Tag Archives: Jim Butcher

Published: January 17, 2012

Graphic Novels

This is a Worldbuilders blog.

Today we’ve got graphic novels donated by bookstores, comic publishers, and the authors themselves.

These first ones are from Dreamhaven.

  • Five hardcover graphic novel copies of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.

“Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest – Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!” With this sinister snatch of piratical song echoing along the English coast, the mysterious Billy Bones ushers young Jim Hawkins into an undreamed-of world of danger and adventure on the far-flung, mist-shrouded Treasure Island… the excitement is all here, in words and pictures of vibrant color – skillfully adapted by award-winning writer Roy Thomas and artist Mario Gully.

“These are all-ages comics: simple enough to be enjoyed by kids, yet with enough philosophical depth to keep adults interested as well.” – Popmatters

Donated by IDW Publishing.

Pat’s Note: this is a really great series that pretty much defies description. It’s sort of like a more surreal version of a Lovecraft story. Less existential horror, more creepy mystery.

“Novelist Hill, author of Heart-Shaped Box, crafts a gripping account of the shattered Locke family’s attempt to rebuild after the father/husband is murdered by a deranged high school student and the family subsequently moving in with the deceased father’s brother at the family homestead in Maine. But as anyone who has read horror fiction in the past 70-odd years will tell you, it’s a bad idea to try to leave behind the gruesome goings-on in your life by moving to an island named Lovecraft… ” – Publisher’s Weekly

  • One hardcover copy of Dave Stevens: Complete Sketches & Studies.

Dave Stevens self-published four sketchbooks to sell at the San Diego Comic Con. These were very limited editions and are now highly sought-after collectibles. This volume collects the entire contents of those four sketchbooks, plus approximately 100 additional pieces that have never before been published.

  • One numbered hardcover graphic novel copy of Bloom County The Complete Library Volume Four: 1986 – 1987 by Berkeley Breathed. Signed by the artist and numbered 441/500.

This is Book Four of Berkeley Breathed’s Eisner Award-winning series. It features some of the most fondly remembered Bloom County cartoons, both from a humor standpoint and from a biting, political one. This is the period for which Breathed won a Pulitzer Prize, the highest award in journalism, for editorial cartooning. Breathed is one of only two cartoonists to win a Pulitzer for editorial cartooning.

  • One hardcover copy of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: the Ultimate Collection, Volume 1.

Rediscover the underground roots of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, starting with this special edition hardcover collection of Mirage Studios” issues #1-7 along with the Raphael one-shot by creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird! With over 300 pages of mutated-martial arts action, this volume is perfect for fans to relive the glorious days of the Turtles” origins as well as an excellent place for new readers to see where the TMNT phenomena began.

  • One hardcover copy of The Rocketeer The Complete Adventures by Dave Stevens.

“Speeding across the sky like a jet-propelled dream, Stevens’s Rocketeer is one of the most enduring and endearing images of ’80s comics. Set in the ’30s, these tales follow Cliff Secord, an impulsive young stunt pilot who finds a mysterious jetpack that enables him to fly. And then his troubles—and the fun—begin….” – Publishers Weekly

A special adaptation of the big-screen retelling of the ancient myth from filmmakers Neil Gaiman, Roger Avary and Robert Zemeckis! In the sixth century, the warrior Beowulf must do battle with the monster Grendel as well as Grendel’s mother and a dragon who has a personal connection to the Scandanavian warrior. Adapted by Chris Ryall and Gabriel Rodriguez.

From Sea Lion Books.

“Knaak carves deep into the cornerstones of fantasy bringing forth darkness and horror while weaving subterfuges of a long-lived magic destined to wreak havoc on a world that thought war and bloodshed was a thing of the past.” – Chris Evans

  • Six graphic novels of Dark Swan: Storm Born Volume 1 by Richelle Mead.

Eugenie Markham never asked for any of this. Until now, she”s been content with her job as a freelance shaman, battling and banishing Otherworldly creatures. When a prophecy suddenly makes her the Otherworld”s most popular bachelorette, Eugenie finds herself fighting off unwanted supernatural suitors, as well as the evils that begin emerging from her past…

From Dynamite.

  • Five graphic novels of Fear Nothing: Volume One by Dean Koontz.

“Dean Koontz is not just a master of our darkest dreams, but also a literary juggler.” – The Times (London)

“There is plenty to like in this comic. Fans can revel in the careful realizations of familiar characters. Newcomers can delight in high quality, evocatively colored art, including numerous two-page spreads. The story feels like it was intended for the comic book medium . . . due in no small way to Chuck Dixon’s hand in this. Top flight.” – ComicCritique.com

Acclaimed New York Times Bestselling author Charlaine Harris, the writer of the Sookie Stackhouse series, has joined the Dynamite Entertainment family with the first book of her hit Harper Connelly series, Grave Sight. For the past five years, readers have been thrilled by the Harper Connelly series which follows a woman who has what you might call a strange job: she finds dead people!

  • Three graphic novels of The Dresden Files – Stormfront by Jim Butcher.

“The Dresden novels are already New York Times bestsellers, and this comic looks like another winner.” – Publishers Weekly

  • Six graphic novels of Wild Cards – The Hard Call by Daniel Abraham.

“Set in the world of the novels edited by George R.R. Martin and featuring a brand-new set of characters, as well as appearances from many old favorites, “Wild Cards: The Hard Call” is an original story written specifically for comics that will enchant new readers and old fans alike.”

Pat’s Note: This book is huge. Perfectly in keeping with a collection featuring the god of thunder.

Thanks to IDW for this gorgeous hardcover collection of Walter Simonson’s The Mighty Thor. Scanning from Simonson’s original art has ensured that all the pages of this masterpiece are reproduced with the highest possible quality.

Interested? You can bid on this book over here.

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Remember, for every 10 dollars you donate on our Team Page, you get a chance to win these books and over a thousand others.

Even better, if you chip in before February 7th of 2012, Worldbuilders will match 50% of your donation. So you’re making the world a better place by half again as much.

If you’d like to see all the auctions Worldbuilders is currently running, you can find them over here.

To see the other books we’re giving away, you can head over to our main page HERE.

Posted in Worldbuilders 2011 | By Pat25 Responses
Published: January 6, 2012

100K Blog – Signed Books by Pratchett, Gaiman, and More (and Moore)

This is a Worldbuilders blog.

Okay. I’ve had my holiday break. I’m relatively rested and recharged.  You’ll be seeing more blogs than normal in these next couple weeks. Not just fundraiser stuff, but some other blogs that I’ve been meaning to post for some time.

We hit our 100K target a week or so back. So, as promised, here’s a bonus blog full of books I’m personally adding to the lottery. A lot of these I’ve collected over the last year while attending conventions. Most of them are first editions and signed by the authors.

I’ll be doing another bonus blog when we hit 150K. Which, judging by the look of that thermometer over there, is probably going to happen pretty soon….

Recently someone wrote me an e-mail asking, “What do you do when your life sucks and you don’t want to write any more?”

I replied, “I read Terry Pratchett.”

It amazes me that there are some fantasy readers out there that still haven’t read Pratchett. I can’t fix that for everyone, but one person in the lottery is going to win the chance to read all the Pratchett their geeky little heart desires….

I got to meet Terry Pratchett this year, though only very briefly. In this blog I told the story of how I was lucky enough to get him to sign one book for me.

This was that book. I could probably auction it off for a pretty penny. But I’d rather put it in the lottery where anyone can get it.

Honestly, I don’t have any idea where I got these ARCs. But I figured I’d throw them into the mix, too. Thud! is one of my very favorite Discworld novels.

  • One first edition hardcover copy of The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens. Signed by the author.

“This fast-paced, fully imagined fantasy is by turns frightening and funny, and the siblings are well-crafted and empathetic heroes. Highly enjoyable, it should find many readers.” – Publishers Weekly

“This book has it all: a creepy setting, a deadly curse, reincarnation, spells, witchcraft and voodoo, plus characters that simply will not let the reader put the book down until finished…Who could ask for more?” – VOYA

  • One first edition hardcover copy of Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor. Signed by the author.

I’ve already gushed about Nnedi a couple times here on the blog in this last month. So I won’t bother repeating myself. Besides, why would you bother listening to me when Ursula K Le Guin is vouching for her…?

“There’s more vivid imagination in a page of Nnedi Okorafor’s work than in whole volumes of ordinary fantasy epics.” – Ursula K. Le Guin

“Romantic and blood-streaked, and infused with magic so real you can feel it on your fingertips – Deathless is beautiful.” – Cory Doctorow

  • One first edition hardcover copy of A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin. Signed by the author.

“Martin’s love for sophisticated, deeply strange fantasy permeates “Dance” like a phantasmagorical fever dream.” – L.A. Times

“A grand adventure and an inspiration that is not to be missed.” – Kirkus Review

  • One first edition hardcover copy of Ghost Story by Jim Butcher. Signed by the author.

Pat’s Note: I make no bones about my love for Jim Butcher. The Dresden Files is possibly my favorite current series that I’m reading.

“Think Buffy the Vampire Slayer starring Philip Marlowe.” – Entertainment Weekly

  • One first edition hardcover copy of The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Signed by the author.

How much do I like this book?

Well… last year at House on the Rock, me and my crew dressed up as the ghosts in the book. Because that’s how we roll.

(As you can see, Oot was Bod.)

We almost won the costume contest too….

…but that, as they say, is another story.

“The Graveyard Book manages the remarkable feat of playing delightful jazz riffs on Kipling’s classic Jungle Books. One might call this book a small jewel, but in fact it’s much bigger within than it looks from the outside.” – Peter S. Beagle

  • One hardcover copy of The Boy at the End of the World by Greg van Eekhout. Signed by the author.

“The Boy at the End of the World is both moving and full of adventure. This remarkable survival story will change the way readers think about themselves and the world they live in.” – Sarah Prineas, author of The Magic Thief

From outrageously funny New York Times bestselling author Christopher Moore and award-winning screenwriter and director Ian Corson, THE GRIFF: A Graphic Novel is about an alien invasion of Earth and the motley crew of humans who save the world—sort of . . .

  • One leather-bound, gold-leaf paged copy of Lamb by Christopher Moore. Signed by the author.

This year when I was at San Diego Comic Con I got to meet Christopher Moore. While I was there, I got lucky and bought two copies of the special gold-leaf edition of Lamb. The first one was for me, of course, but the second one I’ve been holding on to so I could put it in the fundraiser.

It’s a pretty book, gold leaf around the pages. This edition also has the faux leather cover, so it’s extra valuable, as faux are now endangered species and can’t be hunted for their skins any more.

It also has a little bookmark, so you know it’s posh.

All joking aside, this is a great book.Laugh-out-loud funny in places, sweet and touching in others. If you haven’t read any Moore before, this is a good place to start.

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Remember, for every 10 dollars you donate on the Worldbuilders Team Page, you get a chance to win these books and hundreds of others.

What’s more, Worldbuilders will match 50% of your donations. So if you chip in before January 31st of 2012, you get a bigger bang for your buck.

To see the other books folks have donated, as well as our auctions, and the items we’re selling in the store, you can head over to our main page HERE.

Posted in Worldbuilders 2011 | By Pat45 Responses
Published: December 16, 2011

Jayne Hats, Cool Art, and Stein with a Freaking Bear

This is a Worldbuilders blog.

First, some good news.

Yesterday we hit $50,000 on our Team Heifer donation page. It only took us two weeks to hit our first goal.

As promised, I’ve bumped up our donation thermometer to $100,000, and I’m putting together a bonus blog full of cool stuff I will personally add to the lottery. I’ll post that up on Monday.

But today we have a different sort of blog….

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Over the years, a lot of people have offered to donate things to Worldbuilders.

Generally speaking, I try to keep the charity book-focused. We’ve had a few notable exceptions, like a signed Brett Farve jersey and a guitar signed by Creed. But generally speaking, I’m reluctant to stray too far from the book-centered thing that we have going on.

But earlier this year, an awesome reader named Amanda sent me an e-mail. She liked to knit, she told me. If she made a bunch of Jayne hats for Worldbuilders, would I like to sell them in the store?

How could I refuse?

So this year, in addition to our gorgeous Literary Pin-up calendar, we’re going to try selling a few non-book things in our store. If you order now, we’ll get them in the mail right away, so you have a good chance of seeing them in time for Christmas. We’re launching a few more auctions too, to  keep Neil Gaiman’s limited edition screenplay company.

Keep in mind that items in the store are limited. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.

  • Cunning knit Jayne Hats.

A person walks down the street in a hat like this, you know they’re not afraid of anything.

This hat will not damage your calm, though wearing it may cause you to look as sexy and badass as Sarah.

These hats were all hand-knit by the lovely Amanda and donated specially for Worldbuilders.

You can view more pictures or buy the hats here.

Okay, most of us are proper geeks. That means we’ve read a lot of fantasy. And, as we all know, most of the best fantasy starts in an inn, preferably inns full of people eating stew and quaffing ale.

But the truth is, it’s really difficult to quaff without the proper equipment. You cannot quaff out of can or a bottle. An ordinary glass doesn’t work either. Tankards work passably well, but to properly quaff, you really need a big fucking hand-crafted pottery stein.

Where can you find such a thing? Well, funny you should ask, because Charley at Sea Bear Pots has donated six awesome steins to Worldbuilders.

You can see more pictures of the pots and read Charley’s descriptions over here.

Or you can hurry over and buy the steins in our store.

These were donated from the creatively awesome folks at Fancy Fortune Cookies.

I’ve talked about their cookies on the blog before on more than one occasion. Not only can you customize your fortunes, but the cookies themselves are delicious.

You can get them in flavors like Cappuccino, Cherry, Chocolate, Peppermint, Raspberry, Green Apple, Toasted Coconut, Orange, Banana, Fruit Punch, Blueberry, Graham Cracker, or Lemon. Then you can have them dipped in caramel, almond bark, or chocolate.

Erin has donated six different kinds of cookie packages. You can check them out here.

  • AUCTION: Giant Fortune Cookie with a preview of The Kingkiller Chronicles, Day 3.

(Auction does not include baby)

Tired of Fortune cookies that don’t actually come true? Wish you could *really* see the future?

Well look no further. This cookie holds a piece of the future. Specifically, it contains a sneak peek of book 3, written by my own hand.

Now first off, let’s be clear. This cookie is legitimately huge. It’s as big as your head. It’s the sort of cookie you want to bring out when you have friends over so you can share it.

Secondly, you can get it customized. The folks at at Fancy Fortune Cookies will tailor this cookie to your particular taste.

Third, it will have a piece of book three inside. That means it will taste of delicious secrets.

This is an auction item, and it will be ending on Dec 23rd.

To bid on this auction, follow this link.

  • AUCTION: Chocolate-Covered Cookies with Fortunes from Patrick Rothfuss.

These cookies contain personalized fortunes written by me (Patrick Rothfuss.) They will make you laugh, they will make you cry, they will leave you a shattered, gibbering wreck of a human being. Or something.

To bid on this auction, click here.

  • Signed Ernest Cline vs. Patrick Rothfuss Posters.

(Click to Embiggen)

Back at the end of August, I did a team reading/signing with Ernest Cline at McLean&Eakin’s in Petoskey Michigan. This poster was designed especially for that event.

Ernest is the author of Ready Player One, a book that I enjoyed with every square inch of my geeky, geeky heart. It’s one of the few books that I’ve  given a blurb.

After our epic battle, Ernest and I signed a few extra posters for posterity. Given that this was Ernest’s very first ever signing, these things are sure to be worth millions of dollars some day. Especially after Ernest’s movie comes out and I spiral into methadone-fueled madness.

You can view or buy the poster here.

If you’re a map geek like me, then you have to love this map of Alera. Not only is it extremely posh, but it’s signed by both author Jim Butcher and the illustrator, Priscilla Spencer.

The wonderful Priscilla Spencer has donated this piece to Worldbuilders. You may find more of her work at her website.

To see more pictures, or bid on this auction, you can follow this link.

  • Signed Kvothe Giclees by Donato.

This is the original artwork for the first Name of the Wind bookcover by artist Donato Giancola, the “Fabio” cover as I like to call it.

This print is a 13″ by 17″ giclee, which is way better than just an ordinary print, apparently.

(Valerie’s note: this is pronounced “zhee-clay” for everyone like me who is going to pronounce it wrong and feel dumb, as opposed to the people like Pat who will pronounce it wrong and not give a damn.)

It is signed by Donato. If you want, I’ll write my name on it too.

You can view or buy the giclees here.

  • AUCTION: Signed, numbered gilcee of Kvothe by Donato.

Donato has also donated a signed, numbered edition of the Kvothe picture. This one is larger than the one above. It is a 24×18 giclee and numbered 21/1000.

If you win the auction, I’d be happy to sign it too. Or not. Whatever you’d prefer.

To bid on this auction, you can follow this link.

  • AUCTION: Signed, numbered Neil Gaiman print: “The Day the Saucers Came.”

(Click to Embiggen)

In this print, Jouni Koponen illustrates Neil’s poem: “The Day the Saucers Came.” It’s hand-printed on a semi-matte silky smooth paper stock.

This signed, limited edition print was specially donated to us from Neverwear. This 10″ x 29″ print has everything you could ever want, zombies geniis, UFOs, giants, fairies… even killer bees.

To bid on this auction, you can follow this link.

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As always, all the money we raise from auctions and sales in The Tinker’s Packs goes to Worldbuilders.

You can follow this link to look at all the Worldbuilders auctions. Please keep in mind that all auctions listed on this page end on Dec 23rd.

To see more donated books, as well as other auctions and the items we’re selling in the store, you can head over to the main Worldbuilders page.

Posted in Worldbuilders 2011 | By Pat18 Responses
Published: August 3, 2011

Interview with Jim Butcher and other book geekery.

Here’s a few items of interest while I’m putting together the next ComicCon blog.

As I’ve mentioned on many occasions, I’m a big fan of Jim Butcher.

While out at ComicCon this year, I got a chance to interview him. It was a ton of fun, and I only geeked out a little bit about how good his books are.

[Edit: In case you’re wondering, the interview is spoiler-free.]

[Later Edit: It’s spoiler-free for Ghost Story. Around 10: 50 there’s a spoiler for what happens in Changes, the book right before Ghost Story.

Sorry about that.]

Seriously. If you haven’t tried the Harry Dresden books, you really need to. They’re so fucking good.

In other news, NPR has finished collating everyone’s initial nominations for the 100 best Sci-Fi and Fantasy novels of all time. They took the recommendations of about 5000 people and compiled them into a list that includes about 230 books/series. Now they’re giving people 10 days to vote go in and vote for their 10 favorite books.

When I first flipped through the list, I was a little disappointed not to see The Name of the Wind on there. But only a little disappointed. It’s a big genre, after all, and I’m very new to the scene.

Then someone pointed out that while The Name of the Wind isn’t listed, The Kingkiller Chronicle is.

Needless to say, I was giddy as a schoolgirl. A big beardy schoolgirl whose book just made it onto a very flattering list.

If you’re interested, you can head over here and vote. It’s an amazing list of books, and trying to pick just ten titles to vote for is an interesting mental exercise.

That’s all for now, next post on Friday.

pat

Posted in Me Interviewing Other Folks, recommendations, videos | By Pat86 Responses
Published: February 23, 2011

An open letter to Nathan Fillion

Mr. Fillion,

First, I have to say that I admire your work. I’ve read many of your interviews and have come to respect you not only as a truly fine actor, but as an uncommonly intelligent human being.

But let’s get straight to the heart of the matter. It has come to my attention that in a recent interview, you said the following:

“If I got $300 million from the California Lottery, the first thing I would do is buy the rights to Firefly, make it on my own, and distribute it on the Internet.”

This struck a particular chord with me. As only a few months ago, I said very nearly the same thing. “If I ever get Stephen King famous,” I said, “I’ll buy the rights to Firefly and give it to Joss Whedon as a birthday present.”

Here’s the deal. My second book is about to come out. My publisher tells me there’s a decent chance of us selling a truly ridiculous number of copies. If this happens, I will have more money than I’ll know what to do with.

Except that’s not exactly true. I know exactly what I’d like to do with that money. I’d like to help you buy the rights to Firefly back from Fox.

I’m only a fledgling author. But by a strange twist of fate, I happen to be a fledgling author who is also an international bestseller.

Left to my own devices, I will probably spend my royalty money on useless bullshit. I will buy rare books and narwhal horns. If the book sells extremely well, I expect I’ll probably do something like buy an abandoned missile silo and convert it into my secret underground lair.

Clearly, this way lies madness.

Here is my thought. Alone, all we can do is dream wistful dreams of Firefly’s return. Together, we are a team. We can gather others to our cause. With 20 or 30 of the right people, we could pool our resources and make this shit happen.

You know where to find me.

Sincerely,

Patrick Rothfuss

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Those of you who don’t happen to be Nathan Fillion, there’s a new interview over here. Rest assured, it’s spoiler-free.

On the same page, Paul Goat Allen gives The Wise Man’s Fear the best review I expect I will ever receive in my whole life. I’m serious. You’d think he wrote it after I pulled his children out of a burning building or something.

Or, if you’re in a listening mood, I’m on the Sword and Laser podcast with Veronica Belmont and Tom Merritt. We talk about Jim Butcher and Cylons, among other things.

Tour FAQ will be up soon. I’m working out the last few details.

pat

Posted in Firefly, I am completely fucking serious, Joss Whedon | By Pat231 Responses
Published: December 14, 2010

Foreign Books, Rare Manuscripts, Signed Maps, and More…

This weekend we had a snowstorm big enough to collapse a few buildings, close highways, and kill people all through the Midwest. There were were reports of a lamb born with two heads that sang with the voice of a small child. Stars fell from the sky, there was a rain of blood, and people found that they could twitter 145 characters.

I also turned in the final version of The Wise Man’s Fear to the printers. I’m sure it’s just coincidence.

Now that I’m free from the shackles of editing, I can finally post last few auctions and donations. In the next few days we’ll have touching stories, interviews, books from celebrities, and all manner of awesome.

So stay tuned until the Dec 17th, because we’ve been saving some of the best for last.

Here’s what we have today…

  • A set of young adult books and a signed copy of The Last Unicorn.

Back in September, I answered a piece of fanmail that asked me what books I would recommend for YA readers.

It was a fun blog to write. It must have been a fun blog to read, too. As we racked up almost 500 comments from people eager to talk about their favorite YA books.

Then, when I was starting up this year’s fundraiser, a generous reader contacted me and offered to donate all the books I’d recommended to Worldbuilders. She suggested I auction them off as a set.

I said it sounded like a fun idea. So here they are.

In addition to the books, I’ve added something of my own. A copy of the 25th anniversary edition DVD of the Last Unicorn, signed by Peter S. Beagle himself.

To see more pictures or to bid on this collection of books you can follow this link.

  • A map of Alera and a hardcover first edition of First Lords Fury by Jim Butcher. The book is signed by Jim Butcher and the map is signed by Jim Butcher and the illustrator Priscilla Spencer.

Note: The Lesbian Unicorn, cool octopus and Valerie’s knights are being used for display purposes only, and are NOT included in this auction.

If you’re a map geek like me, then you have to love this map of Alera. Not only is it very posh, but it’s signed by both author Jim Butcher and the illustrator, Pricilla Spencer.

(If this auction gets out of your price range, you can buy signed copies of Priscilla’s map over here on this site. Sales of the map go to support Books For Boobs, a charity with the best name ever….)

Oh. And we’re including a book, too. It’s a first edition hardcover, signed by Jim Butcher himself.)

It’s pretty good if you’re into that whole epic fantasy thing.

To see more pictures or to bid on this book/map set you can follow this link.

  • The original typewritten manuscript for The Fire Dragon by Katharine Kerr. Signed by the author. With signed paperback copy.

What we have here folks, is a real rarity. Katherine Kerr was generous enough to donate the original manuscript for The Fire Dragon to Worldbuilders this year.

Not only is this a unique item, it’s actually a relic of a bygone age.

Let me explain. When my first book came out in 2007, they gave a paper printout of the book to the copy editor. Then the copy editor read the manuscript and marked up the pages, making comments and corrections. My editor also made comments on the manuscript.

Then we sat down and talked about the changes that needed to be made. Some of them small grammatical things, some of them bigger issues.

I liked the process. I liked looking at proofreaders marks on a manuscript. It felt cool to me. It was an arcane process. A little outdated, sure. But most holy rituals are a little dated when you think about it.

What I didn’t realize was that I was participating in something that was the very end of an era.

This year. Hell, this month when I went over the comments and corrections for Wise Man’s Fear, it was all on screen. It was all tracked changes and embedded comments in a Word file.

There was no paper, and honestly, I missed it.

Talking to other authors and editors who have been in the game longer than me, I get the impression I’m in the real minority with these feelings. The new way is easier, faster, cleaner.

But still…

Anyway, my point is that not only is Katherine Kerr’s manuscript a one-of-a-kind collector’s item. But living, working, paper manuscripts like this are no longer being produced. Their time has passed.

But thanks to Kerr’s generosity, you can get this piece of publishing history for your very own if you win this auction.

To see more pictures or to bid on this manuscript you can follow this link.

Katherine Kerr has also donated foreign translations of Daggerspell and Dark Spell to Worldbuilders this year. We have copies in Dutch, Finnish, Russian, and French. All of them are signed.

Since these are items that will be of great interest to some people, but of very limited use to many others, we’ve decided not to add them to the general lottery.

Instead, we’re putting them up for sale in the Worldbuilder’s store: The Tinker’s Packs.

I will admit that when Katherine donated these books, I had a wonderful thought. What if a bunch of fantasy authors all donated their spare foreign editions to Worldbuilders?

You see, whenever a publisher prints your book, they send you a couple free copies. When you get books in your native language, they’re useful. You can give them as gifts. You can send them to reviewers. You can sell them on street corners to impressionable children…

But when your foreign publishers send you books, it’s harder to put them to good use. I usually give one to the Library, then put the rest on a majestic shelf that I use to intimidate my enemies.

While that’s a lot of fun, giving them to a worthy charity is also a really good idea.

Maybe if enough authors donate their unused foreign editions, we can make Worldbuilders the place to shop for multi-language editions of cool Sci-fi and Fantasy novels.

The following donation gives me hope that my dream might not be too far from becoming a reality….

A couple months ago when I started spreading the word about the Worldbuilders, my Portuguese publisher Gailivro dropped me a line.

I have to say I have a warm spot in my heart for Gailivro. Not only did they publish a lovely edition of my book with a cool cover. But they also did a movie-style trailer for the book to help promote it.

Better still, Gailivro also publishes the lovely Peter V. Brett who I interviewed for last year’s fundraiser. They offered to donate some Portuguese translations of his book to the fundraiser. I said that would be terribly kind of them.

Then they asked me if I could use some other Portuguese books, too.

I assured them I could find a good home for any books they cared to send….

Thanks for chipping in, Gailivro.

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Remember folks, for every 10 dollars you donate to Heifer International, you get a chance to win hundreds of books, DVD’s and other types of assorted coolness.

In addition to that, Worldbuilders is matching 50% of all donations made on our Team Heifer page before Dec 17th.

For more details about Worldbuilders, the auctions we’re running, and the other donated books, you can head over HERE.

P.S. There’s still a little time left to bid on the auction for the signed Brett Favre Jersey, too.

Posted in Worldbuilders 2010 | By Pat19 Responses
Published: November 23, 2010

A Plenitude of Signed Books

This is a Worldbuilders blog.

While I was busy gathering more books and getting these blogs ready, Worldbuilders topped 25,000 dollars in donations. Rumor has it this makes us unspeakably cool.

I’ve raised the bar to 50,000 dollars. I’m pretty sure we can beat this one fairly quickly. Tell your friends. Spread the word.

Today we have another wealth of donated books. Many of these sent in by fans and readers who wanted to help make worldbuilders a success.

All of these have been signed by the authors. Many of them are first editions. And several of them are limited editions, numbered and slipcased and all manner of cool.

Enjoy.

  • A hardcover first edition of Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan. Signed by the Author. 


Includes a picture of Robert Jordan signing this book.

You don’t need me to tell you about the Wheel of Time.

“The battle scenes have the breathless urgency of firsthand experience, and the . . . evil laced into the forces of good, the dangers latent in any promised salvation, the sense of the unavoidable onslaught of unpredictable events bear the marks of American national experience during the last three decades.” – The New York Times on The Wheel of Time.

“The complex philosophy behind The Wheel of Time series is expounded so simply the reader often gives a start of surprise at returning to the real world. Rand’s adventures are not finished and neither is this thinking person’s fantasy series.” – Bruswick Sentinel (Australia).

  • Four UK copies of An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon. Signed by the author.

Note that these are UK editions of Gabaldon’s books. That means they’re written with an English accent, making them 25% cooler.

“All you’ve come to expect from Gabaldon . . . adventure, history, romance, fantasy.” — The Arizona Republic

  • A copy of Grave Peril by Jim Butcher. Signed by the Author.

“A fun new occult mystery series. Unusually well crafted.” – Locus

“The Warded Man works not only as a great adventure novel but also as a reflection on the nature of heroism.”—Charlaine Harris

  • Two copies of Tome of the Undergates by Sam Sykes. Signed by the author.

“Monstrous, murderous, psychotic, deranged, possessed and insane – the only question is what our heroes hate more: the demons they’re fighting, each other or themselves” – Stephen Deas, author of The Adanamtine Palace

  • Two first edition hardcover copies of Tome of the Undergates by Sam Sykes. Signed by the author.

“Wildly descriptive Slaughter-fest fantasy with a surprising pathos” – Stephen Deas.

“Feist is back on top form, and really delivering the goods. The characters are in place, the scenes are set, and on the evidence of Rides A Dread Legion, it’s going to be a wild ride.” – SF Site Featured Review.

  • A copy of of Bec by Darren Shan. Limited edition. Signed by the author.

“All the spells, severed body parts and horror you expect from Shan, with a nail-biting and shocking finish.” – Waterstone’s Books Quarterly.

“One of the most affecting and subtly profound novels of the year. … For such a peculiar, stripped-down tale, it’s fantastically evocative… Not too cute, not too weirdly precocious, not a fey mouthpiece for the author’s profundities, Jack expresses a poignant mixture of wisdom, love and naivete that will make you ache to save him — whatever that would mean.” – Washington Post Book World.

  • A copy of The Empty Family by Colm Toibin. Signed by the author.

“[The Empty Family] reconfirms his mastery of the short story…. ToÍbÍn raised his profile with the exquisitely bittersweet Brooklyn, and this collection is every bit as rich… Likely to rank with the best story collections of the year.” — Kirkus (starred review)

  • A copy of What I Didn’t See and Other Stories by Karen Joy Fowler. Signed by author.

“Arresting… each piece puts us on notice in its own way that an intriguing intelligence is at work.” –The Boston Globe.

The book is published by Quirk Books, the same publisher that brought us Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

Among other things, the book tells you which signer was murdered by his own nephew, which signers ended up imprisoned by the British, and which were locked up because of their own greed and stupidity.

“With this work, Kiernan and D’Agnese present readers with astonishing individual portraits of all the signers in an attempt both to dispel some of the mythology surrounding the document as well as to establish a place in the historical discourse for those men not named Jefferson, Hancock, Franklin, or Adams.” – School Library Journal, starred review.

  • A copy of Breathers: A Zombie’s Lament by S. G. Browne. Signed by the author.

“A terrific comedy about the perils and joys of life beyond death… A zombie comedy with brains” – Kirkus.

  • A Clash of Kings and Part 2 of A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin. Signed by the Author.

“I read my eyes out. I couldn’t stop until I’d finished and it was dawn.” – Anne McCaffrey.

  • A hardcover copy of Omega by Christopher Evans. Numbered, limited edition in a protective slipcase. Signed by the author.

“Christopher Evans is, to my mind, one of the great lost voices of British science fiction… now there is another novel, one that combines the bold and brutal alternate history of Aztec Century with the subtle and disturbing unpicking of identity of In Limbo… We can only hope that Evans’s triumphant return to science fiction is a harbinger of yet another revival in his writing.” – Strange Horizons Reviews.

  • A hardcover copy of Banquet for the Damned by Adam L.G. Nevill with an introduction by Ramsey Campbell. Numbered, limited edition in a protective slipcase. Signed by both Nevill and Campbell.

“Banquet for the Damned…  brings together the graphic and the subtle, supernatural and human horror, and makes them play their parts to the best effect.” – SF Site Featured Review.

  • A harcover copy of Nowhere Near an Angel by Mark Morris. Numbered, limited edition in a protective slipcase. Signed by the author.

“Mark Morris is one of the finest horror writers at work today.” – Clive Barker.

  • Signed, numbered, slipcased limited hardcover edition of Random Walk by Lawrence Block. Numbered, limited edition in a protective slipcase. Signed by the author.

“If there is one crime writer currently capable of matching the noirish legacies of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, it’s Lawrence Block.” San Francisco Chronicle

  • A hardcover first edition of The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson with a Way of Kings bag and bookmark. Signed by the author.

I’ve talked about this book in a previous blog.

But if you don’t want to read all of that, this blurb sums things up pretty well: “This book is cool, and Brandon Sanderson smells like fresh-baked cookies.” – Patrick Rothfuss.

*     *     *

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.

Don’t forget, Worldbuilders is matching 50% of all donations. So why not head over to the Team Heifer page and chip in. C’mon. All the cool kids are doing it…

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

Posted in fan coolness, Worldbuilders 2010 | By Pat14 Responses

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