Free Vernor Vinge eBook, Ewoks, Balrogs vs. Dragons, and More!

Plus Where to Start Reading Robin Hobb To view this email as a web page, go [here.]( [Tor.com Newsletter]( [Forward to a Friend]( EBOOK CLUB [Vernor Vinge's Space Opera A Fire Upon the Deep is the Tor.com eBook Club Pick for May!]( May's Tor.com eBook Club pick is the classic space opera A Fire Upon The Deep by Vernor Vinge! A gripping tale of galactic war told on a cosmic scale, the book is available for download until May 15th at 11:59 PM (ET). [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( TOLKIEN [Smaug vs. Durin's Bane: Who Would Win in the Ultimate Dragon/Balrog Showdown?]( To the mythopoeic thunderdome!!! Austin Gilkeson delves greedily and deep into the lore of Middle-earth to settle the question of who would emerge victorious in the clash between Smaug the Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities and the "demon of terror" known as Durin's Bane. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( MOVIES [The Most Popular Movie in America Right Now Is All About Toxic Fatherhood]( From Ego to Thanos, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is filled with terrible examples of fatherhood. Author and critic Charlie Jane Anders breaks down the movie's preoccupation with evil patriarchs. (Spoilers ahead!) [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( WHERE TO START [Assassins, Pirates, or Dragons: Where to Start With Robin Hobb]( Choosing a Robin Hobb book to start with isn't just choosing a series-it's choosing a doorway into a huge, interconnected world. Here's a handy guide to several entry points into the Realm of the Elderlings. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( STAR WARS [In Honor of Star Wars Day, You're Going to Learn About The Ewok Adventures Because Life is Unfair Sometimes]( Okay, admittedly it's no longer May the 4th, but it's never too late to confront one of the strangest corners of the Star Wars universe-namely, the two made-for-TV movies centered on the Ewoks, some unfortunate humans, monsters, a Space Witch, Wilford Brimley, and a whole lot of weird. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( HISTORY [Facing Facts: American Identity is Based on Alternate History]( "I have never read, nor will I ever write, an alternate history as creative and thoroughly wrought as the one I read in high school." Author Sarah Gailey on American identity, education, and the most elaborate alternate history of all. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( MOVIES [20 Years On, The Fifth Element is Still One of the Best/Worst Sci-Fi Films Ever]( On May 9th, 1997, a weird little sci-fi action flick called The Fifth Element was released in theaters, and was widely lauded/derided for being the one of the best/worst science fiction films ever made. It delighted/pissed off everyone who had the chance to see it ... and continues to polarize fandom to this day. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( ORIGINAL FICTION [Hexagrammaton, by HanuÅ¡ Seiner and translated by Julie Nováková]( Each man has a measure of luck given by destiny, but not a drop more. Has the luck of an unusual guide responsible for the passage of visitors into the deep buried bellies of alien ships just run out? His newest client, a young woman named Janita, proves to be a member of the resistance carrying in her body an alien civilization's gift to humanity. Will either of them become the devil's martyr? One story gives life to another, waiting all along... [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( EXCERPTS [D'Arc]( In the twilight of all life on Earth, love survives, but at a cost that only the desperate and the reckless are willing to pay. Robert Repino's D'Arc is book three in the War With No Name series, available May 9th from Soho Press. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( [Seeker]( When Daryn started seeing "visions" during her sophomore year of high school, she wasn't losing her mind; she was gaining the Sight-the ability to see the future. Veronica Rossi's Riders series continues with Seeker, available May 16th from Tor Teen! [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.