L'Engle, Pratchett, Bardugo, and Martha Wells' Murderbot

To view this email as a web page, go [here.]( [Tor.com Newsletter]( [Forward to a Friend]( ANGER IS A GIFT [The Power of Adolescent Anger: L’Engle’s Meg Murry and Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching]( There are some key similarities between the protagonists of Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time and Terry Pratchett’s The Wee Free Men. Meg Murry and Tiffany Aching both shoulder the final burden of defeating their story’s villain, and they both are primarily and positively described as angry. Dorothy Bennett discusses how both authors explore different aspects of anger, how it is embraced and channelled by their characters—and why that's so important. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( BEST FRIENDS FOREVER [Why Can’t We Be (Just) Friends? — Platonic Love in SFF]( The concept of “shipping” has firmly established itself as a staple of fandom culture, which is itself becoming intrinsically tied to genre fiction and SFF in particular. But romance and friendship aren’t mutually exclusive endeavors. In fact, friendships can be even more necessary to the plot than a romance. J.S. Dewes dives into why platonic relationships are necessary to telling a good story. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( FOR YOUR READING LIST [Five Books That Use Wormholes to Plug Plot Holes]( Wormholes and other means of providing instant access between distant fixed points are narratively convenient. They make it possible to get characters from point A to point B without dying of old age en route...and sometimes they help the authors get from A to B too. James Davis Nicoll shares five classic science fiction stories where different types of wormholes come in handy. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( BRING THE LIGHT [Enter the Fold: Indie Tabletop RPGs to Play if You Love Shadow and Bone]( With a rich fantasy world that author Leigh Bardugo has styled ‘Tsarpunk,’ the Shadow and Bone series is full of engaging characters, elemental magic, and, of course, a hell of a lot of darkness. If you love the Grisha, Ravka, the crows of Ketterdam, Fjerdan’s druskelle, and, yes, even the Darkling, there are some amazing roleplaying games out there just waiting to be played. Linda H. Codega recommends a few TTRPGs for Grishaverse fans. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART [Five Perfectly Pulpy Modern Horror Novels]( It’s no secret that horror is making a comeback. But what about the pulp? The sensational and fantastical imagery that gives us nightmares as kids and can make even the toughest of adults squirm? James S. Murray shares five pulpy horror novels to get your blood pumping. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( SO PLAY NICE [How the Five Most Important Seconds in Toy Story Changed Animation Forever]( You all remember Sid, right? The villain of the first Toy Story film, the devil incarnate, an 11-year-old anarchist who never met a plaything he couldn’t burn, explode, or Frankenstein into a bizarre, mutant lifeform. The horror-esque sequence where Sid gets his comeuppance is unforgettable—but also marks a huge step forward in the history of animation. Dan Persons explains how this one scene helped Pixar change animation forever. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( WATCH OUT [A Game of Stones: Five Novels Set in Asteroid Belts]( Asteroid belts and stalwart Belters have been a staple of science fiction since the days of Heinlein, Leinster, and Randall Garrett. Indeed, the Belt and the riches it might hold are irresistible for authors looking for rugged frontiers in which to set their tales—here are five comparatively recent examples, with plenty of other recommendations in the comments!. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( THERE'S COFFEE IN THAT NEBULA [Star Trek: Voyager Rewatch: Fifth Season Overview]( Of all the seasons of Voyager to date, the fifth was the one that had the most literal forward motion. Thanks to a wormhole of sorts, experiments with the quantum slipstream drive, and a stolen Borg transwarp conduit, Janeway and the crew made several jumps ahead, cutting their journey home by tens of thousands of light-years. Keith R.A. DeCandido shares his thoughts on all the various ups and downs before moving on to the show’s penultimate season. [Read more]( SHARE THIS: [Publish to Facebook]( [Publish to Twitter]( A MURDERBOT STORY [“Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory” by Martha Wells]( Please enjoy this reprint of “Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory”, which was originally given free to readers who pre-ordered Martha Wells’ Murderbot novel, Network Effect. The story is set just after the fourth novella, Exit Strategy. The latest Murderbot book, Fugitive Telemetry, is out next week (4/27/21) and is available for pre-order! [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. 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