Monthly Archives: December 2009

Published: December 31, 2009

Books, and an Interview with Nnedi Okorafor

This is a Worldbuilders blog.

Nnedi Okorafor was one of the very first writers I met when I was starting my publishing career. We both won places in Volume 18 of Writers of the Future back in 2002, and we met out at the workshop in LA.

I think I even have a picture of us back then at the award Ceremony. Let me see if I can find it….

(Awww…. Look at us. We’re cute as fluffy puppies…)

Nnedi’s a dynamo, and way tougher than I am. After I got my master’s degree, I left academia behind me, shaking the dust from my feet. But Nnedi got her PhD.

In fact, she got her PHD, had a baby, and launched her writing career pretty much all at the same time. Like I said: Dynamo.

But in addition to that, she’s a lot of fun. So when I started thinking of doing interviews for Worldbuilders, I thought of Nnedi….

Heya Nnedi. Let’s say you’re at a party and you meet someone you wanted to impress. What sort of things about your writing career would you casually drop into the conversation to prove that you’re awesome?

I’d mention that I won some awards and stuff and that I like to write about a Nigeria enslaved by juju-powered computers.

Which awards have you won? Anything super-cool?

My novel, Zahrah the Windseeker, won the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature. That was cool because not only did I win $20,000 but I was flown to Nigerian for a ceremony where I got to meet one of my greatest idols, Sub-Saharan Africa’s first Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka. Coolest day ever.

My children’s book, Long Juju Man, won the Macmillan Writer’s Prize for Africa. Last month, the University of Illinois gave me a Special Recognition Award. I’ve also been a finalist for the Tiptree Award, Golden Duck Award, Andre Norton Award, WSFA Small Press Award, Theodore Sturgeon Award, Essence Magazine Literary Award, an NAACP Image Award, blah blah.

Wow. That’s a lot of mojo. Back in the sixth grade I won an award for doing the best lip sync in my com class, but you’ve totally got that beat.

Uh, dude, you also won the freakin’ Quill Award and were a NYT bestseller. Can’t forget those, man. ;-)

They just gave me the Quill because I’m pretty. What are you reading right now?

Otherland by Tad Williams. I read the series back when it first came out. My disgust with District 9 made me want to reread it; to wash away the grime. It’s working. Next up, King’s Under the Dome.

If you had to pick your favorite book of all time, what would it be?

The Talisman by Stephan King and Peter Straub. I first read it when I was twelve. That book unlocked a door in me that will never close. I still return to it every so often, despite the character of Speedy Parker being a “Magical Negro”, heh.

That’s a term I first heard of because of you, but not a lot of people know about it. Care to explain?

There are five points I came up with to spot a Magical Negro. Speedy Parker hits them all (well, number 3 is a little shaky until Black House). Here they are:

1. He or she is a person of color, typically black, often Native American, in a story about predominantly white characters.

2. He or she seems to have nothing better to do than help the white protagonist, who is often a stranger to the Magical Negro at first.

3. He or she disappears, dies, or sacrifices something of great value after or while helping the white protagonist.

4. He or she is uneducated, mentally handicapped, at a low position in life, or all of the above.

5. He or she is wise, patient, and spiritually in touch. Closer to the earth, one might say. He or she often literally has magical powers.

Check out my essay, “Stephen King’s Super-Duper Magical Negroes”, on the Strange Horizons website here.

If you lost a bet and had to stand under Neil Gaiman’s window at midnight and serenade him. What song would you pick?

Lady Ga Ga’s “Poker Face”, the acoustic version.

Which would you rather do: cut out 20% of your current book, or insert a wacky talking animal sidekick (a la Disney movie) into half the chapters because the marketing people think it would make the book sell better.

Hey, I write for Disney (The Shadow Speaker is published by Disney and I’m writing a Disney Fairy chapter book titled Iridessa and the Fire-Bellied Dragon Frog). :-P. Plus I love wacky talking sidekick animals! I’ve got one in The Shadow Speaker. Well, Onion (Ejii’s camel) speaks in monotone and with very very few words but yeah. :-D.

Heh. I’ve read Shadow Speaker, but I never thought of the Ejii’s camel in the same vein as the classic Disney animal sidekick.

True. Onion’s nothing like Abu in Aladdin or Mu-Shu the Dragon in Mulan. But I think the wacky Disney side-kick can be an asset when done with some finesse.

I like the idea of a sh*t-talking parrot or miniature hedgehog who makes no sense whenever she speaks. Or how about a jive-talking black monkey whose catchphrase is “AW DAAAYAUM”?

What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received?

At a book signing, a grown man once told me that my YA novel Zahrah the Windseeker made him see spiders and insects everywhere he went for days. Ha ha, he looked relatively sane, but I guess you never know.

What’s the most hurtful thing someone has ever said in a review of your book?

This white guy (won’t mention names), once wrote that he wouldn’t read my novels because it’s full of black people and had no white characters to “balance it out”. Nice.

If you could punch one literary figure, who would it be?

HA HA HA HA! OMG, dare I answer this…nah. My response would be absolutely SCANDALOUS.

Aww… Come on. You tell me yours and I’ll tell you mine…

Believe me, you wouldn’t believe who it is. It would be very very bad press for me to speak the name. It’s utter blasphemy. But it makes me giggle that this name was the first thing to instantly pop into my head when I considered your question.

Okay. I don’t want to get you in trouble…

The poet Edith Sitwell used to lie in an open coffin each day before she started writing. Do you have any little rituals that help you write?

I have a lot of rituals. An interesting one is that I must turn on my space heater and set it right beside me. Even during most of the summer days. I need to be hot when I write. Ok, that sounds kind of suggestive. Heh, you know what I mean.

Through an effort of pure will, I’ll resist the urge to make the obvious joke….

I recently made a joke about “transition putty” on my blog. That being, of course, the what we writers buy at Home Depot to smooth out our rough transitions.

If you could have some sort of handyman tool like that, something like Plot Spackle or a Character Level. What would it be?

Natural-Looking Filler for those tough glaring gaps between the exciting parts of the story where crazy sh*t happens.

You can just say shit if you want. We’re all friends here. Nobody’s going to judge you.

Yeah, I figured it was ok with you. It’s just that I judge myself. I was raised to never use profanity, so it’s still odd for me. Ironically, I’m a big fan of cursing; it’s one of the reasons I enjoy hip-hop so much. I do most of my cursing in my fiction. Like in my short story, “On the Road” in the Eclipse 3 Anthology.

Hmmm… Now that you mention it. I cuss a lot in real life, but not very much in my books. I wonder if there’s a connection.

There is!

Maybe I need to save some of my cussing, so I can put it into a book later. I didn’t know it was a finite resource…. Anyway, that’s all I’ve got. Thanks so much for the interview, and thanks for donating some books to the cause.

:-). And thank you for putting it all together. I’m happy to be a part of it.


“Okorafor-Mbachu’s imagination is stunning.” – the New York Times


Remember folks, for every 10 dollars you donate to Heifer International, you get a chance to win hundreds of books like these: some signed, some limited edition, some out of print. Plus there’s the whole helping make the world a better place thing. That’s nice too.

And don’t forget, I’m matching 50% of all donations made. So why not head over to my page at Team Heifer and chip in. Trust me. You’ll feel great afterward.

Or, if you want to go back to the main page for Worldbuilders, you can click HERE.

With thanks to our sponsor, Subterranean Press.


(I keep trying to write a limerick, but nothing rhymes with Subterranean.)
Labels: Nnedi Ocorafor, Worldbuilders 2009, recommendations
posted by Pat 20 Comments
Published: December 29, 2009

Still even yet more books from DAW

This is a Worldbuilders blog.
Third time’s a charm folks. Here’s the third and final blog full of books from DAW. We’ve got stuff from some big-name authors. Both ARCs and some hardcover sets.

Share and Enjoy.


From Publishers Weekly, “Travel into another dimension is a popular fantasy ploy, but rarely accomplished with such humor, terror and even logic as in this stand-alone by bestseller Williams.”


“Truly one of the great voices of speculative fiction, C.S. Friedman winds up her highly original Coldfire trilogy in brilliant fashion in CROWN OF SHADOWS… The sheer imaginative genius, not to mention incredible power, of Ms. Friedman’s formidable storytelling gift is indescribable-you simply just have to experience it.” -Romantic Times Magazine

A stunning novel, it combines good historical world-building, vampires, religion, and transcendence in a tale that is both entertaining and cathartic… A feast for those who like their fantasies dark, and as emotionally heady as a rich, red wine.” -Locus

  • A set of the first two books in the Magister Trilogy, Feast of Souls and Wings of Wrath by C.S. Friedman.


“C.S. Friedman makes fantastic things-and frightening things-seem very real. Her characters are people, not just place-holders, and the worlds she creates are tangible as a live feed from the battlefront of a crash-landing in a savage and unfamiliar wilderness. She also writes bright, clear prose taht can shine like gemstones or cut like broken glass. If you haven’t read her work you need to do something about that right now.” – Tad Williams


From Library Journal, “Continuing the tale begun in Owlflight and Owlsight, Lackey’s latest novel set in the world of Valdemar exhibits the author’s characteristic attention to detail and character development. This welcome addition to the series belongs in most fantasy collections.”


From Library Journal, “In the latest in her popular Valdemar series, Lackey combines the intensity of a young man’s agonized coming of age with a tale of love, honor, and sacrifice. Essential for series fans, this title belongs in most fantasy collections.”


SFsite reviewer Georges T. Dodds says, “Flights of Fantasy contains 10 original tales of birds of prey (plus one about crows) ranging from humorous to dark fantasy. There are tales of falconry, Native American tribal totem birds, Arthurian reincarnations, along with stubborn princesses and nasty sorcerers. There is also a novella by Mercedes Lackey which further develops one of the neglected characters of her recent novel, Black Swan [...] If you are a fantasy reader and bird-lover — in particular of birds of prey — you will likely enjoy much of the material in Flights of Fantasy.”


From Publishers Weekly, “This uplifting tale, which contains a valuable lesson or two on the virtues of hard work, is a must-read for dragon lovers in particular and for fantasy fans in general.”


From Library Journal, “Basing her latest fantasy on the tragic ballet Swan Lake, Lackey adds her own embellishments and interpretations to provide the story with a new ending.”


From sffworld, “If the richness of the world and pacing are the best qualities of the book, these two come together quite strongly in the climax of the novel. Gods and men fighting in fantastical ships with magic and humanity’s freedom at stake – sure, a small encapsulation, but Marco builds to it quite well and the payoff is solid.”


“This epic fantasy novel, first in a brand new series, is a well-crafted addition to a much-beloved genre. The book’s characters are well-drawn, and although the plot is fairly dense, the story moves along at a smart pace…the author creates a compelling and entertaining read.” – Voya

  • A hardcover set of John Marco’s trilogy: The Eyes of God; The Devil’s Armor; and The Sword of Angels.


“Mr. Marco has delivered an epic fantasy with heart and pathos. His characters are flawed and believable, wholly sympathetic to the reader. He paints a landscape of palace grandeur and desert desolation where magic is a reality and winning a battle is not winning the war.” – Romantic Times


From Publishers Weekly, “Jude Fisher inaugurates his Fool’s Gold series with Sorcery Rising, the story of a rebellious young knife maker’s adventures at the great Allfair, held yearly in the shadow of a sacred rock that her people, the Eyrans, call Sur’s Castle, and the Istrians (their former enemies) call Falla’s Rock. Though Katla Aransen’s boldness in climbing the mount puts her in grave danger, old feuds and strange sorcery seem equally threatening in a tale that asks as many questions as it answers.”

  • A hardcover set of the Jude Fisher’s trilogy Fool’s Gold: Sorcery Rising, Wild Magic, and The Rose of the World.


From Booklist *Starred Review* “The nerve-wracking, intoxicating conclusion of the Fool’s Gold series is the fabulous, multilayered, poetic story of a world, full of complex, painfully real, endearingly vulnerable characters, on the very brink of either enlightenment or extinction.”

  • A hardcover copy of The Collected Short Fiction of C.J. Cherryh.

From Booklist, “This massive and valuable collection reprints all of Cherryh’s short fiction, beginning with the contents of two out-of-print theme collections [...] Cherryh crafts even less impressive stories well enough to verify her reputation for brilliance and versatility.”


From Publishers Weekly, “In the fifth entry in her chronicles of the Chanur clan, space-faring members of a catlike alien race called the hani, Cherryh includes more humor than previously while demonstrating a remarkable ability to imagine alien psychologies.”



From the Booklist review of Defender: “This excellent and intelligent book by one of sf’s most powerful imaginations sports a plot that is always complex, occasionally convoluted, and seldom independent of that of Precursor, to which it is the direct sequel, continuing another of Cherryh’s sagas of human-alien interaction. Like its predecessor, it is a good read, too.”


From the Publishers Weekly Starred Review, “The long-awaited, intricate sequel to Cherryh’s Hugo-winning Cyteen (1989) brings events full circle. [...] Complex and rich, with beautifully rounded characters, this novel can stand alone, but will delight fans of Cyteen with extra layers of meaning that resonate between old and new.”

This is the third blog with DAW’s donations to the fundraiser. You can find the first one HERE and the second one HERE.

Remember folks, for every 10 dollars you donate to Heifer International, you get a chance to win hundreds of books like these: some signed, some limited edition, some out of print. Plus there’s the whole helping make the world a better place thing. That’s nice too.

And don’t forget, I’m matching 50% of all donations made. So why not head over to my page at Team Heifer and chip in. Trust me. You’ll feel great afterward.

Or, if you want to go back to the main page for Worldbuilders you can click HERE.

As always, with thanks to our sponsor, Subterranean Press.

Labels: Worldbuilders 2009
posted by Pat 11 Comments
Published: December 29, 2009

More books from DAW

This is a Worldbuilders blog.

Okay folks, time for the rest of the DAW books. This blog has mostly ARCs. (Advance reading copies)

ARCs are cool because sometimes they’re different from the original published book, and quite frequently they’re “Uncorrected” which means that you can find typos in them. Remember, nothing makes you feel more superior than catching an author using “it’s” when it should be “its.”


From Kirkus Reviews, “This smoky mix of magic, legend, people both mythic and real, and the ancient savageries of war supplies a chronological link between Bradley’s The Forest House, set in first-century Britain, and her Arthurian saga, The Mists of Avalon. [...] The prose is as smooth as those sacred stones on which so many interesting things take place.”


From Kirkus Reviews, “Bradley poses her heroine a fine set of problems and supplies satisfying answers.”


From Library Journal, “Coauthors Bradley and Lackey combine their considerable talents to illuminate a seminal event in Darkover’s long histroy from both the Terran and Darkovan perspectives. Series fans will welcome this title.”



From VOYA, “As her health declined, Bradley invited coauthor Ross to join her, not in a continuation of her ‘modern’ Darkover novels, but in a return to the Ages of Chaos in The Clingfire Trilogy. This riveting page-turner, full of action and suspense, fleshes out the characters introduced in previous books. Bradley, who died in 1999, could not have left her Darkover creation in better hands. Fans will be pleased, and those new to the world of Darkover have a treat in store for them.”


Booklist calls it, “a high-class addition to Bradley’s Darkover saga.”

  • An ARC of The Burning Heart of Night by Ivan Cat.


SFsite says, “The Burning Heart of Night is a classic-style space opera, with plenty of suspense, sympathetic characters both human and alien, and interesting world building [...] It’s entertaining, and the various concepts — the biology of the fugueship, the ecology of New Ascension, the pathology of Scourge — are credibly integrated into the plot.”


Library Journal says, “From Ray Bradbury’s gentle tale of love’s conquest of fear (“The Love Affair”), never before published in the United States, to Michael Moorcock’s ebullient homage to the Mars fiction of Leigh Brackett (“The Lost Sorceress of the Silent Citadel”), the 16 original stories in this collection capture the eternal fascination with the red planet. Including tales by Ian McDonald, Gene Wolfe, and other veteran sf authors, the stories in this volume range from science fantasy to high-tech adventure and belong in most libraries’ sf collections.”


From the back of the book: “What does the future hold for humankind? When we finally break free of this planet to launch ourselves into space on a more permanent basis, what will the classifieds of tomorrow read like? What will be the hottest jobs? Which positions will offer the chance for adventure, advancement, discovery, travel to distant worlds, and the accumulation of wealth?

Here are fourteen stories that answer these questions, tales of the challenges, perils, and responsibilities that workers of the future may have to face – from a librarian who could determine the fate of an alien race … to a pair of space mechanics assigned a repair job for a species that despises humankind … to a ballet instructor who must find a way to tailor human dance forms for a multilimbed sentient being …”


Booklist gave this one a Starred Review, saying, “Farrell’s smashing series outdoes itself with each new volume. This one constitutes a wonderful tale of transformations, personal for Sevei and Kayne, global for the evolving consciousness of two species in conflict. Good enough to be cast in gold.”


From Booklist, “Gilligan’s adventure-romance begins a new series, Silken Magic, set in an alternate seventeenth-century Europe [...] Gilligan creates an interesting world and develops it well, fills it with well-constructed characters, and engages them in a plot that definitely keeps one turning pages.”


“these excellent newly made legends are as entertaining and imaginative.” – Booklist


SFsite review by Rich Horton, “Past Imperfect is a themed original anthology on the subject of time travel. The dozen stories included ring some mostly familiar changes on the time travel idea: variations of visiting yourself in the past and fixing things, of falling in love with someone in the past, of visiting the past to collect something valuable when it is still cheap, and of tangling past events into paradoxical knots that seem cleverly resolved to the reader even as the participants are confused.”


VOYA reviews the book, saying that “this futuristic tale, set in the year 2158, is more of a thriller than a sci-fi adventure.[...] Interesting characters, many of them teenagers, populate the story. The dialogue is quite realistic, and Greeno makes good use of romance, humor, and action to keep the story fast paced. The violent action is graphic. Young readers might get bogged down by political intrigue involving the pope and the ayatollah (don’t ask). But the book is exciting, and each chapter’s log entry format-date, time, location-is enjoyable.”


“Fresh, witty and amusing. Great reading for a hot summer night.” -Science Fiction Chronicle


VOYA, “This collection of original short stories about dragons, unicorns, and other legendary creatures finds well-established fantasy authors, such as Jody Lynn Nye, alongside others, including Pamela Luzier McCutcheon, who have never published fantasy fiction. This book will appeal to teens who read fantasy fiction, and it has the potential to be popular with mature Harry Potter fans.”

Includes all-new, original stories by Jody Lynn Nye, Michelle West, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Josepha Sherman, P.N. Elrod, Rosemary Edghill, Gary A. Braunbeck and others.”


From Booklist, “Although the emphasis is on humor throughout the collection, there is enough variety in it to please a broad range of fantasy readers.”


From Booklist, “Given the career of an English boy named Harry, the creation of an American school for magic-workers was inevitable. Not inevitable was that the place be a fount of intelligent, if sometimes lightweight, entertainment.”

“This entertaining blend of fantasy and history…invites comparison with Mary Stewart and Marion Zimmer Bradley.” – Publishers Weekly

  • An ARC of Women Writing Science Fiction as Men edited by Mike Resnick.


Cynthia Ward says, “When an anthology is titled Women Writing Science Fiction as Men, readers expect either stories on the cutting edge of feminist/gender theory, or a tribute to the late James Tiptree, Jr., the female author everyone thought was male. However, the anthology meets neither expectation. It has a different mandate. [...] Ccontributors include some big names and hot up-and-comers, among them Kay Kenyon, Mercedes Lackey, Susan R. Matthews, Terry McGarry, Severna Park, Laura Resnick, Jennifer Roberson, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Karen E. Taylor, and singer-songwriter Janis Ian.”


From the back of the book: “In the fifth novel of the Sun Sword series, acclaimed author Michelle West returns to a war-torn world of noble houses divided and demon lords unleashed…”


I actually read this one a couple years ago and really enjoyed it…

“Fast-paced, witty and shrewd … futuristic pulp for the thinking reader … No one who got two paragraphs into this dark, droll, downright irresistible novel could ever bear to put it down until the last heart pounding moment.”- SF Site

“A tongue-in-cheek hardboiled attitude .. good fun for those who can handle the concentrated doses of humor.” – Locus



“Terrific! It’s going to be classic…” – Marion Zimmer Bradley

This is the second blog with DAW’s donations. You can find the first one HERE and the third one HERE.

Remember folks, for every 10 dollars you donate to Heifer International, you get a chance to win hundreds of books like these. Some signed, some limited edition, some out of print. Plus there’s the whole helping make the world a better place thing. That’s nice too.

And don’t forget, I’m matching 50% of all donations made. So why not head over to my page at Team Heifer and chip in. Trust me. You’ll feel great afterward.

Or, if you want to go back to the main page for the Worldbuilders fundraiser you can click HERE.

With thanks to our sponsor, Subterranean Press.

Labels: Worldbuilders 2009
posted by Pat 3 Comments
Published: December 28, 2009

Signed books from DAW

This is a Worldbuilders blog.

It should come as no surprise that DAW has a special place in my heart. They are my publisher, after all. And without my lovely editor Betsy, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Continuing a long chain of generosity and kindness, the folks at DAW have donated boxes and boxes of books to Worldbuilders this year: signed books, out of print books, ARC’s….

The truth is, they sent so many books that I can’t fit them all into one blog. So this first one will just be the signed copies.

  • Hardcover copies of City of Golden Shadow, River Blue Fire, and Sea of Silver Light by Tad Williams. Signed by the author.




Back in the day, when I was toiling away on an early version of my book, reading Tad’s stuff gave me hope. I knew my book was going to be Big, and it reassured me that big, thick fantasy novels like The Dragonbone Chair had a place in the publishing world.

These days, Tad Williams and I share both an agent and an editor. In the publishing world, that makes us the equivalent of half-brothers. I met him one week before my own book hit the shelves, and I wrote one of my very first blogs about it. Here’s a link, if you’re interested.

Suffice to say that I’m fond of Tad for all sorts of reasons, so you really shouldn’t trust my opinion about his books. I’m biased.

Instead why don’t you trust the San Fransisco Chronicle when they describe the Otherland books as, “The ultimate virtual-reality saga, borrowing motifs from cyberpunk, mythology, and world history.”

  • A hardcover copy of Tad Williams‘ Shadowmarch with signed bookplate.


“Packed with intriguing plot twists, this surreal fantasy takes the reader on a thrill ride.” – Publishers Weekly

  • A hardcover copy of Tad Williams‘ The War of the Flowers with signed bookplate.


A modern faerie tale. Reviewing this book, Publishers Weekly said, “Williams’s imagination is boundless…”

  • A hardcover copy of The Hidden City by Michelle West with signed bookplate.


Michelle West is another person that I’m hopelessly biased toward. Not only did she write my favorite review ever for my book, but she’s a profoundly lovely person on top of it.

So instead you should listen to John Ottinger when he says that Hidden City…”is a worthy addition to the fantasy canon, both for its unusual nature, and its deep meanderings into the human psyche on the subjects of pain, loss, and hope in adversity.”


SF Signal says, “A perfectly balanced combination of political intrigue, fast action and meticulous world building [...] never fails to involve the reader.”


Harriet Klausner says Flight of this book is, “a terrific entry into the wonderful swashbuckling fantasy world of Mickey Zucker Reichert.”

  • A copy of Stronghold by Melanie Rawn with signed bookplate.


According to The Midwest Book Review, Stronghold “will delight any enthusiast of dragon fantasies and complex fantasy worlds [...] a stunning world replete with romance, power struggles, unexpected controntations between individuals and beasts, and political intrigue.”


“This novel grips the reader with a swift-moving tale of political intrigue and economic survival in a world where the most dangerous secrets are never forgotten.” – Publishers Weekly


“Owlsight will bring new fans into the fold, and please those who already love the land of Valdemar.”-Starlog

  • A copy of Gwenhwyfar: The White Spirit by Mercedes Lackey with signed insert.


From Rave Reviews, “Lackey is a spellbinding storyteller who keeps your heart in your mouth as she spins her intricate webs of magical adventure.”

  • A copy of the ARC for Foundation by Mercedes Lackey with signed bookplate.


From Booklist, ” Thanks to court intrigues and an attempt by foreign infiltrators to trick Valdemar to its disadvantage, Lackey makes a real page-turner out of Mags’ and the collegia’s development [...] this book’s outstanding characters, especially Mags, will greatly please Valdemar fans.”

  • ARCs of the first two books in C. S. Friedman’s Magister Trilogy: Feast of Souls and Wings of Wrath, both with signed bookplates.


“C.S. Friedman makes fantastic things-and frightening things-seem very real. Her characters are people, not just place-holders, and the worlds she creates are tangible as a live feed from the battlefront of a crash-landing in a savage and unfamiliar wilderness. She also writes bright, clear prose taht can shine like gemstones or cut like broken glass. If you haven’t read her work you need to do something about that right now.” – Tad Williams, bestselling author of Shadowmarch, Otherland and Memory, Sorrow and Thorn.

  • A copy of the ARC of The Wilding by C. S. Friedman with signed bookplate.


The Barnes & Noble Review, “ richly detailed characters; complex, emotionally absorbing themes; and singularly original settings. In a genre where the inundation of mediocre story lines is like so much white noise, Friedman is a unique voice singing out loudly and clearly above the din.”

  • A hardcover copy of King’s Dragon by Kate Elliott. Signed by the author.


From Booklist, “The first volume of Crown of Stars, another complex fantasy saga of political and magical intrigue, bodes extremely well [...] The saga’s world is exceedingly well built (including a working economy, for instance), its pacing is brisk enough to keep the pages fluttering, and its characters are, at this stage, at least archetypes who may develop into more. This certainly could become one of the best multivolume fantasies–fans, take note!”

  • A hardcover copy of The Burning Stone by Kate Elliott. Signed by the author.


From Kirkus Reviews, “Third entry in the Crown of Stars series following Prince of Dogs (1998) and King’s Dragon (1997). The kingdoms of Wendar and Varre are riven by sorcery and strife [...] A solid addition to this respectable series. And, at this whopping length, it should keep the most avid fans happy for a few days.”

  • A copy of the ARC for Crown of Stars by Kate Elliott with signed bookplate.


Library Journal says, “Continuing her epic tale of kings and common folk, warriors and priests, Elliott demonstrates her talent for combining magic and intrigue with grand-scale storytelling.”

Publishers Weekly says, “Czerneda’s world-building flair and fascinating characters set this intricate story well above most SF series prequels.”

  • A copy of the ARC for Conspirator by C. J. Cherryh with signed bookplate.


“A large new Cherryh novel is always welcome [...] a return to the anthropological science fiction in which she has made such a name is a double pleasure [...] superlatively drawn aliens and characterization.” – Chicago Sun-Times

  • A copy of the ARC for The High King’s Tomb by Kristen Britain with signed bookplate.


“Kristen Britain is a very talented author who appears destined to be one of the genre’s superstars.” – Midwest Book Review


From Booklist, “This three-way collaboration is original in concept and superior in execution, notably better than anything any of its authors, which include Jennifer Roberson and Kate Elliott as well as Rawn, has produced on her own. [...] Characterizations and world-building are finely realized, Rawn and company have done their homework on art, the pacing is respectable, and overall, the romance justifies every one of its nearly 800 pages and demands its place in most fantasy collections.”

There are two more blogs full of books that DAW has donated to Worldbuilders. Here’s the second and third one. if you’re interested.

Remember folks, for every 10 dollars you donate to Heifer International, you get a chance to win hundreds of books: some signed, some limited edition, some out of print. Plus there’s the whole helping make the world a better place thing. That’s nice too.

And don’t forget, I’m matching 50% of all donations made. So why not head over to my page at Team Heifer and chip in. Trust me. You’ll feel great afterward.

Or, if you want to go back to the main page for the Worldbuilders fundraiser and read all the details, you can click HERE.

With thanks to our sponsor, Subterranean Press.

Labels: Worldbuilders 2009
posted by Pat 12 Comments
Published: December 25, 2009

Joy to the World.

Hello everyone,

I’ve been letting things lull a bit over the holidays. I’m busy with family stuff, and I’m guessing most of you are too. Rest assured that in a couple of days Worldbuilders will be rolling along, strong as ever, and I’ll be posting up more donations, auctions, interviews, and general coolness.

I might even be reading y’all a story, if I can figure out how to work my new video camera and post things on Youtube…

For now, I’ll just pass along a few pieces of of good news:

Donations:

Over the last few days, we’ve raised over 12,000 dollars. We’ve shot past our most recent $50,000 goal, and well beyond $53,000 that we raised last year. I don’t know about you, but this sudden burst of donations is the best Christmas present I could get. (I know not everybody celebrates Christmas, but I do. So for me, this is a Christmas present.)

I’ll raise the limit on the thermometer later. For now, let’s just bask in the warm glow of our collective awesome.

And yes, I’m still matching 50% of all donations.

Update from Peru:

For those of you who are curious about the specifics of what Heifer does. Here’s a link to a file they sent me a couple months ago. It gives details about a project in Peru that Heifer funded with some of the money we raised last year.

Heifer Peru Project.doc

While it’s a fairly technical document, it’s worth a quick read through. It shows how Heifer is really taking the long view with these projects. They focus on education, ecological sustainability, and giving communities the tools they need to improve – and eventually thrive.

We’re doing a good thing here folks. We’re changing the world.

pat



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Labels: Worldbuilders 2009
posted by Pat 20 Comments
Published: December 18, 2009

News, FAQ updates, and a Question

Alright folks. Today we’re going to take a break from listing prizes. Instead, I’m going to pass along some Worldbuilders news and answer a few questions that have cropped up.

Lastly, I’d like to get everyone’s opinion on what to do with few of the rockstar prizes that have been donated by Neil Gaiman and Brandon Sanderson.

News

Donations and book totals:

The big news is that we’re only 18 days into the fundraiser and we’ve already raised over 36,000 dollars. That’s not counting the any of the matching donations from Subterranean Press or myself.

In short, I think it’s safe to say that we are pretty frikkin cool.

Donations keep arriving from authors and publishers. As of right now we have more than a thousand books worth over 30,000 dollars.

Miscelaneous News:

  • I found a cheaper way to mail the Draccus posters internationally. So I’m dropping the shipping price from 28 dollars to 15 dollars. If you paid the old price, don’t worry. I’ll send you a paypal refund soon.
  • A cool bookstore called The Bookloft out in Massachusetts has started fundraiser of their own. For every copy of my book people buy, they’re donating money to Worldbuilders. Needless to say, I’m flattered and thrilled. Next time I’m in the neighborhood, I’m going to stop by and take you all out to lunch, especially the brilliant employee who spearheaded the idea….

Also, I know the tendancy on e-bay acutions is to wait until the last 45 seconds of the auction then bid your ass off with the hope of getting the item cheap. While those tactics tend to work pretty well in general, remember that these auctions in specific are meant to raise money for Heifer international. So bidding early really wouldn’t be a bad thing, would it?

FAQ

I ordered a book/galley/poster from you. When will I get it?

Man. I’ve got no idea. We’ve been getting things out the door as quickly as possible. But the mail is really slow this time of year because of the holidays. My advice is to be patient. Sending me an e-mail isn’t going to make the package move any faster, it’s just going to make me slower in mailing out everyone else’s packages.

What are my odds of winning something if I donate?

As I said above, we’ve got over 1000 books. But because a lot of them are grouped into trilogies or sets, it breaks down to there being over 500 prizes.

That means if you donate 10 bucks, right now you’ve got about a 1 in 70 chance of winning something.

If you donate enough for a goat ($120) that means you have about a 1 in 6 chance of winning something. Pretty sweet odds, you have to admit.

Keep in mind these are rough estimates. And the odds will shimmy around a bit as new books come in and donation totals rise.

Can I still donate a signed copy of my book for the fundraiser?

Sure. But I’d get it in the mail quickly if I were you.

How come you’re donating all these different versions of your book, but not the audio version?

Honestly, I just didn’t think of it, the audiobook version is pretty new. I’ve got hardcovers of NOTW laying around the house, but I didn’t have a spare audiobook sitting on my shelf.

But it’s a good idea, so I went out bought one.


That this isn’t *quite* the right picture. I bought the CD version, not the MP3 version. I figured anyone can use the CD version.

My uncle/mom/grampa speaks Polish/Spanish/Japaneese. If I donate double the cover price, can I buy a signed copy of one of those books directly from you?

Hmmm… I don’t have all that many copies of some of my foreign translations. (Except for Spanish, I have a ton of those.) If you’re really interested, drop an e-mail to paperback.contest [squigly atsign thinger] gmail.com and we’ll work something out.

I wanted to get one of those Heifer Gift cards, that show you’ve made a donation in someone’s name, but I couldn’t find a way to get on the Team Heifer site. Can you help me?

I can. Heifer is sending me a bunch of the gift cards. If you’ve donated on my page and you want one of the cards. Drop us an e-mail at the address I just listed in the previous answer and we’ll mail one (or more) out to you.

Is there a facebook event for the fundraiser that I can invite my friends to?

There is now.

Invite away. Thanks for helping to spread the word.

If I want to send you a cheque in the mail rather than donating directly on the Team Heifer site, do I send it to your PO Box?

Sure. Send it to:

Pat Rothfus
PO BOX 186
Stevens Point, WI 54481

Two Questions

1) Would people like it if I put a second “Golden Ticket” up for auction? More importantly, would you bid on it?

2) This year we have a couple extra-cool books that have been donated. Take a look:

  • A first edition hardcover of The Gathering Storm, signed by Brandon Sanderson, Harriet Jordan, and many others.



Brandon was nice enough to take some time out from his crazed touring schedule to send us this copy of The Gathering Storm, signed by himself, Harriet Jordan (Robert Jordan’s wife) and many of the people who made the book possible, including his agent and some of the production staff at Tor.

  • A signed, numbered ARC of Stardust. Hardcover in its own slipcase. Signed by Neil Gaiman.




This is a gorgeous book. I covet it to an almost ridiculous degree.

So. Should I put these books up for auction, or should I add them to the general lottery?

The auction would be nice, because between the two of these I expect we’d raise at least a couple thousand dollars for Heifer.

But adding them to the general lottery would be cool too. That way everyone has a chance to win them, and it might make more people enthusiastic about donating.

What do you think? I’m really on the fence about this. Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Remember folks, for every 10 dollars you donate to Heifer International, you get a chance to win hundreds of books: some signed, some limited edition, some out of print. Plus there’s the whole helping make the world a better place thing. That’s nice too.

And don’t forget, I’m matching 50% of all donations made. So why not head over to my page at Team Heifer and chip in. Trust me. You’ll feel great afterward.

Or, if you want to go back to the main page for the Worldbuilders fundraiser and read all the details, you can click HERE.

pat

Labels: Brandon Sanderson, Neil Gaiman, Worldbuilders 2009
posted by Pat 122 Comments
Published: December 16, 2009

A Plethora of Signed Books

This is a Worldbuilders blog.

That’s right. I said plethora. You want to make something of it?

Today we have even more delicious books as prizes for the fundraiser. All of these have been donated by the authors themselves. This means two things:

1. All these books are signed.
2. These authors are cool as hell.

Oh sure, I know. You’re thinking that ALL fantasy and Sci-Fi authors are cool as hell. And yeah, that’s pretty much true. But these folks have taken it to the next level. They’re doubleplus good. They’re hoopy. They’re, like, Fonzie cool.

Alright, on to the books:

  • Two copies of The Rhinoceros Who Quoted Nietzsche and Other Odd Acquaintances by Peter S. Beagle. Signed by the author.


Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a huge fan of Peter S. Beagle. This is a collection of some of his short fiction, including one of my favorite short stories of all time, “The Rhinoceros who Quoted Nietzsche.” Man, just thinking of that story makes me want to go and read it right now….

Locus describes this book as, “a definite must for Beagle fans and lovers of fine fantasy.”


This collection includes the Hugo Award-Winning story “Two Hearts,” which is a sequel to The Last Unicorn. If you haven’t read it, you don’t know what you’re missing.

I’m not the only one that’s gushy over Beagle. Ursula K LeGuin herself says that he’s “…An expert on those heart’s reasons that reason does not know.”

  • Two copies of We Never Talk About My Brother by Peter S. Beagle. Signed by the author.


Want a few more Beagle Quotes? Fine. Here you go…

“Peter S. Beagle has both opulence of imagination and mastery of style.” – New York Times Book Review

“At his best, Peter S. Beagle outshines the moon, the sun, the stars, the entire galaxy.” – Seattle Times

If all that doesn’t convince you to give him a read, I don’t know what will…


I’ve known David for a while, and talked about him and his first book at some length in a blog called, How David Anthony Durham Saved my Life.

But if you don’t care what I think, (and why should you, really?) then you can trust Kirkus when they say that The Other Lands “boggles the mind and transcends genre.”


I’ve gotten to know Jean Rabe pretty well over the last couple years. In addition to being a truly prolific writer, she runs the writer-track programming at Gen-Con in Indianapolis. There’s some great programming there with some authors that I’ve really come to love over the years.

This book is something special, as it’s Andre Norton’s last book. Jean and Andre were frequent collaborators, and Jean says “This was an honor–to finish Andre Norton’s last manuscript.”

  • A copy of When the Husband is the Suspect by F. Lee Bailey with Jean Rabe. First edition hardcover signed by Jean Rabe.


Something a little outside our normal Fantasy and Sci-fi bounds here. Jean notes that “This was my first true-crime endeavor with F. Lee Bailey!”


Jean Rabe says, “I had great fun plotting this with Andre. I picked the Wisconsin place-she picked the historical setting.”

  • A set of Martha Wells‘ series, The Fall of Ile-Rien: The Wizard Hunters, The Ships of Air, and The Gate of Gods. First edition hardcovers, signed by the author.


Locus says that Martha Well’s books are, “Fascinating…A vastly entertaining and refreshingly different fantasy adventure with a surprisingly satisfying conclusion.”

  • A copy of The Words of Their Roaring by Matthew Smith. Signed by the author.


From the back of the book: “London is now a city overrun by the zombie hordes. Most of the human survivors live from day to day, scraping together an existence among the ruins, avoiding the shambling, flesh-hungry undead that still stalk the streets. But for others this gruesome situation is an opportunity, a chance to establish a power base within the capital, now that authority has collapsed. For gang lord Harry Flowers, the plague is his chance to finally rule the city unopposed.”

  • A set of Wanderlust and Doubleblind by Ann Aguirre. Signed by the author.


National bestselling author Sharon Shinn says that these books are, “An irresistible blend of action and attitude…”

  • Two copies of the Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon. First and second edition copies, both are signed by the author.


I met Cindy out at Comic Con this year. And she was very helpful during this year’s fundraiser, helping me to spread the word to other authors who then donated books. Silver Phoenix is her first book, and I’ve heard nothing but good things about it.

Booklist gave her a starred review, and said: “If the cover image of a fearless Chinese heroine reminds readers of such films as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, that’s intentional; the story inside will too. Pon’s writing, both fluid and exhilarating, shines whether she’s describing a dinner delicacy or what it feels like to stab an evil spirit in the gut.”

  • A set of The Onyx Court series: Midnight Never Come and Ashes Lie by Marie Brennan. Signed by the author.


I haven’t read these, but after checking out these two blurbs, I think I might wander over to Amazon…

“Stunningly conceived and exquisitely achieved… Brennan’s myriad fantastical creations ring as true as her ear for Elizabethan and faerie dialogue” – Publishers Weekly

“…firmly rooted in real history, set in a convincingly-constructed Elizabethan England, but with a secret faerie court existing beneath London … a political thriller, with conspiracies, spies and shady machinations…” – SFX Magazine, four-star review

  • A set of the series Doppelganger: Witch and Warrior by Marie Brennan. Signed by the author.


Dave Duncan says, “Doppelganger is a great read. The characters are admirable people, the magic is unconventional and unobtrusive, the pace never flags, and the plot will keep you turning pages right to the wholly satisfying finale.”

  • A copy of The Clockwork King of Orl by Mike Wild. Signed by the author.


From the back of the book: “There’s a whole world out there, and it isn’t ours! The words of her mentor inspire Kali Hooper to explore the lost places of Twilight, unearth the secrets of the past, and discover the fate of the vanished Old Races. Including the mysterious construct known as the Clockwork King of Orl.”


Child of Fire was on Publishers Weekly “Best 100 Books of 2009″ list. And Sherwood Smith says that, “Harry Connolly’s story jets from 0 to 60 in five pages and never lets you brake for safety. He’s a fantastic new voice.”

  • A copy of Terribly Twisted Tales edited by Jean Rabe and Martin H. Greenberg. Signed by author Kelly Swails.


Kelly is one of the authors I know from the Gen-Con writer’s track. Notw only is she a complete sweetheart, but Tor.com has called her writing “ingenious” and “thoroughly inventive.”

  • A set of the Blue Kingdoms anthologies: Shades & Specters, Buxom Buccaneers and Pirates of the Blue Kingdoms. Signed by Kelly Swails.


How can you not want a book with the word Buxom in the title? It’s just a fun word. Say it. “Buxom.”

These Blue Kingdom anthologies are full of award-winning fantasy authors like Lorelei Shannon, Robert E. Vardeman, Kathleen Watness, Marc Tassin, Paul Genesse, Jean Rabe, Stephen D. Sullivan…. and, of course, Kelly Swails herself.


Publishers Weekly weekly says that Kessler and Kittredge, “create a dark world where the narrow line between hero and vigilante is defined by corporate interests [...] Jet and Iridium’s multifaceted relationship will appeal to all who have come to want more from their superheroes than good vs. evil and mindless battles.”

  • A set of Doctrine of Labyrinths: Melusine, The Virtu, The Mirador and Corambis by Sarah Monette. Hardcover first editions signed by the author.


Jacqueline Carey says that Malusine is, “A lush novel, rife with decadent magic, dehibilitating madness, and dubious deeds.”

And in a starred review, Publishers Weekly speaks highly of Monette, calling her, “…a highly original writer with her own unique voice.”


From Publishers Weekly: “Monette reconstructs the traditional English ghost story—insinuated horror, no gratuitous sex or violence—with a decidedly modern-day approach in this laudable collection of 10 necromantic mystery stories featuring introverted museum archivist Kyle Murchison Booth. [...] Cerebral, ethereal and stylishly understated, this entrancing collection will appeal to fans of literary horror, dark fantasy and supernatural mystery.”

And remember, if you like Monette’s stories, she’s donated a signed manuscript of four uncollected Booth stories to the fundraiser. The auction is over later today, so if you don’t bid soon you’re out of luck…

  • A set of Kristen Britain’s series: Green Rider, Rider’s First Call and The High King’s Tomb. Signed by the author.


In addition to donating a handwritten page of her fourth book’s manuscript to the auctions, Kristen has given us a signed set of the first three Green Rider books. (The auction ends later today [Dec 16th] so if you’re interested you’d better hurry…)

Anne McCaffrey called GREEN RIDER “a stunning first novel,” and this trade edition of Green Rider features a 10th Anniversary introduction by the author.

Remember folks, for every 10 dollars you donate to Heifer International, you get a chance to win these books and hundreds of others like them. Plus there’s the whole helping make the world a better place thing. That’s nice too.

And don’t forget, I’m matching 50% of all donations made. So why not head over to my page at Team Heifer and chip in. Trust me. You’ll feel great afterward.

Or, if you want to go back to the main page for the Worldbuilders fundraiser and read all the details, you can click HERE.

With thanks to our sponsor, Subterranean Press.

(Did I mention Subterranean is printing a new book of mine? I think I did…)

Labels: Heifer International, Worldbuilders 2009
posted by Pat 11 Comments

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