Last summer Tor.com announced the formation of a new publishing program, dedicated to publishing the best novellas and short novels from emerging writers as well as established authors. Following an extensive period of reading and commissioning, we are excited to announce our inaugural list.
All of the books published under the new program will be made available in ebook, print on demand, and audio formats via online retailers. Your local brick-and-mortar store will also be able to order these for you.
We will be publishing three to four books a month beginning in September 2015, and these include:
The Last Witness
by K. J. Parker
When you need a memory to be wiped, he’s the one you call. Transferring unwanted memories to his own mind is the only form of magic he’s ever been good at. But now, he’s holding so many memories he’s not always sure which ones are actually his, any more. Some of them are sensitive; all of them are private. And there are those who would kill to access the secrets he’s trying to bury…
A classic Parker tale with a strong supporting cast of princes, courtiers, merchants, academics, and generally unsavory people.
Every Heart a Doorway, Every Word a Prayer
by multiple Hugo winner Seanan McGuire
Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere… else. They have their adventures, live out their stories, and—if they’re lucky—die before they reach the end. Because magical lands have little use for used-up miracle children, and those who win find themselves spat back into a world that isn’t theirs anymore.
But what happens to the children in fantasy stories, when their tales inevitably end?
The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps
by Kai Ashante Wilson (DEBUT)
The Sorcerer Demane bears the bloodline of the long-departed Gods, granting him the strength and grace to pass through a troubled world. Still, he longs for more, for the love of his Captain and the freedom to express it. Horrors stalk the road they travel in this dark—but joyous—epic fantasy from an exciting new talent. Tor.com has been proud to publish Wilson’s short fiction in the past, and we are delighted to have the opportunity to bring his work to a commercial audience.
The Builders
by Daniel Polansky, author of the Low Town series
A missing eye.
A broken wing.
A stolen country.
The last job didn’t end well.
Years go by, and scars fade, but memories only fester. For the animals of the Captain’s company, survival has meant keeping a low profile, building a new life, and trying to forget the war they lost. But now the Captain’s whiskers are twitching at the idea of evening the score.
Of Sorrow and Such
by Angela Slatter
Mistress Gideon is a witch. The locals of Edda’s Meadow, if they suspect it of her, say nary a word—Gideon has been good to the community, and it’s always better to keep on her good side. Just in case.
When a foolish young shapeshifter goes against the wishes of her pack, and gets herself very publicly caught, the authorities find it impossible to deny the existence of the witches in their midst; Gideon and her like are captured, and tortured, bound for a fiery end.
Should Gideon give up her sisters in return for a quick death? Or is there a way to turn the situation to her advantage?
A tale of loyalty and betrayal, of hope and everlasting damnation from a World Fantasy Award finalist.
The Drowning Eyes
by Emily Foster (DEBUT)
When the Dragon Ships began to tear through the trade lanes and ravage coastal towns, the hopes of the archipelago turned to the Windspeakers on Tash. They could steal the breeze from the dragons’ sails and save the islands from their wrath. But the Windspeakers are gone, leaving only the young apprentice Shina to bring their magic back and save her people. The Drowning Eyes is the debut release for Emily Foster, who we discovered during our open submissions period.
With additional stories from:
Paul Cornell
Mary Robinette Kowal
Alter S. Reiss
Scott Harrison
Sylvia Spruck Wrigley
David Tallerman
Guy Haley
Michael R Underwood
Matt Wallace
and many more…
Senior Editor Lee Harris said, “We’ve been working hard to find some great novellas to launch our line, and we’ve been delighted by the quality and breadth of the stories we received. We can’t wait to share them with our readers.”
The Tor.com novella program is headed by Publisher Fritz Foy and Associate Publisher Irene Gallo. The editorial team is led by Senior Editor Lee Harris, with Carl Engle-Laird, Editorial Assistant, and support from a team of commissioning editors, which includes Jonathan Strahan and Justin Landon.
Tor.com is currently open to agented submissions, and will re-open to unsolicited submissions in a few months. To find out more about our upcoming stories and our assorted grains of wisdom from Lee and Carl, keep an eye on our semi-regular series “Editorially Speaking.”
