Christopher L. Bennett - Tor/Forge Blog

Not at New York Comic-Con Sweepstakes

October 11, 2012May 30, 2024torforge

Tor Books is heading to New York Comic-Con!

Poster Placeholder of - 94 We hope to see many of you there. Stop by Booth #920 to say hi or to participate in one of our many events and signings.

But for those of you who couldn’t make it out to New York, we wanted to offer you the chance to grab some of the same amazing swag and books that we’re promoting at #NYCC. To enter for the chance to win one of these five prize bundles, leave a comment on this post telling us one fabulous thing that you’ll be doing this week while you are #NotAtComicCon.

Here’s a look at the prize:

And here’s a list of what’s included in each prize bundle:

Wheel of Time backpack
Halo patch
Article 5 by Kristen Simmons
The Battle of Blood and Ink written by Jared Axelrod and illustrated by Steve Walker
The Clockwork Sky Volume One by Madeleine Rosca
Dead Space: Martyr by Brian Evenson
Earthseed by Pamela Sargent
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
The Eye of the World: Graphic Novel: Volume 2 Based on the novel by Robert Jordan, written by Chuck Dixon, illustrated by Andie Tong
For the Win by Cory Doctorow
Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson
The Gift of Fire/On the Head of a Pin by Walter Mosley
Green by Jay Lake
Halo: Cryptum by Greg Bear
Halo: Glasslands by Karen Traviss
Hellhole by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
Inside Straight edited by George R.R. Martin
Johnny Hiro: Half Asian, All Hero written and illustrated by Fred Chao
Off Armageddon Reef by David Weber
Old Man’s War by John Scalzi
The Omen Machine by Terry Goodkind
Only Superhuman by Christopher L. Bennett
Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers
Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone
The Way of the Kings by Brandon Sanderson

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. You must be 18 or older and a legal resident of the 50 United States or D.C. to enter. Promotion begins October 11, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. ET. and ends October 15, 2012, 12:00 p.m. ET. Void in Puerto Rico and wherever prohibited by law. Please see full details and official rules go here. Sponsor: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

Events / What's New

Tor Books Announces Programming for New York Comic-Con 2012!

October 9, 2012May 30, 2024torforge

Celebrating LOCUS Magazine’s Best Publisher for the 25th year in a row!

Image Place holder of - 38 Once again, we continue our popular *in-booth signings and giveaways, offering you a chance to meet your favorite authors up close and personal! There will also be panels, autographings and spotlight stages including New York Times Bestselling author CORY DOCTOROW!

Stop by Tor’s Booth (#920), and pick up a schedule for a full listing of events!

Thursday, October 11

PANELS

5pm – 6pm | JUSTICE IS SERVED | Room 1A14

Cops, P.I.’s, government agents and regular Joe’s fight for all that is good and just in these Science-Fiction and Fantasy tales, even if the villains are vam | pires, telepaths, and the magically gifted. These protagonists solve crimes, kick-ass, and don’t let anyone – supernatural or otherwise – stand in the way of justice.

With Christopher L. Bennett (Only Superhuman), moderated by Michael P. Spradlin.

Friday, October 12

PANELS

11am | CHARACTERS: HARDCORE vs. BADASS | Author Spotlight Stage

What makes one character HARDCORE and another BADASS? Is there really a difference? Novelist Max Gladstone breaks it down by dissecting some of the greatest heroes and villains from books, gaming, comics, film, and television, revealing the unique alchemy of each one and what every writer needs to think about in order to create truly unforgettable characters.

With Max Gladstone (Three Parts Dead).

4pm – 5pm | PUBLISHER’S PARADISE: ADULT PUBLISHER SPOTLIGHT | Room 1A06

Get the inside scoop on upcoming SF/F novels publishing houses are buzzing about! Editors from Harper Voyager, Orbit, Del Rey Spectra, Ace and Roc, and Tor dish on forthcoming books from our exciting authors and licensed properties. You can expect lots of giveaways you won’t see anywhere else at the convention, including free advance reading copies!

With Tor’s own Melissa Frain.

SIGNINGS & GIVEAWAYS

12pm – Tor Booth giveaway, Bard’s Oath, the long-awaited sequel to the epic fantasy Dragon and Phoenix coming in November.

2pm – Tor Booth Way of Kings (by #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson) giveaway! First 25 fans in line will receive a Wheel of Time® bag.

3:30pm – Tor Booth signing with Max Gladstone, signing copies of Three Parts Dead, his brilliant debut novel (October).

5pm – Tor Booth signing with Christopher L. Bennett, signing copies of Only Superhuman, described by Kevin J. Anderson as a “heady comic book fix for the discerning SF reader” (October).

5pm – You can also head over to the autographing area and meet New York Times bestselling author, Cory Doctorow. Barnes and Noble will be on hand with a variety of books from his back list.

Saturday, October 13

PANELS

12pm | INFORMATION DOESN’T WANT TO BE FREE, BUT KIDS DO | Author Spotlight Stage

Every single kid in America is a presumed copyright criminal. We spy on them in school, we raid their parents’ life savings, we censor their creative works. And oh, how we LIE to them: “It’s not creative if you’re copying something else.” “All great art starts with permission and ends with a lawyer.” “Giving more money to the record industry will make musicians richer.” Kids are in the streets over SOPA, PIPA and ACTA. They know that the locks we put on their information aren’t for their benefit – because we won’t give them the keys.

With Cory Doctorow (Pirate Cinema).

12:15pm – 1:15pm | MYTH MIXOLOGY: HOW URBAN FANTASISTS CREATE THE PERFECT COCKTAIL | Room 1A08

Many New Yorkers know their Manhattans, Cosmos, and Long Island Iced Teas. While the average happy hour drink takes gin, rum, or vodka, these authors spice things up with mystics, witches, daemons, Celtic gods, and other magical beings. Join top-shelf authors, F. Paul Wilson, Kevin Hearne, Theo Lawrence, Anton Strout, Faith Hunter, Nancy Holzner, Allison Pang, and Nicole Peeler, as they discuss the elements of mythology that go into making your favorite cocktails of urban fantasy.

With F. Paul Wilson (Repairman Jack Series), moderated by Kim Alexander.

1:30pm – 2:30pm | HOCUS POCUS: MAGIC & MONSTERS IN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY | Room 1A08

Science-Fiction and Fantasy authors discuss the costs and consequences of “magic” in their novels. Moderator Beth Revis will have authors Andrea Cremer, Jacqueline Carey, Jocelynn Drake, Kim Harrison, Max Gladstone, Cecil Castellucci, Victoria Schwab, and Richard Kadrey dishing about the the scary, hairy, and dangerous creatures that lurk in the worlds they have created.

With Max Gladstone (Three Parts Dead), moderated by Beth Revis. (Signing from 2:45pm – 3:45pm at autographing tables 2, 3, and 4.)

2:45pm – 3:45pm | GENRE BENDERS: OUT-OF-THE-BOX SCIENCE-FICTION AND FANTASY NOVELS THAT BLUR THE LINES OF FANTASY, SF, HORROR, ROMANCE, STEAMPUNK, YOU NAME IT! | Room 1A01

Join authors in a discussion about stories that can’t be bound by the constraints of any genre. Whether mixing elements of romance with horror, or fantasy with thrillers, these authors show that a good tale can be spun from multiple traditions.

With Steven Walker (The Battle of Blood and Ink), moderator Cici James of Singularity & Co. (Signing from 4:45pm – 5:45pm at the autographing area.)

5:15pm – 6:15pm | HERO’S QUEST: SWORDS AND SORCERY IN FANTASY FICTION | Room 1A08

Some of the most unforgettable heroes in literature are characters that embark on a fantastical journey. Whether their tales tell of slaying dragons, overthrowing regimes, or magical lands, these authors put the EPIC in Fantasy fiction. Join authors Joanne Bertin, Peter Brett, Rae Carson, Peter Lerangis, Steve Bein, Stefan Bachmann, Sarah Beth Durst, and Matt Myklush as they discuss all things fantastical, from swords and sorcery to horselords and warlords.

With Joanne Bertin (Bard’s Oath), moderated by Gwen Reyes. (Signing from 11:45am – 12:45pm at autographing tables 2, 3, and 4.)

5:15pm – 6:15pm | GEEK THOUGHTS: TOP BLOGS DISCUSS WRITING ABOUT SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY AND FANDOM | Room 1A01 (otherwise known as The Sauce)

Your favorite Geek Blogs: Live! Join Tor.com, Boing Boing, The Mary Sue, io9, The Beat, and Bleeding Cool as they discuss how their blogs approach the conversation of science fiction, fantasy, genre and fandom online.

With Cyriaque Lamar, Heidi McDonald, Jamie Frevele, Jill Pantozzi, Rich Johnston. Moderated by Ryan Britt of Tor.com.

7:45pm – 8:45pm | THE WORLD OF GRAPHIC NOVELS | Room 1A06

Restaurants, outer space, fantastical worlds, high school – graphic novels today will take readers to all these places and more! How do graphic novelists combine words and pictures to create the worlds within their books? Authors discuss how world-building works in the world of comics.

With Fred Chao (Johnny Hiro: Half Asian, All Hero), moderated by Scott Robins. (Signing from 3:45pm – 4:45pm at autographing tables 4 and 5.)

SIGNINGS & GIVEAWAYS

11am – Tor Booth Dead Space: Martyr (by B. K. Evenson) giveaway!

12pm – Tor Booth signing with Halo: Silentium artist, Sparth. Come by for a copy of Halo: Cryptum, Halo: Glasslands, a poster, or a patch!

3pm – Tor Booth signing with Cory Doctorow, signing copies of For the Win, which Scott Westerfeld has called “a rousing tale of techno-geek rebellion.”

5pm – Tor Booth signing with F. Paul Wilson, signing copies of The Tomb, the first in his Repairman Jack series.

Sunday, October 14

PANELS

12:15pm – 1:15pm | OTHERWORLDLY WEENIES, TIME TRAVELING TWEENS, UNEXPECTED ADVENTURE, AND OTHER THINGS KIDS LOVE | Room 1A01

From creepy tales set in a spooky pet cemetery, to dreamy stories of time-traveling in style, to epic journeys featuring dynamic young heroes (with swords!), these middle grade authors know the secrets to entertaining the tween set. Join the group as they discuss superpowers, supervillians, and super-hilarious storytelling.

With David Lubar (Weenies Series) and Annette & Gina Cascone (Deadtime Stories Series), moderated by Matthew Cody. (Signing from 1:30pm – 2:30pm at autographing tables 2, 3, and 4.)

1:30pm – 2:30pm | KIDS/YA PUBLISHER SPOTLIGHT | Room 1A07

Come hear the advance buzz about what’s coming up from Disney-Hyperion, First Second, Macmillan Kids, HarperCollins, Little, Brown, Random House, Penguin Young Readers, Scholastic, Simon & Schuster, and Tor! Editors and marketing staff come together to recommend their favorite upcoming books by exciting new authors and illustrators – accompanied with giveaways, trivia, and most of all, FUN!

With Tor’s own Susan Chang.

SIGNINGS & GIVEAWAYS

11am – Tor Booth joint signing with David Lubar, signing Attack of the Vampire Weenies, and Annette & Gina Cascone, signing Grave Secrets.

1pm – Tor Booth signing with Evie Manieri, signing Blood’s Pride, her epic fantasy debut coming in February.

3pm – Tor Booth giveaway of YA dystopian smash hit and series opener Article 5 (by Kristen Simmons)!

All giveaways are on a first come, first serve basis.

Author Features

The Ingredients of a Hero (Not the Sandwich)

October 1, 2012January 25, 2024torforge

Written by Christopher L. Bennett

In the months since I sold Only Superhuman, I’ve been told more than once that what I set out to do in the novel—approaching the concept of superheroes from a plausible, hard-SF perspective—was a new and unexpected approach. That surprises me. After all, the “super” part is easy. We’ve already got Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius and his prosthetic legs that make him better, stronger, faster. We’ve got prototype robotic exoskeletons to let soldiers exert seventeen times their strength, and adaptive-optics laser surgery to give people better than normal vision. Imagine what we’ll have in 95 years.

And the “hero” part isn’t that implausible either. Look at firefighters. Look at the ordinary people at the Dark Knight Rises theater shooting who held the doors for others to escape. Heroes are just people who set aside their own self-interest to protect others.

This is why the career heroes of Only Superhuman are called Troubleshooters. When I developed the idea over two decades ago, there were two TV personalities who used that label. One was MacGyver; the other was a local-news consumer advocate who helped people get justice or compensation for fraud and incompetence from local businesses. So to me, “troubleshooter” denoted someone whose purpose was to help others solve their problems. That was the side of superheroics I wanted to stress. I see too many superhero tales, especially in movies, that dwell on origin stories or personal vendettas and overlook the coolest part, the rescues and lifesaving and, well, the actual hero stuff. To be sure, the events of Only Superhuman are deeply personal for its heroine Emerald Blair, the Green Blaze. She’s struggling to define herself, wrestling with her past, and frequently fighting for her life. Yet there’s always something more at stake than herself. Every battle Emerald wages is on some level informed by her need to protect others.

Granted, it’s partly the colorful costumes, nicknames, and melodramatic trappings that make superheroes feel like fantasy to most people. But there are real precedents for those as well, in sports and celebrity culture. There’s also the current “real-life superhero” movement—mostly just eccentrics looking for their fifteen minutes of fame, but sometimes there are nobler motives at play. There’s a woman calling herself “Terrifica” who patrols bars in a sexy superhero costume to distract potentially predatory males from targeting women who’ve had too much to drink. It’s risky, perhaps a little irrational, but at least she’s sober and prepared (she carries pepper spray). I also once heard about a Mexican luchador who used his fame and masked anonymity to speak out against government corruption without endangering his loved ones. Maybe not as epic as punching out animal-themed psychopaths or fending off alien hordes, but just as heroic in its way.

These real-world champions also reflect the principle that guided Christopher Nolan’s Batman: the symbolism of the costumed identity as a way to affect hearts and minds, to inspire the innocent or intimidate the wicked. Terrifica shows how even the sexuality of the superhero image can be a source of power and influence if wielded properly—a theme that definitely comes into play in Only Superhuman.

The Troubleshooter Corps embraces the trappings and celebrity of comic-book heroes for the same practical reasons. The transhuman “mods” of the Asteroid Belt, with few historical role models to guide them, have looked to the superheroes of lore—and sometimes the supervillains—as their foundation myths. The Troubleshooters draw on that mythology to win the trust of the Belt’s fiercely independent peoples in a way they never could if they presented themselves as a transhuman paramilitary force.

But that’s the paradox of the Troubleshooters. On the one hand, they’re about personal image and charisma. Emerald Blair certainly has all the trappings of the classic superheroine—the red hair, the curves, the revealing fashion sense, the story of redemption for a checkered past. But the surface image is useless if the Troubleshooters aren’t genuinely effective at solving problems and saving lives.

…………………………

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

…………………………

More from the October Tor/Forge newsletter: