Books published by Tor Books

Collected together for the first time, the exciting conclusion to New York Times bestselling author R. A. Salvatore's Saga of the First Kings series, set in the world of the DemonWarsIn The Dame, Bransen Garibond, the Highwayman, believes that the two warring lairds are two sides of the same coin. But he soon learns that view is simplistic at best. Bransen's road becomes a quest for the truth, of Honce and of himself, a quest to put right over wrong. In The Bear, the war of Honce drags on, and Bransen rejoins his solo quest to extricate himself from the selfish goals of all combatants. But in an odd twist of fate and crossed loyalties, Bransen sees in his old nemesis, Bannagran-the Bear of Honce and the man who slew his adoptive father-a darker image of his own heart. Allies and battle lines become tangled, motives indistinguishable as old friends become enemies, and old enemies become allies.The Highwayman comes full circle to learn the truth of his journey and the responsibilities of his great power.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Robert McCammon''s first contemporary novel in nearly two decades, The Five tells the story of an eponymous rock band struggling to survive on the margins of the music business. As they move through the American Southwest on what might be their final tour together, the band members come to the attention of a damaged Iraq war veteran, and their lives are changed forever. This is a riveting account of violence, terror, and pursuit set against a credible, immensely detailed rock and roll backdrop. It is also a moving meditation on loyalty and friendship. Written with wit, elegance, and passionate conviction, The Five reaffirms McCammon''s position as one of the finest, most unpredictable storytellers of our time.

The sequel to the New York Times bestselling Princeps, L.E. Modesitt''s Imager''s Battalion follows magical hero Quaeryt as he leads history''s first Imager fighting force into war. Given the rank of subcommander by his wife''s brother, Lord Bhayar, the ruler of Telaryn, Quaeryt joins an invading army into the hostile land of Bovaria, in retaliation for Bovaria''s attempted annexation of Telaryn. But Quaeryt has his own agenda in doing Bhayar''s bidding: to legitimize Imagers in the hearts and minds of all men, by demonstrating their value as heroes as he leads his battalion into one costly battle after another. Making matters worse, court intrigues pursue Quaeryt even to the front lines of the conflict, as the Imager''s enemies continue to plot against him.The Imager Portfolio#1 Imager / #2 ImagerΓÇÖs Challenge / #3 ImagerΓÇÖs Intrigue / #4 Scholar / #5 Princeps / #6 ImagerΓÇÖs Battalion / #7 Antiagon Fire / #8 Rex Regis / #9 Madness in Solidar / #10 TreacheryΓÇÖs Tools / #11 AssassinΓÇÖs Price/ #12 EndgamesOther series by this author:The Saga of RecluceThe Corean ChroniclesThe Spellsong CycleThe Ghost BooksThe Ecolitan Matter

L. E. Modesitt, Jr., author of the bestselling Saga of Recluce fantasy series, opens the door into a marvelous new world.Millennia ago, a magical disaster caused the fall of a great worldwide civilization, the end of a golden age. New civilizations have fought their way up from the ancient destruction and chaos, knowing little of the lost world that preceded them or the details of its fall. Corus today is a world of contending countries, of humans, but also of strange animals and supernatural creatures. It is a place of magical powers, and of a few people who are talented enough to use them.Alusius is pulled away from his beloved wife, Wendra, and into another war. Hemust first quell a strange religiously-inspired rebellion and then find a way to destroy the powerful weapons of ancient design, again being used by the forces of Madrien. When a different, covert enemy threatens, only the timely assistance of the mysterious ancient Soarers and the addition of Wendra's Talent to his own, give him any hope of success.The Corean ChroniclesLegaciesDarknessesSceptersAlector's ChoiceCadmian's ChoiceSoarer's ChoiceThe Lord-Protector's DaughterLady-ProtectorOther series by this author:The Saga of RecluceImager PortfolioThe Spellsong CycleThe Ghost BooksThe Ecolitan Matter

Salvatore's cast of exciting new characters, sure to become as iconic as his Forgotten Realms crew, continues the story in war-torn Corona.

When a nuclear missile launched by a rogue North Korean faction explodes in space the resulting shockwave destroys the world''s satellites, throwing global communication into chaos. The United States military satellites, designed to withstand such an assault, show that two more missiles are sitting on the launch pad in North Korea, ready to be deployed. Faced with the threat of a thermonuclear attack, the United States has only one possible defense: Able One.ABL-1, or Able One, is a modified 747 fitted with a high-powered laser able to knock out missiles in flight. But both the laser''s technology and the jet''s crew are untested. What was originally to be a training flight with a skeleton crew turns into a desperate race to destroy the two remaining nukes. Will Able One''s experimental technology be enough to prevent World War III-especially when it becomes clear that a saboteur is onboard?Able One is a timely thrill-ride by one of science fiction''s most respected novelists.

Two masters of epic fantasy have combined in this brilliant collaboration to create a rousing tale of the sort that becomes an instant favorite. This is the story of Shana, a halfbreed born of the forbidden union of an Elvenlord father and a human mother. Her exiled mother dead, she was rescued and raised by dragons, a proud, ancient race who existed unbeknownst to elven or humankind. From birth, Shana was the embodiment of the Prophecy that the all-powerful Elvenlords feared. Her destiny is the enthralling adventure of a lifetime.

Reaching far beyond sword and sorcery, The Scar is a story of two people torn by disaster, their descent into despair, and their reemergence through love and courage. Sergey and Marina Dyachenko mix dramatic scenes with romance, action and wit, in a style both direct and lyrical. Written with a sure artistic hand, The Scar is the story of a man driven by his own feverish demons to find redemption and the woman who just might save him. Egert is a brash, confident member of the elite guards and an egotistical philanderer. But after he kills an innocent student in a duel, a mysterious man known as "The Wanderer" challenges Egert and slashes his face with his sword, leaving Egert with a scar that comes to symbolize his cowardice. Unable to end his suffering by his own hand, Egert embarks on an odyssey to undo the curse and the horrible damage he has caused, which can only be repaired by a painful journey down a long and harrowing path. Plotted with the sureness of Robin Hobb and colored with the haunting and ominous imagination of Michael Moorcock, The Scar tells a story that cannot be forgotten.

Gloha is the only creature of her kind in all the world of Xanth, the beautiful offspring of a chance mating between a harpy and a goblin. As she grew to womanhood, she wondered where where she would find the one true love with whom she could share her life.So, naturally, she sets off to find the Good Magician Humfrey to ask him for an Answer to the riddle of her heart''s desire. But Humfrey, for mysterious reason of his own, propels her instead on a perilous quest in search of truth, friendship, and, just possibly, happiness... in Piers Anthony''s Harpy Thyme.

Fred Saberhagen, author of the Berserker series, presents Ardneh''s Sword, the critical bridge between his Empire of the East series and the Swords and Lost Swords novels in the Ardneh Sequence, set in a world in which technology has failed and magic, demons, gods, and wizards have subsequently appeared.It''s been a thousand years since the time of Ardneh, the transcendant being that saved humanity from the vicious archdemon Orcus. It was a legndary battle between magic and technology that killed them both, but left behind tales of Ardneh''s heroism and newly found hope for humanity. But in the passing years only a few remain that actually believe these legends as truths.Chance Rolfson comes from a long line of Ardneh''s followers, descendants from Rolf, the illustrious warrior who fought in Ardneh''s name for humanity many years ago. A young man plagued with vivid nightmares, Chance hopes to clear his head by joining a forest expedition that seeks physical proof of Ardneh''s existence. Their goal is to discover the great vault prophesized to hold the savior of humanity''s secrets to his own power and wisdom. But the dangers are high in the uncharted forests, rife with bandits and demons that no magic can stop. And as Chance''s dreams become more clear, he soon realizes these are not merely dreams but visions, and he alone holds the key to unlocking Ardneh''s greatest gift, known to the followers as Ardneh''s Sword.

2107 AD: A generation ago, Earth and the cislunar colonies banned genetic and cybernetic modifications. But out in the Asteroid Belt, anything goes. Dozens of flourishing space habitats are spawning exotic new societies and strange new varieties of humans. It''s a volatile situation that threatens the peace and stability of the entire solar system.Emerald Blair is a Troubleshooter. Inspired by the classic superhero comics of the twentieth century, she''s joined with other mods to try to police the unruly Asteroid Belt. But her loyalties are tested when she finds herself torn between rival factions of superhumans with very different agendas. Emerald wants to put her special abilities to good use, but what do you do when you can''t tell the heroes from the villains?Only Superhuman is a rollicking hard-SF adventure set in a complex and fascinating future.

A fascinating examination of the fragile balance between consciousness, man and insect from one of the best-loved science fiction creators of all time.In an overpopulated world seeking living room in the jungles, the International Ecological Organization was systematically exterminating the voracious insects which made these areas uninhabitable. Using deadly foamal bombs and newly developed vibration weapons, men like Joao Martinho and his co-workers fought to clear the green hell of the Mato Grosso.But somehow those areas which had been completely cleared were becoming reinfested, despite the impenetrable vibration barriers. And tales came out of the jungles . . . of insects mutated to incredible sizes . . . of creatures who seemed to be men, but whose eyes gleamed with the chitinous sheen of insects. . . .

The dazzling conclusion to the Demon Child Trilogy and the third book in the Hythrun Chronicles, Harshini is an epic tale of heroism, honor, love . . . and terrible loss.Medalon has surrendered to foreign invaders and Tarja is once more an outlaw. The Defenders have scattered and their only hope is Damin Wolfblade and his Hythrun army. But Damin has his own problems. The High Prince is dead and he must lift the siege on the Hythrun capital and defeat an usurper before he can come to Medalon''s aid. For R''shiel time is running out. She has finally accepted her destiny as the Demon Child, but must search for answers. She must defeat Xaphista soon or the Harshini will be destroyed; she must find a way to bring peace to the divided southern nations, to free Medalon from Karien occupation and to find the strength to finally put an end to Loclon. But how do you defeat a God?The Hythrun ChroniclesDemon Child: Medalon / Treason Keep / HarshiniWolfblade: Wolfblade / Warrior / Warlord / Short Story: "Elezaar''s Rules of Gaining and Wielding Power"War of the Gods: The Lyre Thief / Retribution / Covenant / Brakandaran the Halfbreed

Usually Crosstime Traffic concerns itself with trade. Our world owns the secret of travel between parallel continuums, and we mean to use it to trade for much-needed resources with the worlds next door. Preferably without letting them know about any of that parallel-worlds stuff.But there''s one parallel world that''s different. In it, the atomic war broke out in 1967, at the height of the Summer of Love. Now, Crosstime Traffic has been given a different sort of mission: find out what on earth, or on the many earths, went wrong, in The Valley-Westside War, the sixth book in Harry Turtledove''s parallel adventure series.

John Rayburn thought all of his problems were the mundane ones of an Ohio farm boy in his last year in high school. Then his doppelgänger appeared, tempted him with a device that let him travel across worlds, and stole his life from him. John soon finds himself caroming through universes, unable to return home-the device is broken. John settles in a new universe to unravel its secrets and fix it.Meanwhile, his doppelgänger tries to exploit the commercial technology he''s stolen from other Earths: the Rubik''s Cube! John''s attempts to lie low in his new universe backfire when he inadvertently introduces pinball. It becomes a huge success. Both actions draw the notice of other, more dangerous travelers, who are exploiting worlds for ominous purposes. Fast-paced and exciting, this is SF adventure at its best from a rising star.

The Gate of Fire continues Tom Harlan's remarkable fantasy epic, following the increasingly dangerous conflicts both military and sorcerous in an alternate ancient Roman Empire. The sorcerer Dahak plots from his hidden citadel to regain the Peacock Throne. Prince Maxian, having raised both Julius Ceasar and Alexander the Great from the dead, now considers how to use them to free Rome from the curse of the Oath. Thyatis has fled with the widowed Queen of Persia to a hidden island; Dwyrin's thaumaturgic unit is shattered as Zoe discovers the destruction of Palmyra and, as its new queen, vows revenge against Rome. And in Mecca, Ahmet's friend and Palmyra's lieutenant Mohammed receives a vision, and a command, and the power to strive against the forces of darkness.

Gideon Smith and the Mask of the Ripper is the finale in David Barnett's riproaring steampunk adventures about a Britain that never was...but should have been.In an alternate nineteenth century where a technologically advanced Britain holds sway over most of the known world and the American Revolution never happened, young Gideon Smith is firmly established as the Hero of the Empire. Back in London, Gideon and his colleagues: journalist Aloysius Bent, airship pilot Rowena Fanshawe, and Maria, the mechanical girl to whom Gideon has lost his heart, are dragged into a case that is confounding the Metropolitan Police. For the city is on the edge of mass rioting due to the continuing reign of terror by the serial killer known only as Jack the Ripper, who is rampaging though London's less salubrious quarters.While chasing the madman, a villain from their past strips Gideon Smith of his memory and is cast adrift in the seedy underbelly of London, where life is tough and death lurks in every shadowy alley.With mob rule threatening to engulf London, the Empire has never needed its hero more...but where is Gideon Smith?

David Barnett's Gideon Smith and the Brass Dragon is a fantastical steampunk fable set against an alternate historical backdrop: the ultimate Victoriana/steampunk mash-up!Nineteenth century London is the center of a vast British Empire, a teeming metropolis where steam-power is king and airships ply the skies, and where Queen Victoria presides over three quarters of the known world-including the east coast of America, following the failed revolution of 1775.Young Gideon Smith has seen things that no green lad of Her Majesty's dominion should ever experience. Through a series of incredible events Gideon has become the newest Hero of the Empire. But Gideon is a man with a mission, for the dreaded Texas pirate Louis Cockayne has stolen the mechanical clockwork girl Maria, along with a most fantastical weapon-a great brass dragon that was unearthed beneath ancient Egyptian soil. Maria is the only one who can pilot the beast, so Cockayne has taken girl and dragon off to points east. Gideon and his intrepid band take to the skies and travel to the American colonies hot on Cockayne's trail. Not only does Gideon want the machine back, he has fallen in love with Maria. Their journey will take them to the wilds of the lawless lands south of the American colonies - to free Texas, where the mad King of Steamtown rules with an iron fist (literally), where life is cheap and honor even cheaper.Does Gideon have what it takes to not only save the day but win the girl?

Beyond the world we know there is a multiverse of Modes where many strange realities interlock in an infinitely intricate pattern, and a perverse and deranged Emperor plays a deadly multidimensional game with human pawns as his slaves.Now, with DoOon Mode, Piers Anthony at last delivers the breathtaking climax to this awesome saga. Fearing the heroine Coleen''s dawning power, the depraved Emperor Ddwng dispatches a terrible Mind Monster to assault her soul and bend her to his will. To protect herself, and those she loves, Coleen must journey back through many worlds to her own home on Earth, face her deepest and darkest fears, and draw the strength for a final confrontation to save the multiverse from tyranny and domination.

Jake Sullivan has cheated death: he's discarded his doomed biological body and copied his consciousness into an android form. The new Jake falls for the android version of Karen, a woman rediscovering all the joys of life now that she's no longer constrained by a worn-out body either.

It is the beginning of the twenty-first century and one woman is determined to bring America and the world back on track in the technological future. She has the strength, the intelligence, the money. It will be done. This is the story of the rebirth of innovative technological expansion on Earth and in space.

Haunted Homeland is a comprehensive collection of true ghostly tales, not penned by fictioneers such as Poe and King, but passed on by word of mouth and preserved by memory as windows to our nation's haunted past.From a haunted castle in the wilds of Alaska to phantom clergymen in the southwest and mysterious bouncing lights on the east coast, this latest volume covers the places, the people, and the things that belong to the earthbound realm of the fantastic.Norman has gathered together spectral events of all kinds: apparitions of the famous like Mary Surratt, Mary Todd Lincoln, and Mad Anthony Wayne, haunted crime scenes in Chicago and along the Indiana byways, as well as banshees, poltergeists, and even a ghost named George who has become an accepted resident in a North Carolina home.These anecdotes are not the stuff of imaginary nightmares, but of tales of personal encounters with the haunted parts of America.

Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and Steven Barnes: this powerhouse trio of science fiction greats unites to further explore the island paradise of Camelot from their classic novel, Legacy of Herorot. A new generation is growing up on the island paradise of Camelot, ignorant of the Great Grendel Wars fought when their parents and grandparents first arrived on Earth. Setting out for the mainland, this group of young rebels feels ready to fight any grendels that get in their way. On Avalon, however, there are monsters which dwarf the ones their parents fought, and as the group will soon learn, monsters also dwell in the human heart.

It's after 9/11. After the bombing. After the Iraq war. After 7/7. After the Iran war. After the nukes. After the flu. After the Straits. After Rosyth. In a world just down the road from our own, on-line bloggers vie with old-line political operatives and new-style police to determine just where reality lies.James Travis is a British patriot and a French spy. On the day the Big One hits, Travis and his daughter must strive to make sense of the nuclear bombing of Scotland and the political repercussions of a series of terrorist attacks. With the information war in full swing, the only truth they have is what they're able to see with their own eyes. They know that everything else is--or may be--a lie.