Free eBook, plus Stormlight Archive Cover Revealed!

Plus, two new original fiction stories! To view this email as a web page, go [here.]( [Tor.com Newsletter]( [Forward to a Friend]( IT'S SO PRETTY [Behold the Cover to Rhythm of War, the Fourth Book in Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive]( Stormlight Archive series cover artist Michael Whelan has finished putting the finishing touches on the cover to Rhythm of War, the fourth installment of Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive fantasy series. Check out the full cover here, along with a statement from the artist! [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( EBOOK CLUB [Download a Free eBook of Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi Before August 22!]( The Tor.com eBook Club gives away a free sci-fi/fantasy book at least once a month. This week, we’re offering readers a chance to download Riot Baby, the searing, critically acclaimed novel by Tochi Onyebuchi! Sign up here and claim your copy before 11:59 PM (ET) on August 21st. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( IT'S GETTING HOT [Announcing Breathe FIYAH, an Online Flash Fiction Anthology]( Tor.com is thrilled to announce in collaboration with FIYAH Magazine the forthcoming online flash fiction anthology Breathe FIYAH, co-edited by Brent Lambert and DaVaun Sanders. The finished anthology of work by Black writers will appear on Tor.com, and will be available to read for free on October 19. Check out all the submissions guidelines here, and get excited! [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( A LITTLE TRICKSY [A Few of Our Favorite Devils in SFF]( The Devil is one of the greatest literary characters in human history. It’s no wonder then that Old Scratch shows up so often in SFF film and television, often stealing the spotlight in scenery-chewing performances. Hold on to your soul as Leah Schnelbach summons up nearly 30 of our favorite SFF devils, and be sure to add your own picks in the comments! [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( BEYOND HACKING [Eight Science Fiction Books That Get Programming Right]( Programming is a complex and constantly changing field, so it’s no wonder that it’s hard to get it right in fiction. Whether you’re taking on a long-term project, optimizing for faster work, or dealing with a terrible manager, there’s a lot to look for. Writer and programmer Ferrett Steinmetz takes a look at some sci-fi titles that get programming right. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( THE WHEEL TURNS [More Than a Boy Leaves Home: Choosing One’s Fate in the World of The Wheel of Time]( The trope of a character leaving home to go on a big adventure has taken many forms in fantasy fiction. It allows us to look at the catalysts for change, but in a world like the Wheel of Time, where Fate plays such a large part, how much of a choice do characters get when the call to adventure comes? Sylas Barrett explores the roles that destiny and decisions play in the Wheel of Time series. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( HOLD ON TO EACH OTHER [Inside the Cult of Fear: Finding Humanity in Horror Fiction]( Horror is replete with people who are alone: the final girl, the lone survivor, the last man on earth, the only sane person in a world gone mad. But the act of creating horror fiction, the act of writing and sharing—that’s something that connects us, and allows us to celebrate our collective humanity. Kali Wallace, an admitted scaredy-cat, analyzes the ways in which horror fiction teaches us to care about imaginary people and helps us face the horrors of the real world. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( BREAKING BOUNDARIES [SF or Fantasy? — Six Works That Defy Easy Classification]( Sometimes a book comes along that is just so hard to categorize, it makes us question the boundaries between science fiction and fantasy. After all, speculative fiction is a place where defying the rules is the name of the game. James Davis Nicoll shares six great novels and series that blur genre lines and defy easy classification. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( THE SWORD IN THE STONE [The Telling Is The Tale: Who Owns the Legend of King Arthur?]( Is an Arthurian story a telling or retelling? What are the Arthurian mythos, exactly? And was Merlin really an old dude with a big bushy beard, or do we all just remember it wrong? Retelling such a classic tale can be a complex process. Lavie Tidhar shares the history of the Arthurian mythos, and how the act of retelling is part of the story itself. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( ORIGINAL FICTION [“Flight” by Claire Wrenwood]( As a girl, Maggie dreamed of joining the Sisters, a group of women who enjoy the status and attention afforded by their beautiful wings. Now, years later, she has wings of her own. But an encounter in the woods forces her to reckon with her past—and the painful price her wings demanded. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( ORIGINAL FICTION [“Exile’s End” by Carolyn Ives Gilman]( “Exile’s End” is a complex, sometimes uncomfortable examination of artifact repatriation and cultural appropriation. An artifact of indescribable and irreplaceable beauty created by an “extinct” culture has been the basis of another culture’s origin stories. The race who created the artifact has survived on a distant world and has sent a representative to reclaim it, throwing everything into question. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( Follow Tor.com to get updates on all of our original fiction. FOLLOW US: [Follow Us on Facebook]( [Follow Us on Twitter]( [Follow Us on Tumblr]( [Follow Us on Pinterest]( This email was sent by: Macmillan 120 Broadway New York, NY, 10271, US We respect your right to privacy - [view our policy]( Macmillan believes piracy hurts writers, readers and everyone who loves books. Learn more and report suspicious activity [here.]( To subscribe to this or other email communications from Macmillan, please click [here](. Visit our [profile center]( to update your email address and/or other information. If you no longer wish to receive this email communication, click [here]( to unsubscribe.