Swashbuckling, Shapeshifting, and Picard's Big Reunion

To view this email as a web page, go [here.]( [Tor.com Newsletter]( [Forward to a Friend]( NOW HIRING [Five of the Coolest (and Occasionally Terrifying) SFF Jobs]( Have you ever wondered what role you’d fill in a fantasy world, and what you’d do for a living? Perhaps you’d be a cozy innkeeper, or the bartender in a den of thieves. Cole Rush discusses five iconic fantasy jobs — where do we fill out an application? [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( BITE SIZED SFF [Must Read Short Speculative Fiction: January 2023]( The first month of the new year is done and dusted, so let’s go back and look at Alex Brown’s ten favorite short speculative fiction stories from January. We’ve got cannibalism, the apocalypse, and dangerous technology to tempt you! [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( EN GARDE! [10 Classic Tales for Fans of Swashbuckling and Historical Intrigue]( The swashbuckler genre is difficult to disentangle from the development of historical fiction. Such stories tend to be full of intrigue, historical events, or at the very least historical settings in which characters–whether nobles, outlaws, or pirates–would be expected to be proficient with a blade. Here, Anastasia Klimchynskaya shares ten of the best examples of tales of swordfighting, intrigue, and panache. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( SFF BESTIARY [All the Myriad Ways: The Many, Many Faces of the Shapeshifter]( When it comes to shapeshifters, the werewolf rules the modern imagination. But the wolf is far from the only creature into which a human may transform, either willingly or otherwise. The idea of transformation, shifting one’s native form, taking on the appearance of something altogether different, pervades the myth and lore and legend of numerous cultures around the world. Starting off a new chapter of the SFF Bestiary, Judith Tarr dives into the history and mythology of shapeshifters, and asks you to suggest your own favorite examples in the comments. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( PLEASE ADAPT [Neal Shusterman’s Scythe Might Signal a Fresh Direction for SFF Blockbusters]( Neal Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe series has captured the hearts of many readers since the first installment was published in 2016. In a new Please Adapt column, Cole Rush digs into the elements of this series that would make for a perfect screen adaptation (and hints that there’s a good chance we’ll see some news on that front in the near future)! [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( READ ALONG [Jo Walton’s Reading List: January 2023]( Jo Walton may or may not have spent the whole month doing nothing but sitting by the window reading books and watching it snow. Here, she shares some favorite reading that was done in January, touching on everything from travels through France, the memoir of an editor, and the history of humanity to fiction by G. Willow Wilson, Ben Aaronovich, K.J. Parker and much more. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( [Jean-Luc Picard]( SPACE FAMILIES [“If I were you, I’d lower my expectations” — Star Trek: Picard’s “The Next Generation”]( When he was approached by Secret Hideout to revive the role of Jean-Luc Picard, Sir Patrick Stewart reportedly did not wish to just do a sequel to The Next Generation, but wanted to explore new horizons with the character. Whatever the flaws of Star Trek: Picard’s first season, it did do that. But getting the TNG band back together hasn’t gone the way we might have expected. Keith R.A. DeCandido reviews the season premiere of Picard here. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( [Coyote and Road Runner Looney Tunes]( BEEP BEEP! [“Zoom and Bored” Transports the Road Runner and Coyote to a Realm of Funhouse Physics]( You know the iconic Looney Tunes cartoon—Coyote chases Road Runner only to be outdone every time by a trap, an ACME anvil, a cartoon black hole, etc. But there’s more to this simple cartoon than meets the eye. Dan Persons dives into the history behind the Coyote and Road Runner, the genius of Chuck Jones and his use of cartoon physics, and the elegance of simple gags. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( Follow Tor.com to get updates on all of our original fiction. 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