Miss Pippa Kipling and her automaton companion, the Porter, exterminate pests of the supernatural variety. What should be a typical job in your average haunted cavern soon derails in an inconveniently undead fashion. Even with the aid of her gadget collection and the Porter’s prowess, this task may prove fatal for Miss Kipling—or worse, rip her petticoat.
Dino is a documentary filmmaker, haunted by the ghost of his ex-girlfriend who was killed in a car crash while with another man. As Dino shoots his latest documentary on the vandalism occurring in the woods of his hometown, he tries to move on from her unexpected death. But when his life starts to look up, the ghost encroaches on his property. The focus of the film begins to blur as the lens of the camera shifts onto Dino, the director succumbing to his ghostly obsession.
“The Loud Table” by Jonathan Carroll is an sf-fantasy about four elderly men who regularly hang out. One of the men is worried that he’s getting Alzheimer’s, but the truth might be even more discomforting.
An all-new Tale of the Great Schools of Dune — written to accompany Navigators of Dune by the same authors (Tor, September 2016).
[Read “Dune: Red Plague” by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson]
Baltimore isn’t safe. Not even for the predatory meat that stalks its nights. Searching for victims who won’t be missed, meat doesn’t feel regret or pain—only thirst. But the meat remembers something more… doesn’t it? is there more to eternal life than finding another drink?
Over half a century ago, a little publishing house called Chilton Books (primarily known for their auto manuals) put out a novel called Dune by Frank Herbert. It was not an immediate success—despite the fact that Herbert had sold an earlier version of the tale to Analog magazine—and the editor who obtained the book was let go following his mistaken gamble.
Dune went on to win the inaugural Nebula Award and tie for the Hugo Award for Best Novel. It is frequently name-checked as one of the greatest science fiction novels of all time.
Has there ever been a woman with as much fire in her heart as Molly Weasley?
Has there ever been a woman who would fight so hard, and for so long? Has there ever been a woman with more courage?
It happens to us all: those hurry-up-and-wait stretches of time where we’re stuck on the train/tarmac/traffic jam, or our device is out of power, or we just need to disengage. Moments like these are perfect for marathon-length reads; those big big books and series that draw you in completely, which are so engrossing that the Earth turns without you.
And sure, The Lord of the Rings definitely fits that bill, but odds are you’ve already read that! What else does the trick? Below, the Tor.com staff shares some of their favorite marathon reads.
“Black Friday”, the day after Thanksgiving, typically marks the beginning of the Christmas holiday gift-buying season. But if science fiction and fantasy fiction teaches us anything—which it does, and so much of it is gloriously weird—the most meaningful gifts of all often come from entirely outside this particular consumerist feedback loop. In fact, these gifts carry so much meaning that some of them alter the fate of entire worlds.
Here are 6 fun examples to illustrate what we mean.
If there’s one thing that sets Contact apart from its fellow big idea tent-pole movies, it’s pragmatism. As discussed in a previous essay, Contact is a grounded, smart look at one of the biggest events in human history. It takes its time to do this from multiple angles and goes to great pains to contextualise, if not excuse, each one of those viewpoints.
By contrast, Interstellar is far more seat-of-the-pants in style, throwing huge concepts at the screen with the chilly abandon its director, Christopher Nolan, is known for. That impulsive approach is the cause of a lot of the movie’s problems but it also defines everything from Coop’s emotional trajectory to the ultimate resolution of the movie itself.
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! Arcanum Unbounded has hit bookstore shelves, mailboxes, and doorsteps across North America and the U.K.!
This beautiful book – and I do mean beautiful, in so many ways – collects all of Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere short works to date, plus one new novella, so you want it for All The Reads. It has gorgeous all-new artwork inside and out, along with maps, essays, drawings, and postscripts for each system or story, so you want it for all the new material. In short, it’s a must-have for a Cosmere fan.
Before you click on that enticing cut, please be aware: HERE BE SPOILERS. SPOILERS. SPOILERS! I SAY. This is the spoiler review, and anything contained in the book will be fair game for discussion here and in the comments. Within the book, the cover page for each story contains a warning for any books that would be spoiled by reading the short work first. Here, they will all be spoiled. You have been Warned.
This post was originally published on November 17, 2015, but since MST3K is an eternal joy, we wanted to share it with you one more time. It’s our way of thanking you, the reader, for teaching us to laugh about love…again. Also, please be advised that the annual Mystery Science Theater 3000 Turkey Day Marathon will return tomorrow at noon, featuring new intro segments from Joel Hodgson and the host of the upcoming return of MST3K, Jonah Ray, and giving you a perfect excuse to duck out of uncomfortable conversations with relatives. For more information on streaming the marathon, click here. For more information about Screaming Skulls, click here. Now, on with the post!
Since the return of MST3K is a lock at this point (and some classic episodes are coming out on Rifftrax, too!) my fellow MSTies are going to be faced with a daunting task: we need a way to indoctrinate our non-MSTie friends. Compared to most cult-inspiring TV shows, MST3K is a shambling beast. They’re all two hours long! And you have to navigate which host to go with, whether TV’s Frank is there, Corbett vs. Beaulieu… it gets complicated. The best way I’ve found to avoid all of those issues is to show people the shorts. They’re quick, the hosts don’t matter as much, and they’re so deeply weird that they make for a pure, concentrated does of MST3K. To that end, I have compiled a definitive wholly subjective ranking of almost every short!
Since neither Arrow or Legends of Tomorrow aired this week, The Flash gets all the attention! With more speedsters, more underused Iris, and more emotional drama, “Killer Frost” is a mixed bag. Despite a couple of excellent performances, it highlights how the show is struggling with its once-bright(ish) tone.
Spoilers for the episode below!
Welcome back to the Lovecraft reread, in which two modern Mythos writers get girl cooties all over old Howard’s sandbox, from those who inspired him to those who were inspired in turn. Today we’re looking at Matt Ruff’s “Lovecraft Country,” first published in his Lovecraft Country novel/fix-up in February 2016. Spoilers ahead.
[“I don’t get mad. Not at stories. They do disappoint me sometimes.”]
Welcome back to the Malazan Reread of the Fallen! Every post will start off with a summary of events, followed by reaction and commentary by your hosts Bill and Amanda, and finally comments from Tor.com readers. Today we’re continuing Ian Cameron Esslemont’s Assail, covering chapter eight.
A fair warning before we get started: We’ll be discussing both novel and whole-series themes, narrative arcs that run across the entire series, and foreshadowing. Note: The summary of events will be free of major spoilers and we’re going to try keeping the reader comments the same. A spoiler thread has been set up for outright Malazan spoiler discussion.
Note: Bill is out of town and so will add his comments below at a later point. I have added my comments in and around the summary.
We want to send you a copy of Simon Guerrier, Steve O’Brien, and Ben Morris’s Doctor Who: Whographica, available now from Harper Design!
Explore the rich history of Doctor Who like never before, through colorful and creative visualizations and infographics in this captivating, intriguing, beautiful, and strange compendium.
The Doctor’s family tree, the strangest weapons in the whole universe, the frequency of the letter “A” in the names of companions—these curiosities, and many others, are explored in detail, complete with visually-stunning infographics in Doctor Who: Whographica.
Each double-page spread presents a fascinating, visual insight into a particular aspect of Doctor Who. Divided into twelve sections—The Doctor, Earth, Daleks, the TARDIS, Friends and Companions, Alien Worlds and more—Whographica features double-page spreads which offer fascinating, visual insight into a particular aspect of the show.
With interesting and fascinating information, Whographica is a perfect introduction to the extraordinary universe of the series, and an engaging sourcebook that will delight long-term aficionados, presenting the history of Doctor Who in an entirely new and enthralling way.
Comment in the post to enter!
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A purchase does not improve your chances of winning. Sweepstakes open to legal residents of 50 United States and D.C., and Canada (excluding Quebec). To enter, comment on this post beginning at 11:30 AM Eastern Time (ET) on November 23rd. Sweepstakes ends at 12:00 PM ET on November 27th. Void outside the United States and Canada and where prohibited by law. Please see full details and official rules here. Sponsor: Tor.com, 175 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010.
Shelf Awareness shared this photo from a reading of Rejected Princesses: Tales of History’s Boldest Heroines, Hellions and Heretics, Jason Porath’s book of excellent women throughout history, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, Kentucky.
It happens to us all: those hurry-up-and-wait stretches of time where we’re stuck on the train/tarmac/traffic jam, or our device is out of power, or we just need to disengage. Moments like these are perfect for marathon-length reads; those big big books and series that draw you in completely, which are so engrossing that the Earth turns without you.
And sure, The Lord of the Rings definitely fits that bill, but odds are you’ve already read that! What else does the trick? Below, the Tor.com staff shares some of their favorite marathon reads.
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is the least of the Big Three Peanuts holiday specials. The Peanuts Gang’s take on Halloween gave us The Great Pumpkin, and A Charlie Brown Christmas became the standard by which all other Christmas specials were judged. When the Gang tackled Thanksgiving, however, there just wasn’t as much to dig into.
Or so I remembered.
But when I rewatched this one I found that the show packed a surprising amount of depth in between all the Snoopy shenanigans and toast-buttering montages. In fact if you look closely enough, I think you might find a statement about what it means to be an American.
“What are you to my daughter?” Cadmus’ Doctor, a.k.a. Lillian Luthor, demands of Kara Zor-El in this week’s Supergirl. “I’m a friend,” poor, imprisoned Kara responds, only for Lillian to scoff, “I’ve heard that before.” As the title implies, we’re delving into the darkest places in this week’s episode—and that dark place seems to be trust, or rather, the absence of it. National City fears the Guardian after a copycat murders the criminals he’s supposed to bring to justice; J’onn J’onzz learns that he and M’gann M’orzz don’t share the same past; Alex can’t just be Maggie’s friend; and Kara comes face to face with Cadmus and its secret inhabitants.
“Beyond the Farthest Star”
Written by Samuel A. Peeples
Directed by Hal Sutherland
Animated Season 1, Episode 1
Production episode 22004
Original air date: September 8, 1973
Stardate: 5221.3
Captain’s log. On a routine star-mapping mission, the Enterprise is pulled off course by something Spock describes as “hyper-gravity.” It’s yanking them toward a dead star that is transmitting odd radio emissions, and which is reading almost entirely negative on Spock’s sensors.
Uhura picks up another signal, and Sulu manages to maneuver the Enterprise into orbit around the star. Also in orbit with them is an alien vessel that shows no energy readings—and which Spock dates as being three hundred million years old.
When your consuming creative passion is also your career, sometimes your joy turns into terror. Deadlines! Taxes! Bills! Everything becomes dependent on your ability to pull creative coherence out of your brain—not just when you feel like it, but on a daily basis. Writing is how I earn my living, so I must perform. I must produce. And although I love what I do, I don’t have the luxury of sitting back to enjoy it. Being a professional writer is like leaping off a cliff, and discovering that you can fly… and then realizing that once you start flying, you can never land…
A couple of weeks ago, if you’d said you hadn’t read any Anna Smaill, I’d have been sad, but not entirely surprised. Long story short, she’s the author of a book of poetry, namely The Violinist in Spring, and a novel, first released in February 2015, called The Chimes.
Now I loved that novel—“to call The Chimes striking is I dare say to underplay what might be the most distinctive debut of the decade” is how I put it in my rave of a review—but I’ve loved any number of novels during my time here at Tor.com, and I don’t actually expect you to act on my every recommendation. To wit: if, a fortnight or so ago, you hadn’t quite gotten around to The Chimes, that would have been fine. Not so much now that it’s went and won the World Fantasy Award, beating out some truly brilliant books by Kazuo Ishiguro, N. K. Jemisin, Naomi Novik, K. J. Parker, and Paul Tremblay; now you really do need to read it.
In the wake of her win, I spoke with Anna Smaill about memory, legacy, genre, music and community. Our conversation follows.
