#tor books
ALL THE BIRDS IN THE SKY by Charlie Jane Anders
I bought All the Bird in the Sky for a friend. Her bookclub vetoed this as a book suggestion, but she was excited about it, so in an act of solidarity with her deeply-rooted belief that books should be worthy of discussion, I deposited it on her bed one day and blamed book fairies for the drop.
Then I promptly started reading it myself and stole it across the country with me before she could open it. (I had the best intentions. Also, spending money on a book purchased for a friend does not count as buying a book for yourself.)
A unique combination of the post-apocalyptic world of Vanessa Vaselka’s ZAZEN and the gritty magical reality of Lev Grossman’s The Magicians, Anders’ novel is possibly the only book that would be accurately categorized as Sci-Fi/ Fantasy.
(There is this odd phenomenon - a bizarre combination of sci-fi and fantasy genres - that proliferates search engines and bookstores alike. It’d be like grouping cats and dogs together in a shelter section called Dats and considering the choice between the two arbitrary - which any cat or dog parent will indubitably dispute. But, this book is truly both Sci-Fi and Fantasy.)
In the rich world Anders has invented, thick with angst and dense with meaning, a 2-second time travel device and talking animals coexist. It’s nostalgic and dread-filled, a children’s book for adults, an embedded warning for our collective future.
Turning each page sounds the death nell for the end of the world - or a solemn harbinger for science that contains real magic - or is it magic that contains real science? - that will save us all.
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¡Qué bonita bandera! AKA what heritage(s) do you claim?
I identify as Latinx these days, but it’s actually a complicated answer. I grew up identifying as either Mexican, Chicano, or Latino. I’m a transracial adoptee, so all I knew about my biological parents was that my dad immigrated from Mexico and then left soon after I was born. I did one of those DNA tests in my late 20s and discovered that I was mostly Salvadoreño and Guatemalan, but I felt strange identifying with that heritage since it had not been part of my upbringing. Latinx feels right to me, both as a political statement and to describe who I am. I am brown and proud!
When was the first time you saw yourself represented?
The not-so-great answer: Speedy Gonzales. My twin brother and I loved him. The actually-great answer: The House on Mango Streetby Sandra Cisneros, which I read for my freshman year English class. I was 14 years old, and it changed my life forever.
How do you connect to your heritage through your books (if at all)?
I wrote a transracial Latinx adoptee into Anger is a Gift to explore the complicated issues of heritage, race, and identity. She’s not the protagonist, but plays a huge part in the life of my main character. My second novel (currently untitled) is a Latinx-inspired/influenced magical realism/horror story that takes place in a desert society and deals with migration. It is a much more intense exploration of my heritage, especially since I literally would not exist if my father had not immigrated from Mexico to California.
What do you hope for the future of Latinx books?
I want so many different types of stories! I want those of us in the Latinx community to explore all the issues we face; I want us to be able to celebrate our culture and share it with others, but with us at the helm. Ultimately, I want Latinx people telling Latinx stories.
What is the book that inspired you to write for kids/teens?
There are quite a few, but The House on Mango Streetis always going to be my first answer. That book showed me that stories could be about people like me, could be set in places that looked like where I lived and could be about things that affected my life. I am also massively inspired by Octavia Butler,Ursula K. LeGuin, and the Animorphs series (DON’T JUDGE, THOSE BOOKS ARE GREAT AND MESSED UP).
What are you writing now?
My YA debut, Anger Is a Gift, comes out May 22, 2018; I’m currently hard at work at a magical-realism-meets-horror standalone set in a desert. You can read an excerpt here:click!
MARK OSHIRO is the Hugo-nominated writer of the online Mark Does Stuff universe (Mark Reads and Mark Watches), where he analyzes book and TV series. He was the nonfiction editor of Queers Destroy Science Fiction! and the co-editor of Speculative Fiction 2015, and is the President of the Con or Bust Board of Directors. When not writing/recording reviews or editing, Oshiro engages in social activism online and offline. Anger is a Gift is his debut YA contemporary fiction novel.
Like the sound of a demon possessed chicken and quest to kill a prince?
USA Today bestselling author T. Kingfisher’s got just the book for you! Check out Nettle & Bone, on sale now!
FromThe New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six comes an intimate and contemporary study of time, space, and the nature of love. Check out the final cover of Alone with You in the Ether by Olivie Blake, on sale 12.6.22
Pre-order here: http://lnk.to/AloneInEther
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“Nettle & Bone is what happens when all the overlooked bit players of classic fantasy somehow wind up on the main quest. It’s funny, frightening, and full of heart; I loved it.”
—Alix E. Harrow, author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January
Nettle & Bone, on sale now
“T. Kingfisher spins biting wit, charm and terror into a tale that will make your skin crawl. Poe would be proud!”
—Brom, author of Slewfoot
What Moves the Dead (July 2022)
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Have you pre-ordered your copy of A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows yet? Submit your receipt for the hardcover, ebook, or audiobook by 7/25 to guarantee this STUNNING print, designed by @nicoledealart!
Submit your receipt here: bit.ly/ASASE-preorder
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“If she couldn’t be responsible or careful or good or loved, if she was doomed to be a lit match, then Charlie might as well go back to finding stuff to burn.”
Book of Night by Holly Black, May 2022
“The problem with monsters is that you need to keep them leashed, or they turn on you.”
OrderBook of Nightby Holly Black and submit your receipt by 5.2.22 to receive a limited edition over the shoulder bag.
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Even your shadow can be stolen…. Get ready to explore a world of shadowy thieves and secret societies in Book of Night by #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black!
“The problem with monsters is that you need to keep them leashed, or they turn on you.”
Book of Night by Holly Black (May 2022)
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COVER REVEAL
We are THRILLED that @io9dotcom has revealed the official cover PLUS an exclusive excerpt of Annalee Newitz’s sweeping epic The Terraformers, on sale 1/31/23!
Check out the full story here.
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Ready for an all day extravaganza?! Join us on 6/9 for our third annual virtual #TorCon2022, featuring panels, prizes, and more! WHO’S EXCITED?!?!
At 1 PM ET/10 AM PT, join Sunyi Dean, Leopoldo Gout, Lev AC Rosen, Nghi Vo, and Neon Yang for our ‘Magically Monstrous Murders and Mysteries’ panel.
At 6 PM ET/3 PM PT, join Olivie Blake, Susan Dennard, Catriona Ward, and Rita Woods, with a special pre-recorded message from Tamsyn Muir, for our 'Something Wicked This Way Comes’ panel.
Stay home and geek out with us once again!
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Who’s ready for the official Book of Night tour?! Join Holly Black in conversation with some VERY special partners, including @naominovik, John Scalzi, Leigh Bardugo, and more! Which stop will you be joining?
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We are so excited to have not one, but TWO Indie Next picks in May—Book of Night by Holly Black and Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher! Thank you, booksellers!
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‘Richly detailed and intricately plotted, with descriptions of advanced biotechnology, a close investigation into African diasporic culture, and complicated lead characters.'
- Booklist on Sweep of Stars by Maurice Broaddus, on sale now!
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Who’s ready for a special pre-order offer?! Purchase and submit your receipt for a hardcover, e-book, or audio edition of In the Shadow of Lightning by Brian McClellan by 6.21.22 to get a temporary tattoo!
Submit your receipt here: bit.ly/mcclellanpreorder22
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“Seek it if you wish, but as with all knowledge, whatever follows will be yours to bear alone.”
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake (Tor Books 2022)
