Hugo Awards, Conan, Magical Weapons, and More!

Plus the Burning Question of How Centaurs Eat To view this email as a web page, go [here.]( [Tor.com Newsletter]( [Forward to a Friend]( HUGOS [2017 Hugo Award Finalists Announced!]( With 108 finalists, this is the most extensive Hugo ballot on record, and we can't wait until the winners are announced on August 11th; in the meantime, check out the full list, and congratulations to all the finalists! [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( OPEN THREAD [Open Thread: What is the Name of Your Favorite Magical Weapon?]( Stormbringer, Oathbringer, Lightbringer-you know you're a Pretty Important Character™ if you've got a weapon with a name attached. Whether it's Sting, Mjolnir, Excalibur, or the Elder Wand, let us know which magical weapon you'd be most excited to wield! [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( WILD CARDS [Killer Space Yeast Attacks: Wild Cards II Is A Superpowered Love Letter to Science Fiction]( The Wild Cards Reread continues with Volume II, which reflects the science fiction leanings of so many of its contributing authors. In Aces High, the aliens arrive front and center, and things just get weirder from there... [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( WHY DID WE ASK [So How Does a Centaur Eat, Anyway?]( In which our resident fantasy equine expert, Judith Tarr, ponders the problematic anatomy of centaurs and their resulting dietary needs. She comes to some delightfully horrifying conclusions... [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( BOOKS [Storming the Gates of Geekdom: Conan the Warrior by Robert E. Howard]( Alan Brown discusses how the success of the Conan tales-and particularly their resurgence in the 1960s-helped bring fantasy to a wider, more mainstream audience. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( COMICS [Let's Talk About Marvel Comics, the "Diversity Doesn't Sell" Myth, and What Diversity Really Means]( "The crux of the problem with Marvel's sales isn't diversity; the problem is Marvel itself." Marvel's recent claims that diversity is hurting comics sales are both inaccurate and offensive-Alex Brown weighs in on the facts of the matter. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( ORIGINAL FICTION [When Stars Are Scattered, by Spencer Ellsworth]( Ahmed is a doctor working in a far-flung outpost of humanity. Because the leaders of his faith paid his way, his own atheism must be a guarded secret. His encounters with the "kite people" will cause him to doubt his whole worldview, however, when the aliens start dying and escalating tensions between religious extremists threaten to destroy the colony's peace. "When Stars Are Scattered" is a moving story about alien contact, religious intolerance, and the redemptive power of the divine channeled through the spirit-whether that spirit is human or alien. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( EXCERPTS [The House of Binding Thorns]( As the city rebuilds from the onslaught of sorcery that nearly destroyed it, the great Houses of Paris still contest one another for control over the capital. Aliette de Bodard's The House of Binding Thorns is book two in the Dominion of the Fallen saga, [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( [The Stone Heart]( Kaidu and Rat have only just recovered from the assassination attempt on the General of All Blades when more chaos breaks loose. The Stone Heart is Faith Erin Hicks' sequel to her graphic novel The Nameless City. [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 175 Fifth Avenue New York, NY, 10010, USA 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.