Your Tordotcom Publishing Holiday Gift Guide!

Find the perfect gift for your loved ones (and for yourself) in our 2022 Holiday Gift Guide! To view this email as a webpage, go [here.]( [Tor.com Publishing]( [Forward to a Friend]( Happy Holidays from Tordotcom Publishing Curl up with a great SFF book (or two or three) this holiday season! The team here at Tordotcom Publishing has curated a list of books that we think are perfect gifts for friends, family, and even yourself. Read on to find the perfect book to help you make your and your loved ones’ holidays even more magical! All of these titles are available worldwide in ebook and paperback, simultaneously and DRM-free. Looking for a queer romance to keep you warm? Here are some of our favorite LGBTQIA+ titles: [LGBTQIA+ Titles] [A TASTE OF GOLD AND IRON by Alexandra Rowland]( For your friend that loves romance and AO3, this novel has it all: fealty, mutual pining, a handsome bodyguard and a shy prince, and there’s only one bed. Follow Prince Kadou and Evemer as they investigate a case of counterfeiting that could lead to the ruin of their kingdom. [HIGH TIMES IN THE LOW PARLIAMENT by Kelly Robson]( Described by the author as “a lesbian stoner buddy comedy with fairies about Brexit,” this novella is laugh-out-loud funny. Lady-loving scribe Lana Baker is taken to the Low Parliament, where a hung vote will cause a flood and a return to the endless war between humans and fairies. [EVEN THOUGH I KNEW THE END by C.L. Polk]( Looking for a book your noir-film-buff friend would love? Look no further! This is a sapphic, supernatural, noir novella that follows a magical detective who sold her soul as she searches for a serial killer so she can have a future with the love of her life. [THE LAST BINDING TRILOGY by Freya Marske]( Filled with magic and romance, this trilogy is perfect for any historical fantasy fan! The couples in each book are sure to warm your heart with their wholesomeness and their steamy scenes together. The first two books, [A Marvellous Light]( and [A Restless Truth]( are out now! Starting a new series this holiday season is the gift that keeps on giving! [Book Series] [THE SINGING HILLS CYCLE by Nghi Vo]( For fans of wuxia and fantasy, this series of standalone novellas follows the cleric Chih and their companion, the talking bird Almost Brilliant, as they travel through a world that is rich in legends, adventure, and interesting characters. The first three novellas, [The Empress of Salt and Fortune]( [When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain]( and [Into the Riverlands]( are all available now and can be read in any order. [THE LOCKED TOMB SERIES by Tamsyn Muir]( Looking for books for your goth friend who loves skeletons and swords? Get them the first book to this series, [Gideon the Ninth]( in which necromancers and their sword-wielding cavaliers solve haunted mansion puzzles in space. And in the next two books, [Harrow the Ninth]( and [Nona the Ninth]( watch Tamsyn Muir’s world expand further than you could’ve ever dreamed possible. [FRACTURED FABLES DUOLOGY by Alix E. Harrow]( A feminist, Spiderverse retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Need we say more? Follow Zinnia Gray as she saves a princess who’s an alternate version of Sleeping Beauty—just like her. [A Spindle Splintered]( and [A Mirror Mended]( are the fairytale retellings you never knew you needed. [THE MKALIS CYCLE by Kerstin Hall]( Demon proms, grumpy witches, extremely haunted cats, kindly mushroom gods, tragic crab babies, protagonists wielding both spears and impostor syndrome: Kerstin Hall’s worlds in [The Border Keeper]( and [Second Spear]( are a “phantasmagorical picaresque” (The Guardian) that reveal strange, new wonders with every page. [TAKE THEM TO THE STARS TRILOGY by Sylvain Neuvel]( For the history or space exploration lover in your life, get them the first book in this series [A History of What Comes Next]( which follows Mia’s family as they shape human history to help them reach the stars. But this family faces a ruthless enemy working behind the scenes to stop them from succeeding, no matter what the cost. The second book [Until the Last of Me]( is also available now and the third installment [For the First Time, Again]( is coming in 2023. Too much on the holiday “to-do” list to start a new series? A standalone novel is just the right fit for you! [Standalone Novels] [SIREN QUEEN by Nghi Vo]( For your friends and family who love Old Hollywood, get them this dark fantasy set in the 1930’s where studios own more than just your image and run on a system of bargains made with blood. Luli Wei would rather play a monster than a maid, which seems to be the only part they have for a Chinese American girl, and she is willing to do whatever it takes to be a star—even becoming the monster herself. [SELF-PORTRAIT WITH NOTHING by Aimee Pokwatka]( Filled with art, doppelgängers, and family drama, this is the perfect gift for your loved ones who love mystery and suspense. Pepper Rafferty is the biological daughter of reclusive artist Ula Frost, whose portraits supposedly summon their subjects’ doppelgängers from alternate universes. Ula has now gone missing and it seems that Pepper might be the only one who can find her. [SPEAR by Nicola Griffith]( A genderbent Arthurian legend retelling? Yes please! After growing up in the woods with her mother, a woman decides that her place is at the court of Artos, the king of Caer Leon, and goes on a quest filled with magic, love, and fights to the death. [THE CITY INSIDE by Samit Basu]( Vivid characters, competing realities, and an immersive near-future version of the city of Delhi make this the bingeable answer to Black Mirror. Amid snarky work and social media drama, messy human relationships, and insurmountable global problems, how do you even go about trying to make the right choices in a deeply flawed world? [GOLIATH by Tochi Onyebuchi]( In the 2050s, Earth began to empty—those who can afford it have left for space colonies. Those left behind are struggling to salvage what they can from a crumbling infrastructure. What will happen when those who left return to their former home? Explore the world of this sweeping sci-fi epic through the eyes of multiple characters. [WILL DO MAGIC FOR SMALL CHANGE by Andrea Hairston]( For the theater-lover in your life, give them this historical fantasy that combines alien science with earthbound magic. Before Cinnamon’s brother died, he gave her The Chronicles of the Great Wanderer , the story of a woman and an alien performing together at the 1893 World’s Fair that is clearly connected to her past. So when an act of violence wounds her family, Cinnamon and her theatre squad are determined to solve the mystery and bring her worlds together. Still living in spooky season? These scary tales are sure to keep your bedside lamp burning well into the long, dark winter nights: [Scary Tales] [LUCKY GIRL, OR HOW I BECAME A HORROR WRITER: A KRAMPUS STORY by M. Rickert]( What better way to celebrate the holidays than with some holiday horror? Struggling writer Ro invites four strangers over for Christmas dinner, where they each tell a ghost story, and this kicks off a creepy holiday tradition that spans the years. But these Christmas horrors might be more than just stories. [LEECH by Hiron Ennes]( Ever wished you could spend your holidays in a creepy chateau? Maybe not if you’re in the world of Leech, where doctors are part of a parasitic hive mind battling a new parasite for its place on the evolutionary food chain. And one baron’s chateau is ground zero for their battle for humanity. [THE BALLAD OF BLACK TOM by Victor LaValle]( New York in the winter is magical, but in this book, magic is not all snowflakes and twinkling lights. When Charles Thomas Tester delivers an occult book to a sorceress in Queens, he opens a door to a realm of magic and gets the attention of things best left sleeping. [AND THEN I WOKE UP by Malcolm Devlin]( What if the zombie apocalypse wasn’t actually a zombie apocalypse? A mysterious plague has affected people’s sense of reality and led them to commit horrible acts in the name of survival. Spence, one of the “cured” housed at a rehabilitation facility, is challenged by an inmate to help her find her old crew. But has he truly learned to tell the truth from the lies? And has he—can he—truly be redeemed? [FLOWERS FOR THE SEA by Zin E. Rocklyn]( Horror on the high seas! Is there a better way to spend the holidays? Iraxi, one of many refugees fleeing a flooded kingdom on an ark surrounded by ravenous creatures, is pregnant and her child may be more than human. Winner of the 2022 Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novella. ‘Tis the season for heart-warming tales. Books guaranteed to thaw out even the most ice-cold Grinch. [Heart-warming Tales] [A HALF-BUILT GARDEN by Ruthanna Emrys]( Aliens have come to save humanity from the ecological disaster of their own making! But what happens when we don’t want to go? An “unique and ultimately hopeful vision of the world we might bequeath to our grandchildren.” (Karl Schroeder) [MONK AND ROBOT SERIES by Becky Chambers]( Need something to help your friends and loved ones stave off the cold? Get them [A Psalm for the Wild-Built]( the story of a robot and tea monk searching for what humanity needs, that will feel like a warm hug and a steaming cup of tea all rolled into one. The search for meaning has never been more sci-fi or beautiful. The second book, [A Prayer for the Crown-Shy]( is also out now. [THE PAST IS RED by Catherynne M. Valente]( Just because the world has ended, doesn’t mean you can’t still love it. This is the attitude of Tetley Abednego, most beloved girl in Garbagetown (in her own mind), who discovers a new friend, a terrible secret, and more to her world than she ever imagined. Our SFF short story collections are like many gifts bound into one: [SFF Short Stories] [THE WAY SPRING ARRIVES AND OTHER STORIES edited by Yu Chen and Regina Kanyu Wang]( Ever wanted to dine in a restaurant at the end of the universe? Time travel to a winter’s day on the West Lake? You can do all that and more an anthology written, edited, and translated by a female and nonbinary team, these stories explore the breadth of Chinese sci-fi and fantasy. [AFRICA RISEN edited by Sheree Renée Thomas, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekepki, and Zelda Knight]( Have trouble deciding what genre you want to read? In this anthology of 32 stories from Africa and the African Diaspora, you’ll find science-fiction, fantasy, and horror. Some of the things you’ll encounter in Africa Risen’s pages are: a supercomputer filled with the memories of ancestors, a lion goddess trying to decide if she can trust again, and spirits who resist their cremation. [BURNING GIRLS AND OTHER STORIES by Veronica Schanoes]( Perfect for a fan of dark fantasy and anyone who likes their fairy tales “strong and dark” (Karen Joy Fowler), this collection of stories is grounded in tales of fierce women on the margins of society pushing their way towards the center. And for anyone looking to give their future selves a present, pre‑order these upcoming Tordotcom releases! [Upcoming Releases] [SOME DESPERATE GLORY by Emily Tesh]( Meet Kyr, a girl trying to avenge the murder of planet Earth and a character you’ll find yourself rooting for against your will. Completely with found family and fascist deprogramming, this thrilling queer space opera will “hurt you and you will say thank you.” (Olivie Blake) [THE ARCHIVE UNDYING by Emma Mieko Candon]( When being plugged into his AI god during its apocalyptic corruption renders him unfortunately immortal, depressed disaster Sunai takes a die-again-or-die-trying approach to his cursed body and unending life. Book one in the Downworld Sequence is brain-meltingly epic science fiction about AI deities, brutal police states, the giant robot mechas they use to crash into each other, and Sunai’s efforts to avoid getting crushed between them. [WITCH KING by Martha Wells]( From the author of the Murderbot Diaries comes her first fantasy in a decade! When Kai wakes up after being murdered to find a lesser mage trying to harnass his magic, he’s got a lot of questions. [The SAINT OF BRIGHT DOORS by Vajra Chandrasekera]( Fetter was raised to kill, honed as a knife to cut down his sainted father. This gave him plenty to talk about in group therapy for other “un-chosen ones.” According to Sequoia Nagamatsu, it’s “a hypnotic and intricate debut.” [THE LIES OF THE AJUNGO by Moses Ose Utomi]( Moses Ose Utomi’s debut novella follows one boy’s epic quest to bring water back to his city and save his mother’s life. Prepare to enter the Forever Desert. [THE MIMICKING OF KNOWN SUCCESSES by Malka Older]( A sapphic gaslamp mystery set on Jupiter. Need we say more? PW can: “Older packs a punch in this slim volume, delivering a romantic sci-fi mystery replete with ruminations on environmentalism and the importance of adapting to change. Combining an old-timey aesthetic and a powerful message, this sapphic genre-bender is a treat.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review Follow Tor.com Publishing [f]( [t]( [g]( [t]( 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.