Undying) discussing writing powerful female characters who aren’t afraid of committing a few wrongs to make things right. Moderated by Mysterious Galaxy’s Michelle Bucud.

Room 23ABC
11:00 – 12:00 PM

Booth Signings

Jonathan Maberry | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM signing Dragon in Winter (GALLEY GIVEAWAY)

Seanan McGuire | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM signing Tidal Creatures and others

Seanan McGuire | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Sarah Beth Durst| 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM signing The Spellshop

CJ Leede | 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM signing American Rapture (GALLEY GIVEAWAY)

Author Signings

Olivie Blake, Sarah Beth Durst, Seanan McGuire, TJ Klune, and Chuck Tingle

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM in AA09

Kendare Blake, Rachel Howzell Hall, CJ Leede, Ava Reid, Cecy Robson, and Kiersten White

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM in AA02

Friday — July 26

Panels

Romantic Retellings

DESCRIPTION: It’s time to take a fresh look at classic tales. Authors Alexene Farol Follmuth (Twelfth Knight), Christina Lauren (Tangled Up in You; The Paradise Problem), Nikki Payne (Sex, Lies, and Sensibility), and Scarlett St. Clair (A Touch of Chaos) share how they take famous stories from once-upon-a-time to a whole new happily ever after. Moderated by Mysterious Galaxy’s Jenni Marchisotto.

Room 24ABC
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Across the Universes with Tor

DESCRIPTION: Tor Publishing Group publishes some of the greatest sci-fi, fantasy, romance, and horror books around. This panel will shine a spotlight on some of the exciting upcoming titles that Tor, Tor Teen, Tordotcom Publishing, Nightfire, and their newest imprint, Bramble, have to offer. The book lovers from the Tor teams-Laura Etzkorn (senior publicist), Giselle Gonzalez (publicist), Emily Honer (marketing associate), and Rachel Taylor (senior marketing manager)—share a sneak peek at new and upcoming books that you will definitely have to add to your TBR list.

Room 29CD
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM

Booth Signings

Moses Ose Utomi | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM signing The Lies of the Ajungo and The Truth of the Aleke

Alexene Farol Follmuth| 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM signing Twelfth Knight and others

Author Signings

Alexene Farol Follmuth, Christina Lauren, Nikki Payne, and Scarlett St. Clair

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM in AA09

Saturday — July 27

Panels

Robots and Other Mechanical Beings

DESCRIPTION: Explore works with robots, cyborgs, androids, and other mechanical characters in central and supporting roles created by John Barber (SIGNA), Alexene Farol Follmuth (My Mechanical Romance), Frederick L, Jones (Clock Striker), and Greg van Eekhout (Cog, Happy Town). Maryelizabeth Yturralde (publishing maven, Pan-Universal Galactic Worldwide) will drill down into what it takes to construct stories featuring automated machines in meaningful ways.

Room 4
10:00 – 11:00 AM

In Our Villain Era: Tor’s Version

DESCRIPTION: Everyone has their favorite era, and Tor is here to tell you why their Villain Era is fiercer than the rest. Jenn Lyons (The Sky On Fire), Moses Ose Utomi (The Truth of the Aleke), and Ken Bebelle (Blood Jade) dive into the villains—and maybe even some heroes—of their stories. Moderated by Ryka Aoki (Light from Uncommon Stars).

Room 10
10:30 – 11:30 AM

How to Bookend a Bestselling Series

DESCRIPTION: The End is often the two hardest words an author writes. Is it captivating enough? Is it satisfying to loyal readers? How do you wrap up the pieces? Or will the threads be left open enough for a companion? No one knows this better than bestselling authors Tricia Levenseller (The Darkness Within Us), Alexandra Bracken (The Mirror of Beasts), and Aiden Thomas (Celestial Monsters), who have all crafted compelling endings to beloved young adult series. Be warned: spoilers are a risk! Moderated by Sarah Henning (The Lies We Conjure).

Room 10
1:30 – 2:30 PM

Let There Be Dragons

DESCRIPTION : Take to the skies with a panel dedicated to the mythical creatures that have inspired fear and awe across the globe for centuries: dragons. Jenn Lyons (The Sky on Fire), Ken Bebelle (Blood Jade), and Comic-Con special guests Naomi Novik discuss what it’s like to bring these magical and mercurial beings to life. Moderated by Mysterious Galaxy’s Matthew Berger.

Room 23ABC
3:00 – 4:00 PM

Booth Signings

Sarah Henning | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM signing The Lies We Conjure (GALLEY GIVEAWAY)

Roger Clark | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM signing Red Dead’s History

Ryka Aoki | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM signing Light from Uncommon Stars

Adam Christopher | 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM signing The Burning Dark

Rebecca Thorne | 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM signing A Pirate’s Life for Tea

TJ Klune | 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Ken Bebelle | 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM signing Blood Jade

Author Signings

John Barber, Alexene Farol Follmuth, Andrew Lee Griffith, Frederick L Jones, Judd Winick

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM in AA09

Ryka Aoki, Ken Bebelle, Jenn Lyons, Moses Ose Utomi, and Julia Vee

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM in AA06

Alexandra Bracken, Sarah Henning, Tricia Levenseller, and Aiden Thomas

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM in AA06

Ken Bebelle, Jenn Lyons, and Naomi Novik

4:30 PM – 5:30 PM in AA09

Sunday — July 28

Panels

Take Me Away

DESCRIPTION: We’re getting out of town without getting out of bed thanks to these fantastic tales. Book your ticket out of this world as Jordan Ifueko (The Maid and the Crocodile), T. J. Klune (Somewhere Beyond the Sea), Rebecca Thorne (Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea), Sara Wolf (Heavenbreaker), and Deeba Zargarpur (Farrah Noorzad and the Ring of Fate) discuss how to create the worlds and characters that readers want to visit (and revisit). Moderated by Mysterious Galaxy’s Jenni Marchisotto.

Room 7AB

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

Page-Turning Thrillers and Mysteries

DESCRIPTION: If you like high-stakes, twisty mind games, edge-of-your-seat suspense, and stories that feel like the big screen, you are in for a treat! Sarah Henning (The Lies We Conjure), Trish Lundy (The One That Got Away with Murder), and Caitlin Schneiderhan (Medici Heist) discuss their thrillers and mysteries that will leave you glued to your reading nook until the very last page. Moderated by Lily Anderson (Scout’s Honor).

Room 24ABC

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

There’s Something About YA

DESCRIPTION: Bestselling YA authors Alexene Farol Follmuth (Twelfth Knight), Terry J. Benton-Walker (The White Guy Dies First), Sarah Henning (The Lies We Conjure), Tricia Levenseller (The Darkness Within Us), and Christine Riccio (Attached at the Hip) discuss spinning stories that bring the heat in romantasy, the snark in romcoms, the death in horror and the sabotage in thrillers/mysteries for teens. Moderated by Erika Lewis (Kelcie Murphy series).

Room 23ABC
2:30 – 3:30 PM

Deadly Deeds

DESCRIPTIONS: Creators of dark and creeptastic works discuss their tales and debate not only when readers might choose to root for the monsters but also what and who defines monsters. Lily Anderson (Killer House Party), Desiree S. Evans (The Black Girl Survives in This One), Stephen Graham Jones (I was a Teenage Slasher) , CJ Leede (American Rapture), Trish Lundy (The One That Got Away with Murder), Comic-Con special guest Kiersten White (Lucy Undying), and Justine Puncella Winans (One Killer Problem) chill out with Maryelizabeth Yturralde (publishing maven, Pan-Universal Galactic Worldwide).

Room 4
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Booth Signings

Terry J. Benton-Walker | 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM signing The White Guy Dies First

Erika Lewis | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM signing the Kelcie Murphy Series

Jenn Lyons | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM singing The Sky on Fire

Author Signings

Lily Anderson, Sarah Henning, Trish Lundy, and Caitlin Schneiderhan

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM in AA09

Jordan Ifueko, TJ Klune, Rebecca Thorne, Sara Wolf, and Deeba Zargarpur

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM in AA04

Lily Anderson, Trish Lundy, CJ Leede, Alison Saft, Justine Puncella Winans

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM in AA09

Terry J. Benton-Walker, Alexene Farol Follmuth, Sarah Henning, Tricia Levenseller, and Erika Lewis

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM in AA09

Panelists and giveaways subject to change

Featured / Lists / What's New

7 Sci-fi/Horror Books To Give You Nightmares

May 30, 2024June 11, 2024Tiana Tolbert

Like your sci-fi a lil spooky? Wish your horror had more astronauts, black holes, and existential dread? There are very few things in this world better than a really good genre mashup and we’re here with some of our favorite horror-flavored sci-fi novels!

by Merlin Hoye

Fractal Noise by Christopher Paolini

Now out in paperback, Paolini’s Fractal Noise is a nailbiter of a sci-fi tale. When a space crew travels to a harsh planet to investigate a mysterious dark hole called the Anomaly, they get more than they bargained for. Set in the same universe as the bestselling To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, this book is a perfect entry point to the series and may very well be entering your nightmares as well.

Glass Houses by Madeline Ashby

If there’s anything harder than being a woman in tech, it’s being a woman in tech stranded on a deserted tropical island. With your egotistical, millionaire boss. And the rest of your stranded start-up tech company. With a mysterious AI run mansion. As your team members slowly start to disappear one by one. Glass Houses is what you’d get if you combined Black Mirror with an Agatha Christie novel and added a sense of humor as black at pitch. This bingeable near-future whodunnit is on sale 8.13.24.

The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey

Literature is rife with terrible, cheating husbands, but what if your husband was cheating on you with a genetically cloned replica? When Evelyn Caldwell discovers that this is what her husband has been up to, she is forced to reevaluate her entire life. The Echo Wife explores themes of gender dynamics, toxic masculinity, infidelity, and abuse. This is a page turning domestic thriller with a scary, sci-fi twist.

Leech by Hiron Ennes

You’ve never read a book with a narrator quite like this one. The main character is a parasite who has been switching hosts for years. Its current body is a doctor called out to a crumbling, gothic manor filled with the maddest people you’ll ever meet. There’s body horror and chills aplenty here but we won’t say too much about this fever dream of a book because the less you know about Leech going in, the better.

The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown

There’s something wrong with the Calypso. After a mission to a nearby planet fails, Jacklyn Albright tries her best to keep the final dregs of humanity alive. Earth is no longer inhabitable so there’s no escape from the cold darkness of space and as people are killed off in horrible ways one by one by a mysterious enemy, Jacklyn is forced to confront the fact that there is something on the spaceship other than humans. Something dangerous.

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

We couldn’t possibly write a list like this and not include The Three-Body Problem. Afterall, what’s scarier than “you are bugs”? This gripping sci-fi tale has all the real life horror of China’s Cultural Revolution as well as the bone chilling horror of a first contact story. Science, video games, history, technology, aliens… what more could you ask for?

Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes

Atmospheric and terrifying, this slow burn of a thriller set on an ancient, alien planet will have you flipping through the pages far past your bedtime. Ophelia Bray has spent her life training to combat a horrifying illness that only occurs in space and eventually drives people mad. Tasked with looking after a crew after landing on an abandoned planet, she soon begins to suspect that things are not all as they seem.

Lists / What's New

Snackable SFF To Help You Get A Jump On Your Reading Goals

May 20, 2024May 21, 2024Tiana Tolbert

Here at Tor, we love a good list of good books, and we compile a lot of them! Having more books than time to read is an all too common dilemma, but fear not—we’re bringing back our list of “snackable” SFF books.

These titles are either easy to devour in one sitting or compact enough to not overwhelm your TBR pile! Among the highlights is When Among Crows by Veronica Roth, a perfect pick for those who appreciate a powerful, succinct narrative.

Dive into all our recs below!

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.

Arch-Conspirator by Veronica Roth

“I’m cursed, haven’t you heard?” Outside the last city on Earth, the planet is a wasteland. Without the Archive, where the genes of the dead are stored, humanity will end. Antigone’s parents – Oedipus and Jocasta – are dead. Passing into the Archive should be cause for celebration, but with her militant uncle Kreon rising to claim her father’s vacant throne, all Antigone feels is rage. When he welcomes her and her siblings into his mansion, Antigone sees it for what it really is: a gilded cage, where she is a captive as well as a guest. But her uncle will soon learn that no cage is unbreakable. And neither is he.

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

Marra never wanted to be a hero. As the shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter, she escaped the traditional fate of princesses, to be married away for the sake of an uncaring throne. But her sister wasn’t so fortunate—and after years of silence, Marra is done watching her suffer at the hands of a powerful and abusive prince. Seeking help for her rescue mission, Marra is offered the tools she needs, but only if she can complete three seemingly impossible tasks. But, as is the way in tales of princes and witches, doing the impossible is only the beginning.

Book of Night by Holly Black

Book of Night is a decadent bookly snack. Its mood is both scrappy and sultry, full of long shadows, mystery noir, and twisty emotions. Charlie Hall is a thief, or she was. Now she just wants to tend bar and recover from her gunshot wound in relative peace. But in a world of power-hungry shadow magicians who will always want to take from each other, good thieves are in high demand. Unlike Charlie and an entire cadre of manipulative magi, Book of Night won’t place high demand on your TBR. It’s a friendly, snackable length, and it definitely should be your next read!

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

This book isn’t just snackable. It’s delicious! Battle-hardened adventurer Viv has decided to hang up her sword to build a more fulfilling life for herself as the proprietor of Thune’s first coffeeshop. We’re talking lattes, we’re talking cinnamon rolls, we’re talking good times and found family. This is the perfect comfort read to pair with a snack at your coziest local coffee spot.

The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey

Don’t let the relatively short length of this powerful novel fool you, this snack delivers an acutely emotional flavor. Evelyn Caldwell’s research was instrumental in the progression of cloning technology. Martine is a submissive clone of Evelyn that her husband created using that research so he could cheat on his wife with an adjusted version of his wife. Pretty gross, but don’t worry, he’s dead. And now Evelyn and Martine have to clean up after that death.

Lists / What's New

5 Earth Day Reads for Earthlings & Otherwise

April 22, 2024April 29, 2024Tiana Tolbert

Yay Earth Day! In celebration of our planet, we’ve put together a list of Earth-relevant literary must-reads.

Check them out!

The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz

It might seem odd to kick off a list about Earth with a book set elsewhere, but hear us out. Destry has dedicated her life to the process of terraforming Sask-E. The act of terraforming is of course defined as to transform (a planet) so as to resemble the earth, especially so that it can support human life. But when Destry discovers a city full of people that shouldn’t exist inside a massive volcano, the core assumptions of terraforming must be challenged. What does it mean for a planet to achieve optimal conditions? Must we incessantly replicate a past in places that do not share it?

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

No one will ever make the serious claim that life on Earth is easy. We’ve got problems squared. But one problem we don’t have is the three-body one. We orbit a single sun, and that works pretty well for us, actually. If there were say, three of them… Well. It’d be total civilization reset every time the predestined vectors make us too hot or too cold. So it goes for the Trisolarans. They want what we have: namely, relative safety from the sun, because Earth is pretty cool. They want to take it. They’re on their way.

The Library of the Dead by T. L. Huchu

So we’ve been kind of looking at Earth in the planetary sense for the start of this list, and it’s time for us to drill down and lock in. Ropa is a teenage ghost talker who employs her abilities to eke a living in the mean streets of Edinburgh, Scotland. And mean streets is correct, because something is stalking them and leaving huskified children in its wake. This runs counter to Ropa’s goals of general survival and is just pretty messed up. Cue, the adventure. Enter, the mystery.

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey

At the time this listicle is written, Earth is home. Optimistically, the reader of this list (you) could be located elsewhere in the far future of ours or someone else’s galaxy, but probably you’re earthbound too. It’s normal to have a complicated relationship with your home, and Sarah Gailey knows that. Maybe we’ll leave Earth someday, but home is still home, so check out Just Like Home, an eerie novel that blends the commonplace and the strange to unsettling effect.

The Kushiel’s Legacy Series by Jacqueline Carey

Carey’s Kushiel’s Legacy is a web of sensually dangerous tales that take place in a location that is almost our familiar Earth. The land of Terre d’Ange that these stories revolve around is approximately located in what we would point to on a map as France. This is the epic saga of a besieged Queen, a warrior-priest, the Prince of Travelers, barbarian warlords, heroic traitors, and a truly Machiavellian villainess, and begins with Kushiel’s Dart, followed by Kushiel’s Chosen and Kushiel’s Avatar. Retelling the start of the series from a different perspective is Cassiel’s Servant.

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 / What's New

8 Haunted House Fantasy Reads to Delight with Fright!

August 11, 2023August 15, 2023a cat2 Comments

The haunted house is a classic horror set piece. What’s supposed to be a place of reprieve is an iron cage; ensnaring you, forcing you to confront a myriad of ghosts, ghouls, and secrets best left buried. Here are eight titles starring houses to contain your worst nightmares—be they demons, a gaggle of ghosts, or unabashed intimacy.

by Kaleb Russell

Masters of Death by Olivie Blake

Viola Marek is both struggling real estate agent and vampire, a facet of identity that both presents a range of different problems and solutions in one’s life. Tragically, it won’t help her un-haunt the house she needs to sell. That’s where Fox D’Mora enters the picture. He’s a medium, so he can help with Viola’s ghost dilemma, but he’s also a complicated sham. He’s not really a medium, but he is the godson of Death (entity). As the quantity of immortal and undying beings tangled with Viola’s ghost house rises, the game begins. It’s a special one. One the immortals play. There is only one rule: Don’t lose.

The Mystery at Dunvegan Castle by T.L. Huchu

Everyone’s favorite fifteen-year-old ghostalker, Ropa, arrives at the worldwide Society of Skeptical Enquirers’ biennial conference just in time to be tied into a mystery—a locked room mystery, if an entire creepy haunted castle on lockdown counts. One of the magical attendees has stolen a valuable magical scroll. That’s bad news. But here’s the good news: Ropa can access a unique network of information and intrigue: the castle ghosts.

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey

At the behest of her estranged mother, Vera Crowder returns home in spite of the tragic memories it holds; memories of the bodies her beloved father (moonlighting as a serial killer) left buried there. One day, Vera starts finding notes written in her father’s handwriting. If it’s not the leech of an artist her mother has chosen to house leaving them, then who is? To find the truth, Vera must dig deep and uncover secrets she’s been running from all her life.

The Family Plot by Cherie Priest

To save their family’s floundering salvage company, Dahlia Dutton is tasked by her father to oversee the stripping of an esteemed heiress’s family estate. Unbeknownst to Dahlia and her crew, there’s a sinister presence at the aged estate looking to wreak chaos before the job is done. The Family Plot is an atmospheric modern Gothic that will leave you reeling.

Library of the Dead by TL Huchu

The first book in Huchu’s Edinburgh Nights series contains a bevy of haunted houses as a precocious teen explores the haunted underside of modern Edinburgh, speaking to the dead, looking for leads to find the one responsible for snatching children and leaving them empty husks. Huchu’s rendition of Edinburgh is a lush, evocative one that gives the ghosts in this story an air of wonder in lieu of abject fear.

Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones

One night, a young Blackfoot boy named Junior wakes up to find the ghost of his recently deceased father wandering the house dressed in full Blackfoot regalia. To prove to himself he’s real, Junior takes to meticulously diagramming the house’s interior, recording when and where his father appears. It quickly becomes apparent his father’s reappearance is something deeply sinister. Like much of Jones’ work, there is an ache to the writing that’s impossible to ignore. Espousing a kind of hurt that lingers long after you’ve turned the last page.

The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller

Sole survivor of a race of necromancers, Charm is a prisoner of the Emperor with nothing but her children and her bone trees to bring her solace. One day, as the Emperor lays in his deathbed, he gives Charm one final command: learn which one of his conniving sons is his murderer. She can succeed and be set free, but that entails betraying the ghosts of her fallen people in the process. Will she follow the will of her dead master or forsake the sanctity of the empire to sate her hunger for vengeance? Trade in a haunted house for a haunted bordello and you

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

Charon House is perhaps the most ideal haunted house one would want to reside in; that is, unless you have a paralyzing fear of intimacy, the kind of warm and kind intimacy Klune’s work is best known for. Charon House is a place where the dead crossover with the help of its good natured owner Hugo and the deliciously sarcastic reaper named Mei, although not before helping themselves to hot tea and the most scrumptious scones. But our protagonist, Wallace Price, isn’t ready to pass on. Due to his dour demeanor and cold-heartedness, he’s missed out on all the goodness life has to offer. So, with the help of Hugo, he attempts to live a lifetime in 7 days. Under The Whispering Door is a heartwarming haunted house book about coming to terms with loss and seeking out new beginnings.

What's New

Announcing Tor Books Programming at San Diego Comic-Con 2023!

July 2, 2023April 11, 2024a cat2 Comments

We’re thrilled to join you all at San Diego Comic-Con 2023! Check out all the awesome panels and booth events we’ve got slated for this epic weekend. And don’t forget to join our SDCC 2023 ARC Bundle Sweepstakes (you don’t actually have to be at con to enter. This is a celebratory sweepstakes for everyone)!

Please note that giveaways and drops do not indicate author attendance at San Diego Comic Con. For attending authors, please check out panels and signing events.

Thursday — July 20

Panels

Welcome to Fantasy Land

Room 9
10:00 – 11:00 AM

Darcie Little Badger, Terry J. Benton-Walker, Rachel Griffin, Adalyn Grace, Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Michelle Bucud (moderator)

Robots and Aliens and Blasters, Oh My

Room 24ABC
10:30 – 11:30 AM

Emma Mieko Candon, Sylvain Neuvel, and Julia Vee and Ken Bebelle, Charlie Jane Anders (Moderator)

In the Beginning…There was Worldbuilding

Room 32AB
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

TJ Klune, Comic-Con Special Guest Holly Black, Wesley Chu, LR Lam, Victoria Aveyard, Dr. Jeanelle Horcasitas (moderator)

A Different Type of Romance

Room 21AB
2:00 – 3:00 PM

Holly Black, Becky Cloonan, Linda Sejic, Stjepan Sejic, and Rachel Smythe. Tina Horn (moderator)

Booth 2802 Events

**Giveaway: After the Forest by Kell Woods**

10:00 – 11:00 AM

**Giveaway: One Blood by Denene Millner**

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Author Signing: Terry J. Benton-Walker*

12:00 – 1:00 PM
Blood Debts

**Giveaway: Exadelic by Jon Evans**

1:00 – 2:00 PM

Author Signing: Chuck Tingle*

2:00 – 3:00 PM
Camp Damascus

Author Signing: Charlie Jane Anders*

3:00 – 4:00 PM
Victories Greater Than Death

Author Signing: Paul Cornell*

3:00 – 4:00 PM
Rosebud

Author Signing: Cory Doctorow*

4:00 – 5:00 PM
The Lost Cause

Friday — July 21

Panels

Wish They All Could be CA MCs

Room 24ABC
10:30 – 11:30 AM

Diane Marie Brown, Nidhi Chanani, Mike Chen , Cory Doctorow, and Julia Vee and Ken Bebelle, Maryelizabeth Yturralde (moderator)

Love in all the Fantastic Places

Room 32AB
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Olivie Blake, Jacqueline Carey, Piper J. Drake, Laura Thalassa, Mia Tsai, Rachel Smythe, Dr. Jenni Marchisotto (moderator), Haydee Smith (moderator)

Spotlight on Martha Wells

Room 28DE
1:00 – 1:00 PM

Comic Con Special Guest Martha Wells

SF in Comics

Room 29AB
3:00 – 4:00 PM

John Barber, Andrew Griffin, Charlie Jane Anders , Nicholas Tana, Maryelizabeth Yturralde (moderator)

Boundless Adventures: San Diego Festival of Books

Room 10
4:30 – 5:30 PM

Charlie Jane Anders, John Jennings, TJ Klune, Jarrod Shusterman and Sofia Lapuente, Alonso Nunez (moderator)

Tor Presents:Calling All Book Lovers

Room 29CD
5:30 – 6:30 PM

TPG staff: Saraciea J. Fennell (Senior Publicity Manager), Giselle Gonzalez (Publicist), Emily Mlynek (Director of Marketing), Rachel Taylor (Senior Marketing Manager)

Booth 2802 Events

**Giveaway: Starling House by Alix E. Harrow**

10:00 – 11:00 AM

Author Signing: Martha Wells*

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Witch King

**Giveaway: The Fragile Threads of Power by V. E. Schwab audiobook excerpt with special item**

12:00 – 1:00 PM

Author Signing: Liz Kerin*

1:00 – 2:00 PM
Night’s Edge

Author Signing: Sarah Gailey*

2:00 – 3:00 PM
Just Like Home

Author Signing: Nina Nesseth*

2:00 – 3:00 PM
Nightmare Fuel

Author Signing: Julia Vee & Ken Bebelle*

3:00 – 4:00 PM
Ebony Gate

Author Signing: Holly Black

4:00 – 5:00 PM
Book of Night

Saturday — July 22

Panels

Mysteries, Magic, & Mayhem

Room 7AB
10:00 – 11:00 AM

Holly Black, Johnny Compton, Martha Wells, Catriona Ward, and Philip Fracassi, Liz Kerin (moderator)

A Scare is Born

Room 7AB
12:00 – 1:00 PM

Silvia Moreno Garcia, Junji Ito, Johnny Compton, Chuck Tingle, Catriona Ward, Erin A. Craig, Judy Prince-Neeb (moderator)

Science Fiction (At Least for Now)

Room 29AB
1:00 – 2:00 PM

Emma Mieko Candon, Pierce Brown, Nnedi Okorafor, Comic Con Special Guest Martha Wells

The Worlds We Return To

Room 23ABC
3:00 – 4:00 PM

Stephen Blackmoore, Jacqueline Carey, Cory Doctorow, Chloe Gong, E.K. Johnston, Matthew Berger (moderator)

Things Could Be Worse

Room 25ABC
8:00 – 9:00 PM

Tananarive Due, CJ Leede, Meriam Metoui, Chuck Tingle, and Danielle Valentine, Maryelizabeth Yturralde (moderator)

Booth 2802 Events

**Giveaway: The Hunting Moon by Susan Dennard**

10:00 – 11:00 AM

Author Signing: Emma Mieko Candon*

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
The Archive Undying

Author Signing: J.R. Dawson*

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
The First Bright Thing

**Giveaway: Starter Villain by John Scalzi**

12:00 – 1:00 PM

Author Signing: Sylvain Neuvel*

1:00 – 2:00 PM
A History of What Comes Next

Author Signing: Phillip Fracassi*

1:00 – 2:00 PM
Boys in the Valley

Author Signing: TJ Klune*

2:00 – 3:00 PM
Wolfsong

Author Signing: Johnny Compton*

3:00 – 4:00 PM
The Spite House

Author Signing: CJ Leede*

3:00 – 4:00 PM
Maeve Fly

Author Signing: Catriona Ward*

4:30 – 5:30 PM
Looking Glass Sound

Sunday — July 23

Panels

Spotlight on Holly Black

Room 29AB
10:00 – 11:00 AM

Comic Con Special Guest Holly Black

Let’s Hit Critical

Room 29AB
12:00 – 1:00 PM

Jef Aldrich, Travis Baldree, James D’Amato, E.K. Johnston, Jon Taylor, Cecil Castellucci (moderator)

Romantasy: When SFF & Romance Kiss

Room 23ABC
2:30 – 3:30 PM

Jacqueline Carey, Olivie Blake, J.R. Dawson, Travis Baldree, TJ Klune (moderator)

Booth 2802 Events

**Giveaway: The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport by Samit Basu**

10:00 – 10:30 AM

Author Signing: Travis Baldree*

10:30 – 11:30 AM
Bookshops & Bonedust

Author Signing: Jacqueline Carey*

12:00 – 1:00 PM
Kushiel’s Dart

Author Signing: Olivie Blake*

1:00 – 2:00 PM
The Atlas Six

Giveaway: Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout audiobook excerpt with special item

2:00 – 3:00 PM

**Giveaway: Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo**

3:00 – 4:00 PM

Free author signing with tickets to be given away at 10:00 AM each day in the booth. Other titles will be available for purchase in the booth.

Panelists and giveaways subject to change

Lists / What's New

Our Ships Will Never Sink: A List of Tor Staffer’s Ultimate OTPs!

June 16, 2023July 5, 2023Rachel Taylor25 Comments

We have a lot of OTPs (One True Pairings) here at Tor, but today, we’re here to talk about our ULTIMATE OTPs. We asked our staff to tell us about their favorite TDA ships and they delivered.

Check them out below!

Samantha Friedlander, Marketing Assistant (she/her)

My favorite TDA OTP would have to be Esther and Cye from Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey. Their chemistry leapt off the page and was one of the many reasons why I loved this novella!

Yvonne Ye, Ad/Promo Assistant (she/her)

The Stormlight Archive: I ship Kaladin/therapy, and if you’ve met the man, you’ll understand why

Alternatively! For the Teixcalaan duology by Arkady Martine, I ship Three Seagrass/Mahit Dzmare because I support beleaguered bureaucrat 4 beleagured bureaucrat :))))) If your OTP doesn’t have email work sessions together, do they even love each other?

a cat, Marketing Coordinator (he/him)

My TDA OTP is a match made in magic hell and it’s Talasseres Charossa from The Unspoken Name by A. K. Larkwood and John Gaius from Harrow the Ninth. Tal is a rogue with a thing for garbage wizards and John Gaius, the Emperor Undying, is the garbage-ist wizard of all. This pairing is literally cursed, but so potent it must be true.

Anna Merz, Publicity Assistant (she/her)

I would like to start this off by saying I for one ship the Marketing and Publicity teams at TDA xoxo

But also I mega ship Samson and Abitha from Slewfoot. A wholesome Monster/devil love of flower crowns, bees, and revenge.

Becky Yeager, Manager of Ad/Promo & Marketing (she/her)

Kadou and Evemer from A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland

One is a prince. The other one is a bodyguard. Could I make it any more obvious? Prince Kadou is kind, thoughtful, and anxious. Evemer is loyal, honorable, and reserved. Together they are everything I want out of a couple: a perfect balance of sweet and oh no, he’s hot. They bring out the very best in each other as they contend with conspiracies, a counterfeit crisis, and the periodic assassination attempt. If slow burn and pining are your cup of tea, then look no further than A Taste of Gold and Iron.

Rachel Taylor, Marketing Manager (she/her)

Definitely Caethari and Velasin from A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows. Arranged marriage trope? Queer romance? Yearning? WHAT MORE COULD I WANT?!?!?!

What is your SFF OTP? Let us know in the comments?

Lists / What's New

Snackable SFF To Help You Get A Jump On Your Reading Goals

January 30, 2023February 7, 2023Rachel Taylor1 Comment

Here at Tor, we love a good list of good books, and we compile a lot of them! Having more books than time to read them is an all too common dilemma, but fear not! This list is for “snackable” SFF that are either easy to devour in one sitting OR won’t take up too much space on your TBR while delivering all the potency of flavor that sometimes, only brevity can bring.

Check it out!

Arch-Conspirator by Veronica Roth

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

Book of Night by Holly Black

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey

Lists / What's New

Books That We’re Grateful For <3

December 31, 2022April 29, 2024a cat4 Comments

It’s been a long 2022, so we’re taking a moment to think about all the books that helped us make it through the year. As we prepare to jump into 2023, Tor Publishing Group’s staff looks back on some of the stories we’re thankful for!

The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake

I’m grateful for Blake’s incredible Atlas series, and The Atlas Paradox in particular. I often find the world a bit scary and overwhelming, and as a result really enjoy media that unpacks the thorniness of being alive. None of the powerful magicians that comprise the cast of Paradox are okay, but in watching the complicated ways they struggle against, help, and even hurt each other, the real world feels less confusing and intimidating.

a cat, Digital Marketing Coordinator

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

I’m grateful for Nettle & Bone because despite its little fairy tale package, it’s real and raw, full of rage and blood and determination and love. Sometimes you just need a story that will gnaw uncomfortably at your insides and yet give you hope that impossible tasks are possible and you can earn your happy ending.

Tessa Villanueva, Editorial Assistant

Book of Night by Holly Black

I’m thankful to exist in the same universe as Holly Black, and I’m so thankful that with Book of Night she’s expanding the type of stories she tells. I’ve loved her young adult books, and to see her progress into a different realm of storytelling has been fantastic. I’m so excited to be able to keep reading her, and see what she does next!

Julia Bergen, Marketing Manager

The Genesis of Misery by Neon Yang

I’m grateful for The Genesis of Misery because it’s an outrageously creative work of space opera, a delightfully genderspun/queered mecha novel, and also a deeply nuanced genre-reception/refraction/retelling of the Joan of Arc mythos. But more than that, I’m grateful for Neon Yang for 1) existing, 2) writing this book, and 3) continuing to be one of the most lovable human beings on the planet with one of the most staggeringly vast imaginations.

Yvonne Ye, Ad/Promo Assistant

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

This year, I am immensely grateful for Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree and even more grateful for my extremely patient coworkers, as they listened to me rant about how much I loved this book at least three times per week since I read it. No, I am not sorry, and yes, you should definitely add this to the top of your TBR pile as soon as possible. I didn’t know I needed cozy fantasy in my life until I got my hands on this book. Warm, comforting, and joyful, Legends & Lattes follows Viv, a battle weary orc who hangs up her sword and takes a chance on building something for herself-the first ever coffee shop in the town of Thune. This book has found family, giant cinnamon rolls, and a gentle love story that will have you savoring this tale until you’ve turned the final page.

Rachel Taylor, Senior Marketing Manager

The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson

I am grateful for Seth Dickinson’s epic fantasy novel The Traitor Baru Cormorant because it made my cold, dead heart feel so many things. This gorgeously written, tragic book was without a doubt one of my favorite reads of the year. Baru, a young woman from a colonized land who joins the enemy empire to take them down from the inside, is one of the most interesting characters I’ve ever read. I found myself rooting for her even as she made horrible, heart-rending decisions. If you want to cry ugly tears in 2023, give this one a read.

Merlin Hoye, Marketing Assistant

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey

I’m grateful for Sarah Gailey and their novel Just Like Home. I’ve never read a haunted house book like this one, and believe me, I’ve read a lot of haunted house books. I took so much gratification in hand-selling Just Like Home this year at New York and San Diego Comic Cons. I’m so grateful I get to work with authors who are not only great writers, but great people.

Jordan Hanley, Senior Marketing Manager

What books are you thankful for? Let us know in the comments!