Tucson Festival of Books

Rotten to the Core


Join three powerhouse authors as they explain how they craft narratives where hard-won stability crumbles and characters face impossible choices. They will explore the mechanics of world-building, the psychology of survival and the narrative tension that comes from watching everything unravel.


Panelists
John Scalzi

One of the most popular science fiction authors, John Scalzi's debut, "Old Man's War," won him the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. His New York Times bestsellers include "The Last Colony," "Fuzzy Nation," "Redshirts," which won the Hugo Award for Best Novel, "The Kaiju Preservation Society," and "Starter Villain....

Martha Wells

Martha Wells has written many novels, including The New York Times and USA Today bestselling Murderbot Diaries series, which has won multiple Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and Alex Awards. Other works include "Witch King," "City of Bones," "The Wizard Hunters," "Wheel of the Infinite," the Books of the Raksura series, beginning with "The Cloud Roads" and ending with "The Harbors of the Sun," and the Nebula nominated "The Death of the Necromancer," as well as young adult fantasy novels and short stories....

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Adrienne Young

Adrienne Young is a foodie with a deep love of history and travel and a shameless addiction to coffee. When she’s not writing, she can be found on her yoga mat, sipping wine over long dinners or disappearing into her favorite art museums....

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Books:
Queen Demon
Martha Wells
Sci-Fi / Fantasy / Horror
Tor Publishing Group
October 2025
ISBN 9781250826916
400 pages
Buy now

Fallen City
Adrienne Young
Sci-Fi / Fantasy / Horror
St. Martin's Publishing Group
November 2025
ISBN 9781250794192
416 pages
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The Shattering Peace
Old Man's War Book 7
John Scalzi
Sci-Fi / Fantasy / Horror
Tor Publishing Group
September 2025
ISBN 9780765389190
288 pages
Buy now