From the Two Rivers - Tor/Forge Blog

Welcome to the procrastinator’s club! We know there are people out there who have already finished their Christmas shopping, but we’re honestly not sure how they do it. We’ve barely started. Luckily, we know the best last minute gift for nearly everyone: books. If you’re like us, and looking for some last minute gifts, never fear–we’re here to help. Here are some recommendations for the fantasy fans in your life. And don’t forget to check out our Science Fiction and Young Adult lists as well!

opens in a new windowAmberlough by Lara Elena Donnelly

opens in a new window Do you have a friend or family member that simultaneously wants to escape our current world and resist what’s going on in it? Then give them Amberlough. As twinkling lights yield to the rising flames of a fascist revolution, a smuggler, a spy, and a dancer try to survive using any means necessary–including each other.

opens in a new windowMiranda and Caliban by Jacqueline Carey

opens in a new window For the Shakespeare fan on your list, we have Miranda and Caliban, Jacqueline Carey’s beautiful retelling of The Tempest. We know the story of Prospero’s quest for revenge, but what about Miranda? What about Caliban, the so-called savage Prospero has chained to his will? Carey flips the coin on its head, showing us the rich inner lives of these neglected characters.

opens in a new windowFinn Fancy Necromancy by Randy Henderson

opens in a new window We all know someone totally obsessed with Stranger Things. Hell, we’re pretty obsessed with Stranger Things. Randy Henderson’s quirky, fun series is the perfect gift for them. Finn Gramaraye was exiled to the Other Realm for the crime of necromancy at the age of 15, in 1986. Now he’s served his time, and is back in the modern world trying to make his way–and to figure out how things changed since his beloved 80s.

opens in a new windowAll the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

opens in a new window For the literary reader who’s ready for a walk on the weird side, we recommend the Nebula Award-winning All the Birds in the Sky. An ancient society of witches has gone to war with a hipster tech startup, and the result just might be the end of the world. As the battle between magic and science wages in San Francisco, childhood friends Patricia and Laurence must decide if they’re going to choose sides–or stand together and try to save the world.

opens in a new windowThe Tiger’s Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera

opens in a new window Are you looking for a gift for the feminist in your life? Look no further than the badass women in debut author K. Arsenault River’s The Tiger’s Daughter. Divine Warrior Empress O Shizuka and her best friend and partner, Qorin warrior Barsalayaa Shefali must defend the land from demons swarming from behind crumbling border walls. As the world falls apart, two goddesses arm themselves.

opens in a new windowThe House of Daniel by Harry Turtledove

opens in a new window The master of alternative history returns with a tale that baseball fans and history fans alike will love. Set in an alternate Great Depression America full of wild magic, Harry Turtledove’s story of minor league baseball, zombies, and hotshot wizards will enchant you. The world–and baseball–will never be the same.

opens in a new windowWild Cards I: Volume One edited by George R. R. Martin

opens in a new window For the person eagerly awaiting the last season of Game of Thrones and the next book in A Song of Ice and Fire, we recommend Wild Cards I, edited by George R. R. Martin. An alien virus struck the Earth, and in the aftermath humanity is changed–some become Aces, with superhuman mental and physical abilities. Others become Jokers–cursed with bizarre abilities and physical deformities. A shared world, the Wild Cards series features stories from a wide variety of authors, from Roger Zelazny, Walter Jon Williams, Melinda Snodgrass, and of course, George R. R. Martin himself.

opens in a new windowFrom the Two Rivers by Robert Jordan

opens in a new window Trying to get someone on your list into epic fantasy? From the Two Rivers is the perfect entry point. This sleek new edition is perfect for fans of the Wheel of Time series as well as newbies to the series. And after you start reading the adventures of Rand and his friends, you won’t want to stop. Luckily, the series clocks in at 14 books, so there’s plenty of adventure ahead! Love the look of this new mini-edition? There are five more of them!

opens in a new windowA Darker Shade of Magic Collector’s Edition by V. E. Schwab

opens in a new window Know someone who loves magic? London? Portals to parallel worlds? Characters you can’t help but ship? Then V. E. Schwab is perfect for you! And this new collector’s edition of A Darker Shade of Magic is perfect for newbies to Schwab’s worlds, but even more perfect for her superfans, who will jump for joy at the sight of the new short stories and gorgeous fan art in this edition.

opens in a new windowThe Stone in the Skull by Elizabeth Bear

opens in a new window Know someone who loves the worldbuilding aspect of fantasy? Look no further than Elizabeth Bear. In The Stone in the Skull, Bear returns to the world she created in her Eternal Sky trilogy, expanding it to even greater breadth and scope. Even as she explores the new territory of the Lotus Kingdoms, a contested territory of warring states, she delves into the close-knit and complex relationships between her vividly realized characters, anchoring epic fantasy in humor and humanity.

opens in a new windowDark Signal by Shannon Baker

opens in a new window Reeling from her recent divorce, Kate Fox has just been sworn in as Grand County, Nebraska Sheriff when tragedy strikes. A railroad accident has left engineer Chad Mills dead, his conductor Bobby Jenkins in shock. Kate soon realizes that the accident was likely murder.

Who would want to kill Chad Mills?

opens in a new windowDeadlands: Boneyard by Seanan McGuire

opens in a new window Step right up to see the oddities and marvels of The Blackstone Family Circus and Travelling Wonder Show! Gasp at pit wasps the size of a man’s forearm. Beware the pumpkin-headed corn stalker, lest it plant its roots in you!

Annie Pearl is the keeper of oddities, the mistress of monsters. Her unique collection of creatures is one of the circus’s star attractions, drawing wide-eyed crowds at every small frontier town they visit. But Annie is also a woman running from her past…and the mother of a mute young daughter, Adeline, whom she will do anything to protect.

opens in a new windowEdgedancer by Brandon Sanderson

opens in a new window Three years ago, Lift asked a goddess to stop her from growing older–a wish she believed was granted. Now, in Edgedancer, the barely teenage nascent Knight Radiant finds that time stands still for no one. Although the young Azish emperor granted her safe haven from an executioner she knows only as Darkness, court life is suffocating the free-spirited Lift, who can’t help heading to Yeddaw when she hears the relentless Darkness is there hunting people like her with budding powers. The downtrodden in Yeddaw have no champion, and Lift knows she must seize this awesome responsibility.

opens in a new windowEnder’s Game by Orson Scott Card

opens in a new window Once again, Earth is under attack. An alien species is poised for a final assault. The survival of humanity depends on a military genius who can defeat the aliens. But who?

Ender Wiggin. Brilliant. Ruthless. Cunning. A tactical and strategic master. And a child.

opens in a new windowEnhanced by Carrie Jones

opens in a new window Seventeen-year-old Mana has found and rescued her mother, but her work isn’t done yet. Her mother may be out of alien hands, but she’s in a coma, unable to tell anyone what she knows.

Mana is ready to take action. The only problem? Nobody will let her. Lyle, her best friend and almost-boyfriend (for a minute there, anyway), seems to want nothing to do with hunting aliens, despite his love of Doctor Who. Bestie Seppie is so desperate to stay out of it, she’s actually leaving town. And her mom’s hot but arrogant alien-hunting partner, China, is ignoring Mana’s texts, cutting her out of the mission entirely.

opens in a new windowFrom the Two Rivers by Robert Jordan

opens in a new window Since its debut in 1990, The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan has captivated millions of readers around the globe with its scope, originality, and compelling characters. From the Two Rivers is a special edition that contains Part 1 of The Eye of the World, Jordan’s internationally bestselling epic fantasy saga, and is a perfect gift for old fans and new.

opens in a new windowLast Chance by Gregg Hurwitz

opens in a new window The New York Times bestselling author of Orphan X, Gregg Hurwitz, returns to Creek’s Cause to follow the Rains brothers as they fight an alien threat that has transformed everyone over the age of 18 into ferocious, zombie-like beings, in this thrilling sequel to The Rains.

Battling an enemy not of this earth, Chance and Patrick become humanity’s only hope for salvation.

opens in a new windowOld Man’s War by John Scalzi

opens in a new window John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First he visited his wife’s grave. Then he joined the army.

The good news is that humanity finally made it to the stars. The bad news is that, out there, planets fit to live on are scarce—and alien races willing to fight us for them are common.

opens in a new windowThe Rains by Gregg Hurwitz

opens in a new window In one terrifying night, the peaceful community of Creek’s Cause turns into a war zone. No one under the age of eighteen is safe. Chance Rain and his older brother, Patrick, have already fended off multiple attacks from infected adults by the time they arrive at the school where other young survivors are hiding.

Most of the kids they know have been dragged away by once-trusted adults who are now ferocious, inhuman beings. The parasite that transformed them takes hold after people turn eighteen–and Patrick’s birthday is only a few days away.

opens in a new windowSix Months, Three Days, Five Others by Charlie Jane Anders

opens in a new window Before the success of her debut SF-and-fantasy novel All the Birds in the Sky, Charlie Jane Anders was a rising star in SF and fantasy short fiction. Collected in a mini-book format, here—for the first time in print—are six of her quirky, wry, engaging best.

opens in a new windowVallista by Steven Brust

opens in a new window Vlad Taltos is an Easterner—an underprivileged human in an Empire of tall, powerful, long-lived Dragaerans. He made a career for himself in House Jhereg, the Dragaeran clan in charge of the Empire’s organized crime. But the day came when the Jhereg wanted Vlad dead, and he’s been on the run ever since. He has plenty of friends among the Dragaeran highborn, including an undead wizard and a god or two. But as long as the Jhereg have a price on his head, Vlad’s life is…messy.

opens in a new windowWild Cards I by George R.R. Martin & Wild Cards Trust

opens in a new window There is a secret history of the world—a history in which an alien virus struck the Earth in the aftermath of World War II, endowing a handful of survivors with extraordinary powers. Some were called Aces—those with superhuman mental and physical abilities. Others were termed Jokers—cursed with bizarre mental or physical disabilities. Some turned their talents to the service of humanity. Others used their powers for evil. Wild Cards is their story.

NEW FROM TOR.COM

opens in a new windowWeaver’s Lament by Emma Newman

opens in a new window Charlotte is learning to control her emerging magical powers under the secret tutelage of Magus Hopkins. Her first covert mission takes her to a textile mill where the disgruntled workers are apparently destroying expensive equipment.