Tag Archives: John Scalzi

Published: October 17, 2013

Twitter – A Beautiful Game

So for a couple of years now, I’ve been a bit of a laughing stock in the geek community because I’m a luddite.

You see, I did not posses a smartphone. Neither did I have a twitter account.

This might not seem like a crippling social affliction, and most of the time it’s not. Most of the time I’m at home in Wisconsin, writing and hanging out with my little boy.

But then I go to a convention, like Origins, and while I’m there, I hang out with John Scalzi, Felicia Day, and Wil Wheaton. And while we’re playing games, someone snaps a picture. And then, when they’re posting it up online, someone looks at me and says “I’ll tag you here, What’s your twitter handle?”

And I say, “I’m not on twitter.”

Keep in mind who I’m hanging with here. Wil, John, and Felicia. If you added some sort of animal sidekick to this mix, I’m guessing they could join together and form a giant robot that would somehow defend the internet. The looks they give me are the worst sort of mingled pity and scorn….

Ah hell. I just realized *I’m* probably the animal sidekick in that group. I’m Lubar, the great shambling bear-man from the frozen tundra who is charmingly baffled by the subtle magic of the interweb.

Anyway, the point is that I’ve finally, *finally* taken the leap.

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But that’s only the beginning. The phone itself isn’t enough. To really wire myself in, I know I need to get on twitter.

*     *     *

Part of the reason I want to get on twitter is because it will save me time. I tend to be… um…. wordy. Verbose even. Sometimes a blog that starts out as a simple announcement turns into a 500 word screed.

Twitter will help me reign that impulse in a bit. I’ll be able to mention things to y’all without feeling the obligation to make a meaty blog about them.

The other reason I need to get on twitter is to stay in better touch with my readers.

You see, I’m not a total technological schmendrick. I’ve been on facebook since before it was cool, and I’ve slowly built my army over there. For years I’ve used facebook to clue-in readers when I’m doing events, running contests, or going to conventions….

But these days Facebook deliberately throttles back the reach of most pages. These days I’m encouraged to “boost” my posts by giving facebook money. If I don’t boost the posts (and I never do) the things I write there only show up on *half* my reader’s news feeds.

It happens all the time. I schedule a signing in Boston. I post on facebook letting people know about my signing in Boston. I go to Boston. I get home and later that day I see someone howling on my wall “You Were In BOSTON!!??!?”

Twitter doesn’t have this problem. If you follow me on twitter, and I post something on twitter, you’ll be able to decide for yourself if it’s worth reading.

But here’s the problem. I don’t want to spend ages slowly building up my twitter following.

Also, you only get to lose your twitter virginity once.

My thought is, why not have a little fun with this?

My thought is, why don’t we play a little game?

*     *     *

So here’s what I’ve done.

I’ve created six twitter accounts, all versions of the name “Pat Rothfuss.”

I’ve recruited 5 members of the geek glitterati. Friends who are good with words. They’re witty, wired-in, and social media savvy.

Starting today, each of them will claim one of those accounts at random and do their best to convince the world they’re the *real* Pat Rothfuss.

They’ll connive and scheme. They’ll share links, twitter at you, and generally attempt to exude an aura of Rothfuss-y-ness.

I will take the sixth profile and attempt to do the same.

The contest will run for two weeks and finish on Halloween at midnight.  Then everyone will vote on who they think the real Pat Rothfuss is.

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The winner gets that most valuable commodity of all: Bragging Rights.

Even better, the winner will have 1,000 dollars donated to the charity of their choice. The prize money being provided by DAW Books, my lovely publisher.

I might also see if I can find a trophy of some sort.

  • The Rules:

It should be blindingly obvious to everyone that I could win this game pretty easily. I could post up a selfie with today’s newspaper and that would be the end of it.

But what would be the fun in that?

The five other people who are playing are going to have to win through sheer cleverness, trickery, and guile. I plan on winning the same way.

What I’m getting at here, is that I’m looking to play a beautiful game. Why would I want to win anything other than a beautiful game?

Aside from my self-imposed handicap, there are only two rules:

1. Players can change anything on their twitter profiles except for their pictures. Those will remain the same throughout the contest. Otherwise things would just be too confusing.

2. Stories about Oot are out of bounds.

You see, I love telling stories about my little boy: (Codename Oot.)

A lot of the stories I tell are funny, silly, or irreverent. For example, on facebook I recently shared how Oot spent 20 minutes running around shouting “Gangnam Style!” and dancing naked.

I shared the story because it’s funny, and because he has no sense of shame at this point in his life.

But the thought of someone *else* making up a story along those lines…. It creeps me out a little bit.

So. No Oot stories. He’s out of bounds.

That’s it though. Everything else is fair game.

  • The Charities:

The charities are people are backing:  Worldbuilders, Architecture for Humanity, Teach for America, 826LA, Con or Bust or Project Nightlight.

(Here’s a hint. I’m playing for my home team, Worldbuilders.)

If you want to know more about these charities, you can read some brief summaries over on the page where you can see all six twitter feeds at once.

TheRealRothfuss

Fair warning: We kinda threw this page together. If it gets hammered with 100,000 visitors in the next two days, it might crash.

So if you want to follow the contest, you might consider following all six of these accounts right now. That way you can watch the entire beautiful game without fear of tech glitches getting in the way.

As of right now, each profile is virtually identical except for its name and the profile picture. While the pictures will remain the same, (as per rule #1 above) the profiles will doubtless change as soon as the players take charge.

A careful observer will notice that each of the profiles has one tweet from Oct 14th saying, “I am the real Pat Rothfuss.”

A *very* careful observer will notice that that post is actually from Oct 14th 2012. That’s how long I’ve been planning to do this contest, but I’ve never managed to get around to it until now.

Because the profiles have been sitting around for a while, some of them have collected different numbers of followers.

I’m guessing that in the next couple days they’re going to get a few more….

In case you’d like it again, here’s a link to the page where you can see and follow all of the accounts.

Game on,

pat

P.S. Just now, minutes before we launch this blog, it has occurred to me that we should have some sort of official hashtag associated with it.

I consulted with my staff, and my twitter-smart assistant Amanda has confirmed that yes, this is a good idea.

What’s more, she has implied to me that this tag could even be used to ask a question of all the different accounts at the same time. Something along the lines of “If you’re the *real* Pat Rothfuss, what’s your favorite flavor skittle?”

And then you’d somehow… um… hash things. Together. I guess that’s another thing I’m going to have to figure out…

Anyway, how about we use #TheRealRothfuss. Using it all the time would would probably be cumbersome and cluttery. But now it’s there for people if they want it. (Sorry to make y’all use caps, but otherwise it looks too much like “There Al Rothfuss.” Which would be some other, entirely lamer game.)

Posted in Achievement Unlocked!, Beautiful Games, contests, My brilliant ideas | By Pat93 Responses
Published: November 21, 2012

More Awesome Books

This is a Worldbuilders Blog.

As you know, a lot of the books we give away during Worldbuilders come from publishers or the authors themselves.

But over the last couple years, we’ve had more and more books donated by people who are just… well… people. Some work at bookstores, some are hardcore collectors, and some of them are just folks who love Heifer International and want to help out with the fundraiser.

This blog is composed entirely of books from those donors. Some of them are rare or out of print, most of them are signed by the authors.

You’ll notice two things below that are a little different from our previous years.

1. We’re grouping more books into sets. We have so many donations this year that we just don’t have time and space to list them all separately.

2. We’re offering more auctions. While we’re still putting the vast majority of our books into the lottery, most of the blogs will have at least a couple auctions. For example, in this blog  we’ve got two copies of Brennan’s Gold and Books to Die For, so one goes into the lottery, and the other goes up for auction.

And now, on to the books.

  • A hardcover, tenth anniversary edition of American Gods. Signed by Neil Gaiman.

I’m a big fan of Gaiman from way back, and I wrote up my thoughts about American Gods last year for a best SFF books of the decade blog on Tor.com. If you’re curious, you can head over there and read it.

Or, if you like, you can take the word of someone considerably more posh than me….

“More than a tourist in America, but not a native, Neil Gaiman offers an outside-in and inside-out perspective on the soul and spirituality of the country–our obsessions with money and power, our jumbled religious heritage and its societal outcomes, and the millennial decisions we face about what’s real and what’s not.” -Therese Littleton

“Set in a fascinating, unique world rich with detail, Shadow and Bone was unlike anything I’ve ever read.”  —Veronica Roth, New York Times bestselling author.

  • A set of three short story collections: Collected Ghost Stories by M.R. James, signed by Darryl Jones and John Connolly; Bull Fighting, signed by Roddy Doyle; and Dark Lies the Island, signed by Kevin Barry.

“[About Collected Ghost Stories] For those who like their flesh to creep, there is an inimitable cumulative pleasure in reading these stories” – Daily Telegraph

“[About Dark Lies the Island] The most exciting Irish short story writer of his generation.” – John Burns, Sunday Times

“Shiner never fails to astound, and this collection highlights everything that makes him one of today’s best storytellers.” – Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)

“[Egan] finds a way to balance the complexity of his ideas with enough story and character for the reader to care about them as stories and not just speculative essays on the latest in cosmology, physics or artificial intelligence research..” –  The SF Site

  • Auction: Advance Reading Copies of Best Served Cold and The Heroes. Both sign by Joe Abercrombie.

“[The Heroes is] one of Abercrombie’s most masterfully executed and compellingly readable novels to date.” – Carl Hays

Since both of these books are ARCs, and they’re both signed by the author, they’re fairly collectable. If you’d like to bid on them, the auction is over here.


“French has a knack for motives, always burying them deep within the world she builds.” – Janet Potter, Onion A.V. Club

 

“The Leopard rewards you with a finale as unexpected and thought-provoking as any in recent mystery-fiction memory.” — San Francisco Chronicle

 

“This is a thoughtful and at times disarming novel about life, love, and discovery, set during a time when so much of life seems filled with deep portent.” – Chris Schluep

 

“Stephenson’s REAMDE: perfectly executed, mammoth, ambitious technothriller…a triumph, all 980 pages of it.” – Cory Doctorow

 

  • A hardcover copy of The Magician’s Guild. Signed by Trudi Canavan.
“A wonderfully and meticulously detailed world, and an edge-of-the-seat plot, this book is a must for all lovers of good fantasy.” – Jennifer Fallon

 

  • The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocolypse; The Brightnomicon; and The Japanese Devil Fish Girl an Other Unnatural Attractions. All signed by author Robert Rankin.
“It’s easy to see why Rankin has a huge cult following. Drawing on a rich vein of English humour that encompasses Python, Adams and Stanshall, his comedy-fantasies are filled with pop culture references, music hall wordplay and ironic quips galore.”  — BBC FOCUS

 

“Casey handles several plot lines with ease, and she’s come up with an attractive series character in DC Maeve Kerrigan”. – Sunday Times

  • A hardcover copy of  Songs of the Earth. Signed and dated by Elspeth Cooper.

“Songs of the Earth is a fascinating and thoughtful fantasy debut quite unlike many others in the genre and the author has a unique voice that separates her from the competition.” – WALKER OF WORLDS

“Though it’s not the literary SF that has won Silverberg much of his fame, readers who love ancient myths will find much to admire.” – Publishers Weekly

“A Matter of Blood is one of the more successful blends of police procedural, horror and fantasy I’ve encountered.” – LOCUS

“Glynn delivers an intricate plot and relentless suspense in this taut, top-notch thriller about the evils that men do.” – Allison Block, Booklist

“[The Istanbul Puzzle is] An impressive debut; well written, beautifully descriptive, and with a smart dialogue and a compelling air of menace throughout.” – The Lancashire Evening Post

“Books to Die For will thrill the individual mystery lover as much as it will prove an essential reference for the shelves of lending libraries. A vast, comprehensive undertaking, it is that rare breed of anthology of interest to both the initiated and the newcomer. Indeed, like the ideal mystery novel itself, this is a page-turner with an addictive quality.” – Irish Examiner

 

This book was mailed around to all of the authors in order for it to be signed.  It has a slight ding in the top of the spine, which is astonishingly little damage considering how often it was handled.

It’s a really unique item, and would make a great Christmas gift for the mystery aficionado in your life. You can check out the auction over here.

“A a slight but enjoyable tale with a light, almost YA feel. Newcomers will get an easy introduction as Arlen, still an apprentice Messenger, takes on his first solo excursion into the demon-haunted night.” – Publisher’s Weekly

This copy of Bryan’s Gold has been signed by Peter V. Brett as well as his cover artist, who, according to an additional the inscription by Brett, “is awesome!”

To bid on the auction, go here.

“[The] character development and Scalzi’s sharp ear for dialogue will draw in new readers, particularly young adults.” – Publishers Weekly

This book is truly beautiful, and the drawing from Vincent Chong on his signature page is amazing.

  •  A hardcover copy of The Prague Cemetery. Signed by Umberto Eco.

“[Eco] demonstrates once again that his is a voice that compels our attention.” – San Francisco Chronicle

  • Auction: A beautiful numbered, slipcased copy of Shades of Grey. Signed by Jasper Fforde.

Okay. First off, I have to stress that this book is NOT 50 Shades of Grey. 

This book is Shades of Grey, by Jasper Fforde. I read it a couple of years back, enjoyed it immensely, and am even now eagerly looking forward to the sequel. If you’d like more details, you can check out my Goodreads review.

Or, here’s a more professional opinion:

“A rich brew of dystopic fantasy and deadpan goofiness” – The Washington Post

They only printed a thousand of these so we’re putting this one up into the auction. To see more pictures or make a bid, you can head over here.

*     *     *

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

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

Or, if you want to see the other items that have been donated to Worldbuilders, or learn more about the fundraiser itself, you can head over to the main page here.

Posted in Worldbuilders 2012 | By Pat8 Responses
Published: May 1, 2012

Author Talk: Building Character

About a month ago, I did a G+ hangout with Felicia Day, John Scalzi, and Amber Benson in order to promote the launch of Felicia’s new maelstrom of nerd-awesome: Geek and Sundry.

We set out to talk about what makes for good, interesting characters, and the conversation spiraled pleasantly through all manner of interesting tangents after that. In addition to being a fun talk with some of the wittiest geeks around, I think we also ended up raising some interesting points about stories, writing, truth, beauty, etc.

Anyway, if you missed the live broadcast, you can stop weeping softly to yourself in the corner. They’ve just posted up the video over on youtube.

Here it is:

Man, I really need a haircut….

pat

Posted in Felicia Day, Interviews, tangentality, the craft of writing, videos | By Pat48 Responses
Published: February 5, 2012

Final Donations, Final Days

This is a Worldbuilders blog.

This is it, folks. The last blog of author-donated books for this year’s fundraiser.

We’ve got some really good stuff in here, enough books for two blogs, really. But these are the final days of the fundraiser, so we’re going for one big, action-packed blog instead.

As I write this, we’re less than 500 dollars away from breaking $250,000. I honestly didn’t think we were going to make it. Now I’m curious to see how high things will manage to go before the fundraiser is over at midnight on Feb 7th.

And just to be clear that includes all of Feb 7th. And yes, I know I should technically say the fundraiser ends at 11:59 PM CST on February 7th, but that’s cumbersome. We all know what midnight on the 7th really means…

Will I still count your donation if it’s a little late? Yeah, we’ll probably still include you in the prize drawing and match your donation 50%. But why wait when you can just head over to the Worldbuilders Team Page and donate right now?

And remember, for every 10 bucks you kick in, you have the chance of winning some something from among the thousands of books folks have already donated.

Plus the books we’re adding today, of course….

  • An Advance Reader Copy of Redshirts by John Scalzi. Signed by the man himself.

(Book modeled by the Amazing Athena)

Though I’d never say it to his face, John Scalzi is a hell of a nice guy.

I’m not just saying that because he’s always been kind to me and given me good advice. I’m not saying it because invited me to be part his Clash of the Geeks anthology a while back.

It’s not even because he recently teamed up with Bill Schafer of Subterranean press to donate a week’s worth of profit from his most recent e-book to Planned Parenthood after Komen pulled their support. (If you head over there and buy a copy before the 8th, you can support the cause, too.)

No. The real reason I’m fond of John Scalzi is because he sent me an early look at his upcoming novel Redshirts.

At 20 pages in, I was really enjoying it. At 30 pages in, I was laughing out loud in the restaurant where I was sitting, reading it. Around page 43, I got out my phone and called him just to gush about how much I was enjoying it.

I finished the book later that day, thought I should have been doing other things, and was delighted to discover that it was brilliant to the very end. (Which isn’t always the case.) When I e-mailed John to tell him that I’d love to blurb it, he offered to donate an Advance Reading Copy to Worldbuilders.

That means if you win it in the auction, the lottery you can read it long before it comes out in June. This will improve your herd rank among other geeks and give you a great opportunity to be smug.

I won’t go on about how much I loved the book. But if you’re really curious, you can read the review I wrote on Goodreads.

  • Six copies of Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. Signed by the author.

This is one of the handful of books that I liked well enough to blurb last year. The publishers liked the quote well enough that they put it on the back cover of the UK edition:

Laini was also cool enough to send along four copies of the audiobook of Daughter of Smoke and Bone, too. So we’ll add those to the fundraiser as well.

  • Four audio book copies of Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.

  • One hardcover set of The Mortal Instruments Books One through Three: City of Bones, City of Ashes, and City of Glass by Cassandra Clare.  Signed by the author.

“Clare’s atmospheric setting is spot-on, informed equally by neo-gothic horror films and the modern fantasy leanings of Neil Gaiman. Fans of the smart/chic horror typified by Buffy the Vampire Slayer will instantly fall for this new series.” – Publishers Weekly

  • One hardcover set of The Infernal Devices Books One and Two: Clockwork Angel and Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare.  Signed by the author.

“Mysteries, misdirection, and riddles abound. . . . Fans of the Mortal Instruments series and newcomers alike won’t be disappointed.” – Publishers Weekly

  • One paperback set of Goblin Hero and Goblin Quest by Jim C. Hines.  Signed by the author.

“Hines recognizes that wisdom is most often common sense, and that mouthing off to the big guy with the sword is a very bad idea.” – Tanya Huff, author of Smoke and Ashes.

  • One hardcover set of Crystal Rain and Ragamuffin by Tobias S. Buckell.  Signed by the author.

“Tobias S. Buckell is a dazzling new voice.” – Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author of Hominids

“Tobias Buckell is stretching the horizons of science fiction and giving readers a hell of a lot of swashbuckling fun in the bargain.” — John Scalzi, bestselling author of Old Man’s War

  • One first edition hardcover set of The Edge of Reason and The Edge of Ruin by Melinda Snodgrass. Signed by the author.

“If H. P. Lovecraft and H. L. Mencken had ever collaborated, they might have come up with something like The Edge of Reason. This one will delight thinkers-and outrage true believers-of all stripes.” – George R. R. Martin

  • One set of Wild Cards novels: Wild Cards I, Inside Straight, Suicide Kings, and Busted Flush, edited by George R. R. Martin. Signed by many of the authors.

“Delicious… Everything I’d hoped for in a new Wild Cards book. The character interactions and plot twists have exactly the complexity, surprise, and unsentimental realism I’d expect out of a George R. R. Martin project.” – Austin Grossman

  • One set of Jennifer Brozek-edited anthologies and an audiobook of The Tasty Collection, read by Andrew Mayor.  All signed by Jennifer Brozek.

“You’ll hear echoes of Stephen King’s The Stand, David Brin’s The Postman and even Cormac McCarthy’s The Road as you read this series of stories about the survivors of a great plague. The stories are varied and lively, and their talented authors lead you (sometimes kicking and screaming) toward sanctuary.” – Patrick Swenson

  • Two sets of the complete Rai-Kirah series: Transformation, Revelation, and Restoration by Carol Berg.  Signed by the author.

“Superbly textured, splendidly characterized, this spellbinding tale provides myriad delights for the fantasy connoisseur.”  – RT Book Reviews

  • One complete series of The Novels of the Collegia Magica: The Spirit Lens, The Soul Mirror, and The Daemon Prism by Carol Berg.  Signed by the author.

“Set in a world in which the implacable laws of science war with the resonances of magical power for supremacy, Berg’s novel is rich with vivid characters and unforgettable places…an infectiously enjoyable series opener that fans of thought-provoking fantasy and intriguing mystery should appreciate.”  – Library Journal

  • One bound galley of Flesh and Spirit by Carol Berg.  Signed by the author.

“Berg brings to life every stone in a peaceful monastery and every nuance in a stratified society, describing the difficult dirty work of ordinary life as beautifully as she conveys the heart-stopping mysticism of holiness just beyond human perception.”  – Sharon Shinn, author of Troubled Waters

  • One US trade paperback re-release of The Song of the Beast by Carol Berg. Signed by the author.

“Berg’s fascinating fantasy is a puzzle story, with a Celtic-flavored setting and a plot as intricate and absorbing as fine Celtic lacework…. the characters are memorable, and Berg’s intelligence and narrative skill make this stand-alone fantasy most commendable.” – Booklist

  • Two first edition hardcover copies of Inheritance by Christopher Paolini. Signed by the author.

“This book is an achievement. Readers… will be transported.” – Sunday Times

  • One hardcover copy of Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed.  Signed by the author.

“Ahmed is a master storyteller in the grand epic tradition.  Swashbuckling adventure, awesome mystery, a bit of horror, and all of it written beautifully.  A real treat!” – N. K. Jemisin, Locus award-wining author of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

Pat’s Note: This book is also an ARC. The final version of the book won’t be hitting the shelves until June. So if you win it, you get to be reading way ahead of the curve…

“The best debut I’ve read all year! Nightshifted is simply amazing!” – Kat Richardson

  • One set of Jabberwocky and Hatter by Daniel Coleman. Signed by the author.

“The surprising story inspired by Lewis Carroll’s epic poem. You might know how it ends, but you won’t believe how it happens.”

  • Seven Hardcover copies of The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi. Signed by the author.

  • Four sets of The Magicians, The Magician King (audio book) and a Brakebills University t-shirt from Lev Grossman. Book and audio book are signed by the author.
Pat’s Note: I did a gushy write-up about The Magicians back when I first read it. I liked it enough to write a blog about it over here.

But you don’t have to take my word for it. Take George Martin’s instead: “The Magicians is to Harry Potter as a shot of Irish whiskey is to a glass of weak tea.”

*     *     *

Well folks, that’s the last of the books for this year.

Remember that for every 10 dollars you donate on the Worldbuilders team page, you get a chance to win these books and many, many more. What’s more, worldbuilders will match your donation by 50%.

We also have a few auctions still running, you can find them over here.

If you want to see the other items that have been donated to Worldbuilders, or learn more about the fundraiser itself, you can head over to the main page here.

Posted in Worldbuilders 2011 | By Pat43 Responses
Published: December 5, 2011

Signed Books

This is a Worldbuilders blog.

Here’s our first batch of author-donated books, all of them lovingly signed by the authors themselves.

  • A first edition, hardcover set of books from the Black Jewels World: Tangled Webs, The Shadow Queen, Twilight’s Dawn, and Shalador’s Lady by Anne Bishop. All signed by the author.

“Anne Bishop does not disappoint. I have not read a book of hers that did not immediately captivate me and draw me immediately back into her world….[She] waves her spell so well…. Her characters seem so real and engaging.” – SFRevu

  • One set of Shadows and Light & The House of Gaian by Anne Bishop. Signed by the author.

“Plenty of thrills, faerie magic, human nastiness, and romance.” – Locus

  • One set of Australia editions of The Invisible Ring & Twilight’s Dawn by Anne Bishop. Signed by the author.

“The Invisible Ring will serve as an enticement, whetting the appetite to explore more of the realms in the Black Jewels trilogy. It and its predecessors are genuine gems of fantasy much to be prized.” – The Zone

  • One copy of Tangled Webs by Anne Bishop. Signed by the author.

“Bishop’s talent brings the world to life and creates characters who will intrigue, outrage and captivate the reader.” – Romantic Times

  • Two copies of The Whitefire Crossing by Courtney Schafer. Signed by the author.

“It’s not very often that I get to say this, but Courtney Schafer’s The Whitefire Crossing is the complete package. Fully developed characters. Across the board world-building. Intriguing magic. Accomplished writing. Engaging storytelling. Thrilling adventure… Add it all up and there’s no doubt in my mind that The Whitefire Crossing is not only one of the best fantasy debuts of 2011, but it’s also one of the year’s best fantasy novels period.” – Robert Thompson of Fantasy Book Critic

Pat’s note: I’ll admit that after reading that blurb, I’ve added this one to my own mountainous to-be-read stack.

  • One copy of Wells of Sorrows by Benjamin Tate. Signed by the author.

“Brilliantly detailed worldbuilding and complicated characters makes this an engrossing read.” – Laura Anne Gilman.

  • One set of The Throne of Amenkor: The Skewed Throne, The Cracked Throne, and The Vacant Throne by Joshua Palmatier. Signed by the author.

“A gritty, edgy, unsettling book. This tough young woman makes her choices in a world where good and evil often look like twins. I was riveted by her story!” – Tamora Pierce, author of Terrier

  • One copy of After Hours: Tales from the Ur-Bar edited by Joshua Palmatier and Patricia Bray and signed by Joshua Palmatier.

Science fiction and fantasy readers have long shown an affinity for a good “bar story”. Now some of today’s most inventive scriveners have decided to tell their own tall tales-from an alewife’s attempt to transfer the gods’ curse to Gilgamesh, to Odin’s decision to introduce Vikings to the Ur-Bar, from the Holy Roman Emperor’s barroom bargain, to a demon hunter who may just have met his match in the ultimate magic bar, to a bouncer who discovers you should never let anyone in after hours in a world terrorized by zombies.

“The Winds of Khalokovo is filled with clean prose, intelligent language, and brilliant imagination. Reading this fantasy was like sinking my teeth into a rich and exotic dessert.” – Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show

“The boldly imagined new world and sharply drawn characters will pull you into The Winds of Khalakovo and won’t let you go until the last page.” – Michael A. Stackpole, New York Times bestselling author of I, Jedi

Pat’s note: For those of you who aren’t familiar with publishing lingo, ARC stands for Advance Reader’s Copy. These are the sneak-preview books that a publisher gives to reviewers and booksellers. They don’t tend to print very many of them, so they’re kinda rare. What’s more, a lot of times they haven’t gone through final edits, so you get the chance to see a rough-hewn version of the story, and occasionally chuckle up your sleeve at the author’s typos.

Also, Bradley has gone out of his way to sign this one with extra panache, rubbing my nose in the fact that I have the handwriting of a 3rd grader.

  • One anthology of Stalking the Wild Hare edited by John Helfers, Chris Pierson, Marc Tassin, and Jean Rabe. Signed by Bradley P. Beaulieu.

Adventure . . . danger . . . romance . . . or maybe a good scare? Yearning to read some fantasy . . . science fiction . . . humor . . . urban fantasy . . . horror . . . or even a haunting Civil War tale? We’ve got what you’re looking for! The authors in Gen Con’s Writer’s Symposium have collected 22 of their favorite tales into this volume.

Pat’s note: I met John this year at World Fantasy. He was cool enough to donate some signed copies of his profoundly creepy Cthulhu/blues fusion debut novel.

(Say “Cthulhu/blues fusion debut” three times fast, I dare you. Now go say it in front of a mirror at midnight with all the lights off. No. Wait. Don’t do that….)

In addition to chipping in some books, John also went above and beyond the call of duty and helped us finally design a our webpage for the fundraiser: Worldbuilders.org.

“A sumptuous Southern Gothic thriller steeped in the distinct American mythologies of Cthulhu and the blues . . . Southern Gods beautifully probes the eerie, horror-infested underbelly of the South.” – The Onion AV

  • Three first edition hardcover copies of Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi. Signed by the author.

“Fuzzy Nation seeks to bring a 21st century storytelling sensibility to a half-century-old genre classic, and it succeeds far more wildly than I imagine even John Scalzi himself hoped. What began as an unabashed exercise in labor-of-love fanfic became not only excellent SF in its own right, but, incidentally, Scalzi’s best novel to date in a career that was already impressive and well above the bell curve.” – SF Reviews

Pat’s Note: I never read the original story Scalzi drew inspiration from (H. Beam Piper’s Little Fuzzy). But that didn’t keep me from thoroughly enjoying the novel.

*     *     *

Remember, for every 10 dollars you donate on the Worldbuilders Team Page, 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, Worldbuilders is matching 50% of all donations. So you get a bigger bang for your buck when you head over to our Team Heifer page and chip in.

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

Posted in Worldbuilders 2011 | By Pat20 Responses
Published: December 2, 2011

Hundreds of Gorgeous Books from Subterranean Press

This is a Worldbuilders blog.

Over the years, nobody has supported Worldbuilders as much as Subterranean Press.

Back in my first year, before the fundraiser even had a name, Subterranean called me up and asked if they could send me books.

And they did. They sent hundreds of gorgeous, signed, limited edition books. When that happened, it made me think that maybe I could do this fundraiser as a yearly thing.

What’s my point?

My point is that not only do the the folks at Subterranean Press publish absolutely gorgeous books, but they are profoundly lovely people as well.

This year Sub Press has stepped up again, donating over 300 lovely books, many of them rare, signed, limited edition, or out of print.

“Miéville’s slow-burn narrative is by turns amusing and horrifying, mixing Philip K. Dick-esque satirical banality with a mesmerizing vision of a society on the brink of apocalypse.” – Entertainment Weekly

“The Sagan Diary is a must-have book for just about any serious reader of science fiction and certainly for any serious collector of science fiction. It’s a gorgeous little hardcover with a golden-age worthy cover by no less than Bob Eggleton, and B&W interior B&W illustrations as well.” – The Agony Column

“These stories…chronicle the literary progress of one of the genre’s most remarkable and exciting voices… [They] display a unique, iconoclastic vision that celebrates language as well as story.” – Library Journal

(As an interesting aside, the cover of this book is by Lee Moyer who created our 2012 literary pin-up calendars…)

“Everyone who is fan of science fiction or just good writing needs to have Ellison on their shelf. That being said I can think of no finer example than Deathbird Stories as a best representation. Subterranean Press has put together a book worth owning and Harlan has given us content worth reading.” – SFRevu

“Science fiction Grand Master Silverberg explores the possibilities and pitfalls of time travel in this omnibus of three classic novels. […] These novels showcase not only the astounding challenges of time travel but the growth of a talented writer whose ideas and characters continue to entertain.” – Publishers Weekly

Pat’s note: Barry Hughart’s books are brilliantly good, and this is the nicest compilation of them that I’ve ever seen. I’ve bought more than 12 of them just to give away as gifts to friends and family.

“Reading Hughart’s endearing historical fantasy trilogy… is much like ‘wandering blindfolded through a myth devised by a maniac,’ in the words of Master Li, the greatest and most frequently intoxicated wise man in a colorful seventh century ‘China that never was.’ Their rollicking adventures pit them against everyone from murderers and thieves to emperors and gods. Numerous Chinese legends, filtered through Ox’s simple perspective, blend seamlessly into both lighthearted and heartrending.” – Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

“Zafón’s novel is detailed and vivid, and David’s narration is charming and funny, but suspect. Villain or victim, he is the hero of and the guide to this dark labyrinth that, by masterful design, remains thrilling and bewildering.” – Publishers Weeky (Starred Review)

“The Five isn’t just Robert McCammon’s best novel in years; it’s his best novel ever. Terrifying, suspenseful, unputdownable, and full of rock and roll energy. It’s also uplifting, a book you’ll finish feeling better about your world, your friends, and your music. Here’s one you’ll beg friends to read.” – Stephen King

“It is best not to come to Summer Morning, Summer Night expecting miracles. They’re here, of course, but tucked inside small pleasures and gossamer wisps of story, barely noticed until you’ve already read past them. Instead, it’s best read like an afternoon’s conversation over drinks with a long-lost friend, reveling in the individual moments and memories for their own sake.” – Green Man Review

“As intoxicating as Bradbury’s legendary Dandelion Wine, the 27 new and old stories in this potent collection resonate with timeless power. All set in Green Town, Ill., the vintage highlights include ‘Miss Bidwell,’ a sweet romance about a spinster and the delayed homecoming of her first love; the brilliant ‘The Screaming Woman,’ featuring the wide-eyed first person narration of a frantic 10-year-old who discovers a woman’s premature burial; and ‘At Midnight, in the Month of June,’ in which a killer plays a demented game of hide and seek.” – Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

Pat’s note: I read this earlier this year and really, really dug it. Very tight and well-written. Gritty without being bleak, and occasionally dark without being depressing. Good stuff.

“Bacigalupi makes a stellar YA debut with this futuristic tale of class imbalance on the Gulf Coast…Bacigalupi’s cast is ethnically and morally diverse, and the book’s message never overshadows the storytelling, action-packed pacing, or intricate world-building.” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)

*     *     *

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 Worldbuilders 2011 | By Pat10 Responses
Published: May 31, 2011

On the Ambiguity of Gods and The Dangers of Stew

So a while back Tor.com posted up a poll asking readers to vote on what they considered the best Sci-fi and Fantasy novels of the last decade.

Imagine my delight when The Name of the Wind came in #3 in the top 10, right behind Scalzi’s Old Man’s War and Gaiman’s American Gods.

Imagine my further delight when I found out they were asking authors to do little write ups about each of the books that made the top 10.

“Would you like, to do a write up for American Gods?” they asked me. “We know you’re a bit of a Gaiman fan….”

“Yes,” I said. “Yes I am.”

So I wrote a little piece about American Gods.

As part of the same poll, John Scalzi wrote piece about how he first encountered The Name of the Wind. It’s a shameful tale that includes the details of how I stalked him like some sort of stealthy, cowardly… something. Perhaps a tree lizard of some kind. Or an ocelot. Or maybe one of those deep-sea fangly fish.

Here’s a link to his post, which is much more entertaining than mine.

I’m still sorting through the photos from the contest. There were more than a thousand of them in all, with very little chaff, so it’s taking some time. But don’t worry, you’ll be seeing them soon…

pat

Posted in accolades, Neil Gaiman | By Pat41 Responses

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