The Monsters of the A Chorus of Dragons series

November 30, 2019May 13, 2024torforge

Jenn Lyons’s opens in a new windowA Chorus of Dragons is an epic fantasy series about a long-lost royal whose fate is tied to the future of an empire. And if that weren’t cool enough, the setting, the Empire of Quur is full of rogue gods, demons, and monsters. The coolest monsters.

opens in a new windowThe Name of All Things character Senera Var sheds some light on some monsters that still roam the empire.

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The Monsters of Quur

By Senera Var

We once lived in an age of monsters.

The concept is hardly imaginable to the average Quuros citizen: it’s been centuries since any of these poor fools have had to deal with any threat more dangerous than bad food picked up at a local khilin. You can blame Emperors and generations of military leaders who saw killing mad God-Kings and adding their kingdoms to the empire as career opportunities. Now the only monsters Quuros citizens fear are the witches they are told bring demons to this world.

Never mind that witch-hunters and superstitious fear have killed as many Quuros citizens as any demon.

Don’t get me wrong: God-Kings were massively corrupt and massively powerful. Most of them likely deserved those messy deaths at the hands of Urthaenriel, or sometimes just the Quuros wizard’s Academy graduating class. If you think a Quuros Royal is bad, well, at least they haven’t (as far as I know) modified or created actual races to suit their perverse appetites. Ynis created the reptilian thriss from his human followers, and worse is out there.

Not everything God-Kings did was horrible beyond measure, just most of it. The whole reason Quuros horses don’t suffer from colic is because the God-King Khorsal changed the digestive systems of his favorite animal. (Which Quur promptly appropriated and bred exclusively once they took over.) Similarly, that’s why Yorans have a superior ability to withstand hypothermia and snow-blindess – because their God-King Cherthog wanted them to survive in colder climates. Mostly though? Yuck.

But despite what the average Quuros thinks, the monsters aren’t gone at all.

Mimics

Everyone assumes these terrifying little bundles of nightmares are the creations of God-Kings.

They’re wrong.

Besides demons, they’re probably the threat that most Quuros take the most seriously. A creature who can assume the appearance of your loved ones in order to get close to you—who can shape change into, well, anything—who wouldn’t be scared? Of course, what terrifies most of the royalty and those in power is the idea that such creatures can read minds and absorb the personalities and memories of anything they’ve eaten. Yes, eaten.

And unlike most bedtime stories of that ilk, this particular variant happens to be true.

Naturally, most mimics can be found working as assassins for hire. They’d be popular as spies, but since most mimics also seem to be completely insane, trust me when I say you wouldn’t want to count on them for long term jobs.

And no, they’re not demons who have somehow figured out how to stay here in the physical world. Mimics were created by the vane. How and why are questions the vane aren’t sharing. One wonders if some experiment to create infiltrators and spies went terribly wrong. It’s possible – truthfully the number of mimics in existence is far smaller than most people realize, and mimics don’t seem to be capable of reproduction. So bespoke horrors created for unknown reasons.

Daughters of Laaka

The Daughters of Laaka (or kraken, as they are sometimes known) are absolutely the result of God-King manipulation. In this case, God-Queen manipulation, as the God-Queen of the Ocean, Laaka, created these creatures for unknown reasons. (A grudge? For spite? Who knows. Laaka’s petty at best.) The Daughters are intelligent, vicious, and are generally believed to be almost completely immune to magic.

Daughters of Laaka are naturally a bane to ships of all sorts, but they particularly seem to enjoy going after Zheriaso and Quuros slave ships.

Which honestly endears them to me more than a little. Like mimics, they seem to be one-off’s—immortal and incapable of reproduction. And thank the Veils for that, even if I do appreciate their taste in seafood.

Drakes

These dog-like pack hunters were yet another example of Ynis’s overwhelming fondness for all things reptilian. Unlike most of Ynis’s creations, who died out or were hunted to extinction after the God-King’s death, drakes (and their handlers, the thriss) have endured. Some of these creatures have even gone feral, thriving in the Manol jungle and the island nation of Zherias. They operate in groups and are highly trainable; the thriss use them as guard animals and companions. You’ll never have to worry about one of these learning magic or knowing how to read a map, but they do seem to be pretty bright for animals. Anyone who encounters a wild pack of drakes is likely in trouble.

Gryphons

Mostly thought to be the occasional ornamental detail on some noble bit of heraldry, most would be extremely surprised to discover these creatures exist. Part lion, part eagle, and all ‘this really shouldn’t work,’ gryphons have been spotted living in the high altitudes of the Dragonspires. They’re the work of the God-King Nemesan, although why he created them and how he managed to make the capable of flight (again, this really shouldn’t work) is something I’d dearly love to investigate one of these days.

They might be dismissed as myth by most Quuros, but the miners who work in the mountains of the Dragonspires take them quite seriously. Fortunately, they don’t seem to be intelligent – just quite hungry.

Dragons

Ah, dragons. Why to say about these unholy terrors? Most Quuros firmly place these in the category of myth, but there’s a reason the Academy continues to place dragons on their known threat lists. Their origins are uh…unclear. I’ve heard people suggest that demons are ultimately responsible for the creation of dragons, and I suppose that’s true—from a certain point of view. Quur hasn’t seen a dragon attack since the very beginnings of the empire, when Emperor Cimillion had his famous run-ins with Baelosh. There have been persistent reports of a dragon dwelling off the coast of Zherias, but most of such stories are well over a century old. Dragons seem to sleep or go dormant for long periods of time, which gives humanity more than enough time to forget how dangerous they are before they come roaring awake again.

The important thing to know about dragons is that they are evil, enormous, and perfectly capable of destroying even the largest cities with ease. Dragons have taken on God-Kings and won. If you’re unlucky enough to be in the area of these monsters, the best thing to do (and maybe the only thing to do) is run.

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Lists / What's New

The Best Horse BFFs in Fantasy

August 29, 2019January 23, 2024torforge9 Comments

By Julia Bergen

There are plenty of good human best friends in fantasy, but some of our favorite friends in fantasy aren’t human beings; they’re horses.

They’re the most utilitarian of fantastical animal friends because they can carry you places, stomp on your enemies, AND provide love and companionship.

Here are a few of the best Horse BFFs in fantasy books, starting with a horse you’ll be meeting this fall in Jenn Lyon’s next A Chorus of Dragons novel:

Arasgon from opens in a new windowThe Name of All Things by Jenn Lyons

opens in a new windowArasgon is a fireblood, which means he’s no normal horse. In the world of A Chorus of Dragons, most lands were ruled by god kings (before they were all dethroned for being the worst). The city of Jorat’s god king was obsessed with horses—perhaps to the detriment of humans (thus the dethroning)—and he bred firebloods. Firebloods look like normal horses, except they’re larger and stronger and as intelligent as a human (sometimes more!). They communicate with their own language, which sounds like normal horse whinnies to anyone who doesn’t speak it.

So Arasgon is super strong and super smart, and also incredibly loyal to his buddy, Janel Theranon. As a full citizen of Jorat (human. level. intelligence), he can pretty much do what he wants, but he stays by her side. He’s with her through thick and thin, from getting thrown out of her castle, to hunting bandits for bounty, to going up against dragons and super powerful wizards. Plus, he’s a saucy bastard and amazing in a joust.

He’s basically just the best.

Shadowfax from The Lord of the Rings series by J. R. R. Tolkien

No fantasy horse list is complete without Shadowfax; the OG fantasy horse from whom all other fantasy horses derive. This horse is described as just the greatest damn horse there ever was. Smart, fast, understands humans (and wizards)⁠—basically in a class all of his own. Sometimes he saves the day just by being fast, and sometimes just because he’s getting the OP angel-wizard to where he can be most effective.

But Shadowfax isn’t just a great horse, he’s a great friend too. He won’t let anyone but Gandalf ride him, though he makes exceptions when Gandalf’s other friends need to ride tandem, because Shadowfax is just that kind of friend.

Binky from the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett

No good horse friendship can last forever. OR CAN IT?! When the horse is BFFs with death, time is not an issue. Sure, Binky is a normal, mortal horse (if way smarter than a normal horse) but as long as he works for death he doesn’t age. BECAUSE FRIENDSHIP LASTS FOREVER. Binky may seem an odd name for such an important horse, but you just don’t question Death on such things. Before finding Binky, Death tried more frightening, more magical horses, but none were a good fit. Because being a fantasy horse BFF isn’t about having magical equine powers, it’s about loyalty. Although, it certainly doesn’t hurt when they do have magical powers. Plus, since Binky is able to use his connection to Death to TIME-TRAVEL, it’s safe to say not having magical powers of his own doesn’t slow him down.

Bela from The Wheel of Times series by Robert Jordan

Like Binky, Bela is just a normal horse, although unlike Binky she doesn’t get supernatural abilities from her rider. Unlike most of the other horses on this list, she’s not particularly known for her speed, and she isn’t super picky about who rides her. Egwene usually rides her, but other people ride her too, and she’s fine with it. Because Bela isn’t just a great horse friend to one person; she is a great horse friend to everyone.

If you were a character in The Wheel of Time, you could ride Bela, and she would love you so much. Even though she may not be all that smart or fast, she is a super sweet horse, and when she’s compared to other horses, it’s that they aren’t as gentle as she is. So, if you were to pick a horse friend from this list, we couldn’t blame you for picking a badass horse like Arasgon or Shadowfax, but take a minute to think about Bela, because when you’re speeding away from the forces of darkness sometimes you want a friendly horse who just wants to be your pal.

Maybe you’re reading through this list thinking, “these horses sound great and all, but they’re too goody-goody for me.” We got you. You’re looking for a horse friend of the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia variety. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THERE’S NO FANTASY HORSE BFF FOR YOU! This Fall, Tor has the dirtbag horse BFF of your dreams!

Dolt from opens in a new windowFate of the Fallen by Kel Kade

opens in a new windowAs the name might suggest, you could never refer to Dolt as a noble steed. But what he lacks in magical abilities, intelligence, speed, or general companionship, he makes up for in attitude. He doesn’t take flak from anyone, not chosen ones, not sorcerers, and definitely not other horses. Bring him to a beautiful fantasy city, he’ll make a mess in the fountain. He keeps things interesting though and has a knack for being in the right place at the wrong time.

Maybe it sounds like I’m not exactly selling him right now, but not everyone wants a horse BFF that plays by the rules and never lets its supernaturally shiny coat get dirty. No, he’s not the ideal horse BFF for everyone. You might have thought I had a follow up to that, but I don’t. He’s just not for everyone.

Who’s your favorite fantasy horse BFF?

Excerpts / What's New

Spoiler Recap: The Ruin of Kings

August 27, 2019August 28, 2019torforge1 Comment

opens in a new windowCan’t wait for The Name of All Things? Same. But don’t worry, it’s just a few more months.

We know the wait is hard though and that details are sometimes even harder. So just in case you’ve forgotten any details from February’s blockbuster epic fantasy The Ruin of Kings, we’ve got you covered. Or well. Senera has you covered. But she’s really only cares about her side of the story, so she leaves out some important details about sea monsters and dragons and zombie choirs. But she gets the gist.

Spoilers for Book 1 below, so read at your own risk.

Excerpted from a letter to Lord Var:

…one last thing, my lord.

I suppose I should explain what really happened in the Capital.

Long story short: this is all Gadrith’s fault. Our favorite undead necromancer decided that he and he alone was the answer to all those prophecies. Thirty years of him plotting to snatch Urthaenriel away from everyone, us included, just came to a rolling boil in the Capital. It didn’t work out well for Gadrith. Or for the Capital.

Gadrith needed the Stone of Shackles, which was a problem, because he had no idea where it was. We did—but he didn’t ask us, did he? No, instead he plotted and schemed and recruited a couple of royals to his cause—Darzin D’Mon must have been a real coup—until he finally figured out where it was: around the neck of a High Lord’s long-lost son, Kihrin.

Except that to get to that point, Darzin D’Mon’s mimic Talon had killed, oh, pretty much anyone Kihrin had ever spoken to. Kihrin hated Darzin’s guts. Still, Darzin claimed Kihrin was his son and laughable as that idea is, Kihrin’s real father let Darzin get away with it. After that, Darzin tried to mind fuck the poor kid into giving up the Stone of Shackles, mostly using Thurvishar D’Lorus and some slave girl Kihrin was sweet on.

It didn’t work. Kihrin gets no credit here. It didn’t work because Talon screwed it up, as you’ll find she’s in the habit of doing. Talon is the one who put Kihrin on that slave ship, and ultimately who we can thank for letting the Black Brotherhood get their claws into him. And while Kihrin did come back to the Capital eventually, it was four years later, with friends, and having been trained by literally the best swordsman in the whole world. Nice job, Talon.

But Kihrin underestimated Gadrith’s willingness to break the rules of polite villainy. The wizard took over the Blue Palace and started executing Kihrin’s family until he finally agreed to hand over the Stone of Shackles. Which Kihrin did. After which point Gadrith promptly killed him.

Or rather, Gadrith had Darzin kill him, sacrificing Kihrin to the demon Xaltorath during what was no doubt stage 517 of Gadrith’s great ‘conquer the world’ plan. You’d think being sacrificed to a demon would be enough to kill Kihrin for good, right? No. Once again, we can thank Talon. Neither Gadrith nor Darzin realized Kihrin had been gaeshed while he was away. Talon knew. So she’d grabbed Kihrin’s control talisman as a souvenir. Combined with our very own Janel personally escorting Kihrin’s soul to the Land of Peace in the Afterlife, it was enough for Thaena to bring Kihrin back.

And that, as they say, was that.

Sure, Gadrith probably thought his plan was coming up rainbows and puppies. Xaltorath had started a Hellmarch in the Capital, luring Emperor Sandus into the open. Gadrith then tricked Sandus into killing him while Gadrith wore the Stone of Shackles. And–since that’s what the stone does–that meant Sandus was now dead and Gadrith, now living in Sandus’s body, was the newest Emperor of Quur. Nobody could stop him–he’d killed his own daughter Tyentso when she tried and left her body to rot on the Arena floor. Everything was going great.

Funny how quickly your fortunes can change when you’ve just murdered one of the Goddess of Luck’s favorite people. Kihrin might have been too weak to stand after being Returned, but he still managed to kill Darzin, find Urthaenriel, and destroy both the Stone of Shackles and Gadrith at the same time. Destroying the Stone broke every gaesh made using it, so that means all the demons are free now too. So’s Kihrin’s mother, Khaeriel. Who, by the way, killed every single member of House D’Mon Gadrith hadn’t already finished off except Kihrin’s father, whom she’s kidnapped. Pretty sure she has no idea her son’s alive. Do with that as you will.

Just to add insult to injury, remember how I said Gadrith killed his daughter? Thaena returned her without even being asked. After Kihrin had slain Gadrith, and after the magical barriers had gone up to keep the Crown and Scepter locked away until the next Great Contest. All Tyentso had to do to crown herself Emperor of Quur was reach out and grab the damn things.

So good news: we have a new Emperor. One who hates the Royal Houses. I’m excited to see where that leads.

And Kihrin? Kihrin did one smart thing: he left town. I can’t use magic to find him because he’s wearing Urthaenriel now, but I have a pretty good hunch he’s headed to Jorat.

Which means everything’s going exactly as planned.

Ever your faithful and obedient servant,

Senera

Pre-Order The Name of All Things:

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New Releases / What's New

New Releases: 2/5

February 5, 2019May 2, 2024torforge

Happy New Release Day! Here’s what went on sale today.

opens in a new windowDark of the West by Joanna Hathaway

opens in a new windowAurelia Isendare is a princess of a small kingdom in the North, raised in privilege but shielded from politics as her brother prepares to step up to the throne. Halfway around the world, Athan Dakar, the youngest son of a ruthless general, is a fighter pilot longing for a life away from the front lines. When Athan’s mother is shot and killed, his father is convinced it’s the work of his old rival, the Queen of Etania—Aurelia’s mother. Determined to avenge his wife’s murder, he devises a plot to overthrow the Queen, a plot which sends Athan undercover to Etania to gain intel from her children.

Athan’s mission becomes complicated when he finds himself falling for the girl he’s been tasked with spying upon. Aurelia feels the same attraction, all the while desperately seeking to stop the war threatening to break between the Southern territory and the old Northern kingdoms that control it—a war in which Athan’s father is determined to play a role. As diplomatic ties manage to just barely hold, the two teens struggle to remain loyal to their families and each other as they learn that war is not as black and white as they’ve been raised to believe.

opens in a new windowThe Deceivers by Kristen Simmons

opens in a new windowWelcome to Vale Hall, the school for aspiring con artists.

When Brynn Hilder is recruited to Vale, it seems like the elite academy is her chance to start over, away from her mom’s loser boyfriend and her rundown neighborhood. But she soon learns that Vale chooses students not so much for their scholastic talent as for their extracurricular activities, such as her time spent conning rich North Shore kids out of their extravagant allowances.

At first, Brynn jumps at the chance to help the school in its mission to rid the city of corrupt officials—because what could be better than giving entitled jerks what they deserve? But that’s before she meets her mark—a senator’s son—and before she discovers the school’s headmaster has secrets he’ll stop at nothing to protect. As the lines between right and wrong blur, Brynn begins to realize she’s in way over head.

opens in a new windowEndgames by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

opens in a new windowSolidar is in chaos.

Charyn, the young and untested ruler of Solidar, has survived assassination, and he struggles to gain control of a realm in the grip of social upheaval, war, and rioting. Solidar cannot be allowed to slide into social and political turmoil that will leave the High Holders with their ancient power and privilege, and the common people with nothing.

But the stakes are even higher than he realizes.

opens in a new windowIrish Above All by Mary Pat Kelly

opens in a new windowAfter ten years in Paris, where she learned photography and became part of the movement that invented modern art, Chicago-born, Irish-American Nora Kelly is at last returning home. Her skill as a photographer will help her cousin Ed Kelly in his rise to Mayor of Chicago. But when she captures the moment an assassin’s bullet narrowly misses President-elect Franklin Roosevelt and strikes Anton Cermak in February 1933, she enters a world of international intrigue and danger.

Now, she must balance family obligations against her encounters with larger-than-life historical characters, such as Joseph Kennedy, Big Bill Thompson, Al Capone, Mussolini, and the circle of women who surround F.D.R. Nora moves through the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, and World War II, but it’s her unexpected trip to Ireland that transforms her life.

opens in a new windowThe Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons

opens in a new windowKihrin grew up in the slums of Quur, a thief and a minstrel’s son raised on tales of long-lost princes and magnificent quests. When he is claimed against his will as the missing son of a treasonous prince, Kihrin finds himself at the mercy of his new family’s ruthless power plays and political ambitions.

Practically a prisoner, Kihrin discovers that being a long-lost prince is nothing like what the storybooks promised. The storybooks have lied about a lot of other things, too: dragons, demons, gods, prophecies, and how the hero always wins.

Then again, maybe he isn’t the hero after all. For Kihrin is not destined to save the world.

He’s destined to destroy it.

opens in a new windowStrife’s Bane by Evie Manieri

opens in a new windowOnce known as the Mongrel, Lahlil had only one purpose then: to reap blood and carnage for those who paid the right price. And though the ravages of past wars haunted her every waking moment, when Lahlil was called upon to lead the rebellion against Norlanders—telepathic and bloodthirsty invaders who conquered Shadari lands and enslaved their people to the mines—she delivered.

Then she ran.

Now, Lahlil must return to Shadar to save the person she loves the most and rebuild. What she finds first is a kingdom that has devolved to political discord, with an old enemy’s ships sailing just beyond the horizon.

Strife’s Bane pushes a grand cast of familiar characters to the brink of ruin. With Manieri’s unique blend of magic, blood, and dramatic tension, the stakes have never been so high.

NEW IN PAPERBACK

opens in a new windowPacifica by Kristen Simmons

opens in a new windowBlue skies. Green grass. Clear ocean water. An island paradise like the ones that existed before the Melt.

A lucky five hundred lottery winners will be the first to go, the first to leave their polluted, dilapidated homes behind and start a new life. It sounds perfect. Like a dream.

The only problem? Marin Carey spent her childhood on those seas and knows there’s no island paradise out there. She’s corsario royalty, a pirate like her father and his father before him, and she knows a con when she sees one. So where are the First Five Hundred really going?

opens in a new windowThree Eves by Sylvia Day

opens in a new windowEve of Darkness — Years ago, Evangeline Hollis spent a blistering night with a darkly seductive man she can’t forget. Now Eve is thrust into a world where sinners are marked and drafted to kill demons. Her former one-night stand, Cain, is now her mentor-and his equally sexy brother Abel is her new boss.

Eve of Destruction — When Eve’s training class takes a field trip to an abandoned military base, things take a dark turn. Meanwhile, her body is still adapting to her new abilities and the challenges that came with them—such as uncontrollable bloodlust…which seems to be inciting another kind of lust altogether.

Eve of Chaos — Eve runs over Satan’s hellhound during training, so he puts a bounty on her head, and every demon in the country wants to deliver. Meanwhile, as Cain’s role in Eve’s life becomes more and more uncertain, Abel doesn’t hesitate to step in.

Lists / What's New

Every Tor Book Being Published This Winter

December 10, 2018May 6, 2024torforge2 Comments

Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana, and somehow it’s about to be 2019.

So it’s past time you knew about all the vicious, epic, clever, deep and all around dazzling titles we have coming this Winter. Because Winter *is* coming. We’ve got new Salvatore, Doctorow, and Weber, we’ve got time travel mishaps, we’ve got dragons the size of mountains, we’ve got a planet that doesn’t spin, and we’ve definitely got something for everyone.

Check out our list and prepare a TBR throne from which to read these new Tor books:

January 8

opens in a new windowThrough Fiery Trials by David Weber

opens in a new windowThose on the side of progressing humanity through advanced technology have finally triumphed over their oppressors. However, even though a provisional veil of peace has fallen over human colonies, the quiet will not last. For Safefold is a broken world, and as international alliances shift and Charis charges on with its precarious mission of global industrialization, the shifting plates of the new world order are bound to clash.

January 15

opens in a new windowThe Iron Codex by David Mack

opens in a new window1954: Cade Martin, hero of the Midnight Front during the war, has been going rogue without warning or explanation, and his mysterious absences are making his MI-6 handlers suspicious. In the United States, Briet Segfrunsdóttir serves as the master karcist of the Pentagon’s top-secret magickal warfare program. And in South America, Anja Kernova hunts fugitive Nazi sorcerers with the help of a powerful magickal tome known as the Iron Codex.

January 22

opens in a new windowA Labyrinth of Scions and Sorcery by Curtis Craddock

opens in a new windowThe newfound respect gained Isabelle des Zephyrs after discovering the well of hidden magic within her, unveiling a centuries-long conspiracy, and stopping a war between rival nations is quickly taken away when Isabelle is unfairly convicted of breaking the treaty she helped write. Now bereft, she nevertheless finds herself drawn into mystery when her faithful musketeer Jean-Claude uncovers a series of gruesome murders by someone calling themselves the Harvest King.

January 29

opens in a new windowReckoning of Fallen Gods by R. A. Salvatore

opens in a new windowThe winds of change are blowing upon Fireach Speur. Aoelyn risked her life to save the trader Talmadge and it cost her everything that is dear to her, but Talmadge survived and can’t forget the amazing woman that killed a god. Little do they realize, war is coming to the mountain. Far to the west, a fallen empire stirs. One that sees a solar eclipse as a call to war. Their empire once dominated the known world and they want it back.

opens in a new windowTides of the Titans by Thoraiya Dyer

opens in a new windowLeaper is a man of many skills, but none of his talents satisfy the yearning in his heart for the Queen of Airakland, the ruler of a thunder-clashed kingdom. Their affair is cut too short, however, when she is murdered. But who was the assassin? A political rival? The jealous king? Or, perhaps, the god of thunder who oversees them all?

February 5

opens in a new windowEndgames by L. E. Modesitt Jr.

opens in a new windowCharyn, the young and untested ruler of Solidar, has survived assassination, and he struggles to gain control of a realm in the grip of social upheaval, war, and rioting. Solidar cannot be allowed to slide into social and political turmoil that will leave the High Holders with their ancient power and privilege, and the common people with nothing. But the stakes are even higher than he realizes.

opens in a new windowThe Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons

opens in a new windowWhen Kihrin is claimed against his will as the missing son of a treasonous prince, he finds himself at the mercy of his new family’s ruthless power plays and political ambitions. Practically a prisoner, Kihrin discovers the storybooks have lied about dragons, demons, gods, prophecies, and how the hero always wins. Then again, maybe he isn’t the hero after all. For Kihrin is not destined to save the world. He’s destined to destroy it.

opens in a new windowStrife’s Bane by Evie Manieri

opens in a new windowWhen Lahlil was called upon to lead the rebellion against Norlanders—telepathic and bloodthirsty invaders who conquered Shadari lands and enslaved their people to the mines—she delivered. Then she ran. Now, Lahlil must return to Shadar to save the person she loves the most and rebuild. What she finds first is a kingdom that has devolved to political discord, with an old enemy’s ships sailing just beyond the horizon.

February 12

opens in a new windowThe City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders

opens in a new windowJanuary is a dying planet–divided between a permanently frozen darkness on one side, and blazing endless sunshine on the other. Humanity clings to life, spread across two archaic cities built in the sliver of habitable dusk.

But life inside the cities is just as dangerous as the uninhabitable wastelands outside.

opens in a new windowThe Revenant Express by George Mann

opens in a new windowSir Maurice Newbury is bereft as his trusty assistant Veronica Hobbes lies dying with a wounded heart. Newbury and Veronica’s sister Amelia must take a sleeper train across Europe to St. Petersberg to claim a clockwork heart to save Veronica from a life trapped in limbo. Meanwhile, a series of horrific crimes have been plaguing London. It’s a rousing chase to save both London and Veronica. Will these brave detectives be up to the task?

February 19

opens in a new windowBroken Stars by Ken Liu

opens in a new window

A collection of Chinese stories that span the range from short-shorts to novellas, and evoke every hue on the emotional spectrum. In addition, three essays at the end of the book explore the history of Chinese science fiction publishing, the state of contemporary Chinese fandom, and how the growing interest in science fiction in China has impacted writers who had long labored in obscurity.

opens in a new windowChronin Volume 1: The Knife at Your Back by Alison Wilgus

opens in a new window

Through a time-travel mishap, Mirai is stuck in 1864 with no way out. Help may be found when she befriends Hatsu, a humble tea mistress harboring a dangerous secret. Yet time is running short for the entire nation, because Mirai knows that the shogunate is about to fall. Learning the way of the sword might be her only path towards survival.

opens in a new windowKellanved’s Reach by Ian C. Esslemont

opens in a new windowThe incessant war between the bickering city states of Quon Tali rages but Kellanved could not care less about any of this petty politicking or strategy or war. Something other and altogether more mysterious has caught his attention and he – together with a reluctant and his decidedly skeptical friend Dancer – traverse continents and journey through the Realms. But this ancient mystery that has so captivated Kellanved is neither esoteric nor ephemeral. It involves the Elder races themselves, and more alarmingly, the semi-mythic Army of Dust and Bone.

February 26

opens in a new windowIn the Land of the Everyliving by Stephen R. Lawhead

opens in a new windowConor and his sword companions must leave the safety of the faéry kingdom for the barbarian Scálda threaten to overrun Eirlandia. As he fights for his people’s survival, Conor discovers that several of the clan leaders have betrayed their nation by aiding the Scálda. The corruption is such that Conor and his men choose to become outcasts, clan-less and open to attack by friend and foe alike.

opens in a new windowMiss Violet and the Great War by Leanna Renee Hieber

opens in a new windowThe Guard have always been with us, their powers passed on from generation to generation. Usually the old and new Guards have no connection, but that all changed when the six became seven and the brooding Alexi Rychman, leader of the Victorian Guard, found himself hopelessly in love with the gentle Percy Parker, who barely understood her own tremendous power. In Miss Violet and the Great War, Percy and Alexi’s daughter, Violet, leads a new Guard onto a new battlefield. Not just a psychic war this time, but a real one, with bullets flying, gas attacks, and death on every side.

March 5

opens in a new windowCreation Machine by Andrew Bannister

opens in a new windowIn the vast, artificial galaxy called the Spin, a rebellion has been crushed. Viklun Hass is eliminating all remnants of the opposition. Starting with his daughter. But Fleare Hass has had time to plan her next move from exile to the very frontiers of a new war.

March 12

opens in a new windowA Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab

opens in a new windowIt has been four months since the mysterious stone fell into Kell’s possession. Four months since he crossed paths with Delilah Bard. Now, while his own city is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of a cross-empire magical competition, a once-lost London is returning to life. But the balance of magic is ever perilous, and for one city to flourish, another London must die.

March 19

opens in a new windowLuna: Moon Rising by Ian McDonald

opens in a new windowA hundred years in the future, a war wages between the Five Dragons—five families that control the Moon’s leading industrial companies. Through ingenious political manipulation and sheer force of will, Lucas Cortas rises from the ashes of corporate defeat and seizes control of the Moon. The only person who can stop him is a brilliant lunar lawyer, his sister, Ariel.

opens in a new windowThe Perfect Assassin by K. A. Doore

opens in a new windowThe assassins of Ghadid serve a higher power, dispensing justice in the shadows. Or so Amastan has been taught. Until, unexpectedly, Amastan finds the body of a very important drum chief. Until, impossibly, fellow assassins are being killed off. Until, inevitably, Amastan is ordered to solve these murders.

opens in a new windowRadicalized by Cory Doctorow

opens in a new windowTold through one of the most on-pulse genre voices of our generation, Radicalized is a timely novel comprised of four SF novellas connected by social, technological, and economic visions of today and what America could be in the near, near future.

March 26

opens in a new windowA Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

opens in a new windowAmbassador Mahit Dzmare arrives in the center of the multi-system Teixcalaanli Empire only to discover that her predecessor has died. But no one will admit that his death wasn’t an accident—or that Mahit might be next to die. Now, Mahit must discover who is behind the murder, rescue herself, and save her Station from Teixcalaan’s unceasing expansion—all while navigating an alien culture that is all too seductive, engaging in intrigues of her own, and hiding a deadly technological secret.

What's New

Download a Free Digital Preview of The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons

November 28, 2018May 10, 2019torforge1 Comment

opens in a new windowGet a head start on reading opens in a new windowThe Ruin of Kings, Jenn Lyon’s thrilling debut fantasy novel, with a free digital preview of the first 80 pages. The Ruin of Kings will be officially available on February 5th.

About The Ruin of Kings:

Kihrin grew up in the slums of Quur, a thief and a minstrel’s son raised on tales of long-lost princes and magnificent quests. When he is claimed against his will as the missing son of a treasonous prince, Kihrin finds himself at the mercy of his new family’s ruthless power plays and political ambitions.

Then again, maybe he isn’t the hero after all. For Kihrin is not destined to save the world.

He’s destined to destroy it.

“Everything epic fantasy should be: rich, cruel, gorgeous, brilliant, enthralling and deeply, deeply satisfying. I loved it.”—Lev Grossman, author of The Magicians

Download Your Free Digital Preview:

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Behind the Scenes / Extras

The Court of Gems: Royal Houses of the Great Empire of Quur

July 23, 2018May 16, 2024torforge

opens in a new window A bastard son and the demons who want his fractured soul. A weapon that can slay gods and the men who will kill to get it. Discover the vast world of abandoned immortality, divine emperors, dragons, and sea witches in The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons. Join us as we explore this fascinating new world, and opens in a new windowsign up for exclusive emails for even more behind-the-scenes details! Plus, don’t forget to check out the opens in a new windowcover reveal on the B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog, and the opens in a new windowfirst excerpt on Tor.com.

The Court of Gems: Royal Houses of the Great Empire of Quur
An Essay by Thurvishar D’Lorus

“In typical fashion, the royal houses of Quur turned what was meant to be a curse into a mark of prestige, to the point that when the original eight houses expanded into twelve, the extra royal houses invented false god-touched colorations to mark their status. Of course, very few in the modern day could claim to know why the houses were cursed in the first place.”
An Uncensored History of Quur, by Raverí D’Lorus¹

To understand the Royal Houses of Quur, one must first understand the relationship of the Eight Immortals to the Empire. No matter how many gods might be worshiped in Quur, the Eight have always had place of prestige, because it was the Eight who first put the sword Urthaenriel into the hands of the first emperor, Simillion, and ordered him to slay the God-King Ghauras. Simillion raised temples in honor of the Eight and laid flowers on their altars, certain of their support as he wooed the God-Queen Dana and added her kingdom of Eamithon to the fledgling nation. He piled on success after success: robbing the hoard of the dragon Baelosh to fill Quur’s coffers; marching against the crumbling but still formidable empire of Laragraen and slaying its hated God-King, Nemesan. Quur transformed from a insignificant city-state to a rapidly expanding, vital empire, almost overnight.

And for this, the ruling families of Quur thanked him with knives.²

Furious at losing their chosen one, the Eight Immortals slapped the families with a curse: from that day forward, no legal member of any of the families could rule. They would make no laws, collect no tithes or tribute, hold no land they had not bought and paid for. Any family who defied these laws would be destroyed, utterly. Each house was marked by the color of their eyes, so their identities would always be known, down through their descendants.

There was one single exception.

The Eight Immortals told the Houses that they could chose Simillion’s replacement from among their number. That person would be Emperor, and continue Simillion’s work. When that Emperor died, the families would be allowed to again choose another replacement, as it would never be an inherited position. Every family would be royal and no family would be royal.³

Naturally, faced with the prospect of gaining the only remaining possibility of real power – the families fought for it. The winner of that short but bloody first contest was Nerikan D’Talus, who promptly left with Urthaenriel and an army to deal with the God-King Ynis, who had (poorly) chosen that moment to invade Quur.

And that left, proverbially speaking, no one minding the store. The Royal Houses were forbidden to rule, but delegates and visitors from Laragraen and Eamithon were arriving daily with tribute that the families didn’t dare accept. In the end, they found a loophole in the wording of ‘legal members’ of the family. If legal family members were forbidden, then unacknowledged bastards of the house were surely more acceptable. Each house gathered their illegitimate children together (apparently the Royal Houses have always been libidinous)⁴ and told these Ogenra that they, with their own ‘voice’ and not that of any house, could chose among their number who they wished to form a ruling council. That council, again, not chosen by any of the Royal Houses, would manage the Empire during the Emperor’s absence. Eventually this evolved into the system we have today, as each family casts their votes to elect new Voices based on a sliding scale determined by ranking, and the Council self-selects new members from this pool of candidates. The Voices, technically not affiliated with any Royal House, in reality are always kept well lubricated with the metal of politics and ready to further the interests of their sponsoring House.

Of course, this might have all fallen apart if Emperor Nerikan had objected to the idea. For whatever reason, whether a sense of old loyalty to House D’Talus or because he thought it freed up more time for him to hunt god-kings, he let the situation stand, as it has to this day.

So what of the Royal Houses then? What does one do with a group of magically adept, highly-educated, extremely rich elite who suddenly had a lot of time on their hands? They couldn’t rule, but they could pay for lands and services. They could trade.

The Royal Houses became merchants, bartering not anything so prosaic as spices or lumber (at least not in the beginning) but their magical skill. It didn’t take long before each House controlled a monopoly of services and commodities unrivaled anywhere else in the world. Much of the goods and services sold anywhere in the empire pass through Royal House hands in some fashion, from D’Aramarin control of the gatestones to D’Evelin brewing companies. Eventually they added more houses, four more bringing the total to twelve; even most royals would be hard pressed to tell which houses are ‘god-touched’ and which ones used magic to fake their semi-divine status.

But not everyone was content with the Royal Houses’ ‘freedom from the responsibility of rule.’ The Affair of the Voices, led by Gadrith D’Lorus and Pedron D’Mon, nearly resulted in the extinction of both families. (See: The Twisted Ambition, by Killean Solit.)⁵ While that is the most recent scandal to plague the Royal Houses, it is by no means the only one, nor will it be the last.

The Royal Houses may not rule Quur, but they unarguably control it.⁶

Thurvishar, delete this. You cannot open your essay with an excerpt from a banned book, not even one written by your mother. ESPECIALLY not one written by your mother. —Cedric
Don’t make an assertion like this without defending it with actual evidence. Where are your citations? My gods, boy, what books have you been reading? Is this what they’re teaching at the Academy? I’m going to have a word with your professors!
Remove ‘and no family would be royal.’
Remove the judgmental slam on house fertility.
Would you stop citing banned books? I know Twisted Ambition is banned: I BANNED IT. Also, do you think it wise to remind people of my son Gadrith’s treason? I know you think it funny, but we have House honor to consider.
Tell me you haven’t shown this to anyone. This is disgraceful. Re-write this with a proper bibliography and citations. And stop making it sound like you aren’t loyal to the House.

The Royal Houses of Quur

House D’Aramarin

Gem: Emerald
Heraldic Device: Kraken
Eyes: Green
Monopoly: The Gatekeepers. Transportation and teleportation.

House D’Erinwa

Gem: Jacinth
Heraldic Device: Elephant
Eyes: Amber
Monopoly: The Octagon. Slavery, private mercenaries.

House D’Talus

Gem: Ruby
Heraldic Device: Lion
Eyes: Red
Monopoly: The Red Men. Smelting, mining, and all metal crafts.

House D’Mon

Gem: Blue Sapphire
Heraldic Device: Hawk
Eyes: Blue
Monopoly: The Blue Houses. Healing and medical arts.

House D’Evelin

Gem: Amethyst
Heraldic Device: Cyclone
Eyes: Violet
Monopoly: The Junk Boys. Sewage, garbage, water treatment, brewing.

House D’Kaje

Gem: Topaz
Heraldic Device: Crocodile
Eyes: Yellow
Monopoly: Lamplighters, chandlers, cuisine.

House D’Nofra

Gem: Carnelian
Heraldic Device: Tower
Eyes: Wolf Eyes (artifical)
Monopoly: Crops, herbs, spices, teas, and coffee.

House D’Jorax

Gem: Opal
Heraldic Device: Lightning
Eyes: Multicolored green/purple or red/blue (artifical)
Monopoly: The Revelers. Minstrels and entertainers, courtesans, velvets.

House D’Moló

Gem: Chrysoberyl
Heraldic Device: Jaguar
Eyes: Cat Eyes (artificial)
Monopoly: Animal husbandry, leather-working, weaving, tailoring.

House D’Lorus

Gem: Onyx
Heraldic Device: Flower and Book
Eyes: Black
Monopoly: The Binders. Magic, education, scholarly research, book and map making.

House D’Kard

Gem: Jade
Heraldic Device: Spider
Eyes: Dark Green (artificial)
Monopoly: Masons, builders, carpentry, crafts.

House D’Laakar

Gem: Aquamarine
Heraldic Device: Fish
Eyes: Turquoise
Monopoly: The Ice Men. Refrigeration, food preservation, air cooling.

opens in a new windowSign up for the Tor Newsletter to receive exclusive looks at Jen Lyons’ The Ruin of Kings before it comes out! We’ll be sharing details of the world, the magic, and the history of Quur that you won’t want to miss.

Behind the Scenes / Extras

Introducing The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons!

June 26, 2018May 8, 2024torforge2 Comments

Poster Placeholder of - 11 — Photo credit: Dim Horizon Studio

There are the old stories. And then there’s what actually happens.

The cover of Jenn Lyons’ upcoming fantasy debut opens in a new windowThe Ruin of Kings has been revealed over on the B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog! opens in a new windowCheck it out here.

Want more? opens in a new windowTor.com has posted the very first excerpt, and we’ve revealed opens in a new windowthe Empire of Quur, a fascinating world of immortal races, civil strife, divine emperors, dragons, witches, and more.

About opens in a new windowThe Ruin of Kings

Kihrin is a bastard orphan who grew upon storybook tales of long-lost princes and grand quests. When he is claimed against his will as the long-lost son of a treasonous prince, Kihrin finds that being a long-lost prince isn’t what the storybooks promised.

Far from living the dream, Kihrin finds himself practically a prisoner, at the mercy of his new family’s power plays and ambitions. He also discovers that the storybooks have lied about a lot of other things things, too: dragons, demons, gods, prophecies, true love, and how the hero always wins.

Then again, maybe he’s not the hero, for Kihrin isn’t destined to save the empire.

He’s destined to destroy it…

Uniting the worldbuilding of a Brandon Sanderson with the storytelling verve of a Patrick Rothfuss, debut author Jenn Lyons delivers an entirely new and captivating fantasy epic. Prepare to meet the genre’s next star.

Want to learn more about Kihrin, the Empire of Quur, and debut author Jenn Lyons? opens in a new windowSign up for exclusive emails featuring even more behind-the-scenes looks at The Ruin of Kings, the Empire of Quur, and Jenn Lyons!

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The Royal Houses of Quur

House D’Aramarin

House D’Erinwa

House D’Talus

House D’Mon

House D’Evelin

House D’Kaje

House D’Nofra

House D’Jorax

House D’Moló

House D’Lorus

House D’Kard

House D’Laakar

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