Christopher Paolini, Traumatic SFF Movies and more!

plus two original fiction stories! To view this email as a web page, go [here.]( [Tor.com Newsletter]( [Forward to a Friend]( HIDING BEHIND THE COUCH [The Most Traumatic Moments From SFF We Watched as Children]( Movies and TV shows aimed at children are always a delicate mix of cutesy innocence and potentially weighty subject matter, and kid-friendly SFF can be tricky to navigate. Even if you had a storybook childhood, the odds are low that you escaped without being emotionally sideswiped by an intense moment or two. We’ve polled our extended Tor.com family, and gathered up the moments that shaped us into the warped creatures we are today. Be sure to add your own in the comments! [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( GENDER IS FANTASY [Horns, Feathers, and Scales: Reclaiming Genderqueer Monstrousness]( When Tessa Gratton was young, literature showed her that to be queer you either had to be tragic or monstrous. But what makes a monster? How can queer monsters challenge binaries? And what if a queer monster could become the hero? In this personal essay, Gratton details her relationship with gender and nonbinary identity, and how to accept the queer monster within. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( GET YOUR HEADPHONES [Listen to Chapters 1-9 of Christopher Paolini’s To Sleep in a Sea of Stars]( To Sleep in a Sea of Stars is a brand-new epic science fiction novel, out this week from author Christopher Paolini. We’re thrilled to share clips from the audiobook edition, read by Jennifer Hale—perhaps best known for her various voice acting roles, including Shepard in Mass Effect and Rosalind Lutece in BioShock Infinite. Listen to the first nine chapters here! [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( PHONEBOOTHS & DELOREANS [Grading the Best Time Travel Movies Ever Made]( Does good time travel science make for a good time travel movie? It can be complicated to get the mechanics right — what are the rules? What are the stakes involved? What is the mode of transportation? Using a specific set of criteria, Joe George answers these questions and more while grading the best time travel movies ever made! [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( ON YOUR BOOKSHELF [Seven Books I Love From Seven “A” Authors]( For anyone who reads a lot and has been reading a lot for some considerable time now, it’s too difficult to pare down a list of favorite books. Luckily, Jo Walton has a better plan — choosing seven favorites for each letter of the alphabet! In this first installment, Walton shares her favorite books by “A” authors, and asks you to share yours in the comments! [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( TAKE THE REINS [Writing Horses: Those Handy Equestrian Metaphors]( One of the things writers have to do when they’re worldbuilding is to think about the language they’re using to evoke that world. The equestrian world can be especially complex, but thankfully Judith Tarr is here to share some insights (and air some pet peeves). Tarr discusses some common horse-related metaphors and what they really mean. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( BEYOND THE SHADOWS [Six Books of Truly Epic Secret History]( Most fans of fantasy and science-fiction literature are familiar with the concept of alternate history—tales that spring from speculations about what could have happened at key points in history—but less well known is the niche of secret history (sometimes referred to as “shadow” history). Author David Mack shares six books that look into secrets of the past. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( FOR YOUR READING LIST [Rescuing the Lost Desk: A Letter From the Books Editor]( Do you ever feel like everyone is reading and talking about the same new hot book all at the same time, and so if you’re not part of the conversation, you’re missing out? You’re not the only one! There are so many good books out there, and sometimes it just isn’t possible to get to all of them. Tor.com’s Books Editor, Christina Orlando, shares some reading struggles, and the titles they’ve been enjoying this summer. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( ABOVE THE CLOUDS [Five Science Fiction Books Featuring Floating Habitats]( Surface conditions on Venus would be extremely challenging for terrestrial life, but just fifty kilometers above the surface, there is a region with terrestrial pressures and temperatures that might just be able to sustain humans. Think of the possibilities! James Davis Nicoll discusses five works of SF that imagine habitats floating just above the surface of various inhospitable planets. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( ORIGINAL FICTION [Hearts in the Hard Ground by G.V. Anderson]( Following the death of her mother, Fiona buys a new house in order to start a new chapter of her life, one with fewer reminders of painful memories. Unbeknownst to Fiona, this house has a melancholy history, and slightly more ghosts than she anticipated. In learning to live with her unexpected companions and their losses, Fiona might find a way to make peace with her own. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( ORIGINAL FICTION [Solution by Brian Evenson]( As climate change wreaks havoc on the earth and the fate of humanity grows dire, a scientist makes a plan to save humanity that would shame the devil. [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.