Thor's latest children's book, STAR AND THE MAESTRO, is now available! Published by HarperCollins/Greenwillow and illustrated by the wonderful Matt Schu, it tells the true story of the starling Mozart bought from a shop in Vienna after he heard it singing one of his compositions! On sale now at your local independent bookstore or through any online retailer.
Thor is happy to finally announce the release of an audio edition of his first book, The Impenetrable Forest. It is read by the wonderful Andy Ingalls, who also narrated Feathers as well as the UK edition of Hurricane Lizards. Andy gives perfect voice to the story of Thor's years in Uganda, where he worked with local guides and trackers to develop a mountain gorilla tourism program in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. You can download the full recording from Audible.com or iTunes, and it is also available alongside the paperback and e-book versions at Amazon.
Greenwillow Books has released the cover for Thor's new children's book, featuring wonderful illustrations by Portland artist Matt Schu! Star and the Maestro: How a Musical Bird Made Melodies with Mozart will be released on September 24th. Visit Greenwillow/Harper Collins to learn more and find links for pre-orders!
As a guest on The UnBelievable with Dan Aykroyd, Thor helps explain the science of everything from headless chickens to The Oracle of Delphi to the glowworms of Waitomo Cave. Tune in to this fun and informative ten-episode series on The History Channel. Click here for broadcast schedule and streaming options.
A NY Times Editor's Pick and finalist for The Pacific Northwest Book Award, Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid is now available in paperback across North America! For a review, check out this one in The New York Times, and for an introduction to some of the stories in the book, here a video Thor did for WIRED.
More than 600 titles were submitted for consideration in the nonfiction category for the 2022 National Book Awards. Thor and four other judges have winnowed that list to five finalists:
Meghan O’Rourke, The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness
Riverhead Books / Penguin Random House
Imani Perry, South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation
Ecco / HarperCollins Publishers
David Quammen, Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus
Simon & Schuster
Ingrid Rojas Contreras, The Man Who Could Move Clouds: A Memoir
Doubleday / Penguin Random House
Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa, His Name Is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice
Viking Books / Penguin Random House
All of these are spectacular books worthy of attention. The winner will be announced at the National Book Award Ceremony in New York on November 16th. Read more about the award and the finalists here.
Thor's comments on the idea of "warWilding" in Ukraine and beyond feature prominently in a recent article by journalist and photographer Vincent Mundy. Click here to read the full story in The Guardian.
