If you've been following the magazine for a bit, you may have noticed that we didn't run our usual prize draw during 2017's fundraiser. Well, it's back from now until 18 February, and we've got a whole bushel of book, art, and craft bundles ready for you to win!
Here's how it works:
Everyone who donates at least $1 via PayPal or joins our Patreon will be entered into the running for one of the prizes below. Once the fund drive has run its course, we'll do a random drawing for each prize and contact the winner for their shipping information.
If you'd like to donate more than $1, that's great, and we really appreciate it! However, in an effort to keep the prize draw fun and fair, your donation will only count for one entry, regardless of the amount. So if you donate $1, you get one entry, and if you donate $10, you still get one entry. If you donate more than once, you still get one entry.
We'd like to thank the publishers, supports, and contributors who donated a prize for their generosity. We can't run this event without you.
Donate $1 via PayPal or join our Patreon between now and 18 February and be entered to win one of the prizes below!
The prizes
Tachyon Fantasy Bundle: Are you a fan of Peter S. Beagle and Ellen Klages? Then this is the bundle for you!. Summerlong is Peter S. Beagle’s long-awaited novel published in 2017. Set in Puget Sound, SH reviewer Stephen Case called it “urban fantasy (or, more accurately, “American northwestern fantasy”) at its best” here. Ellen Klages’ 2017 short story collection, Wicked Wonders (also reviewed by Stephen Case in 2017), has stories that run the gamut from pure science fiction to contemporary fantasy to high fantasy and darkly autobiographical. In The New Voices of Fantasy, edited (and signed!) by Peter S. Beagle and Jacob Weisman, discover the most exciting, must read, up-and-coming fantasy writers of the last five years. Authors include SH alums Eugene Fischer, Brooke Bolander, Amal El-Mohtar, Carmen Maria Machado, Usman T. Malik, Sarah Pinsker, Sofia Samatar, Kelly Sandoval, A. C. Wise, Alyssa Wong, and JY Yang. All trade paperbacks. (Donated by Tachyon Publishing.)
Booksmugglers’ Box: A box of books in your favorite genre curated especially for you by the Booksmugglers! Available genres include: YA, science fiction, fantasy, and horror. (Donated by the Booksmugglers.)
Booksmuggers Publishing Bundle: All five novellas published by the Booksmugglers in 2017 as part of their new novella initiative. Keeper of the Dawn by Dianna Gunn, a tale of new beginnings, second chances, and the endurance of hope; Reenu-You by Michele Tracy Berger, about a strange epidemic in New York caused by a new hair relaxing product; Bearly a Lady by Cassandra Khaw, a romantic comedy starring a werebear who (almost) has it all, Temporary Duty Assignment by A.E. Ash, a high stakes sci-fi romance, and Girl Reporter by Tansy Rayner Roberts, millennial vlogger and girl reporter Friday Valentina’s interdimensional quest to rescue her infamous reporter mother. Available formats: epub or mobi. (Donated by the Booksmugglers.)
Get tuckerized by Marie Brennan!: Marie Brennan, author of the Memoirs of Lady Trent series and long-time Strange Horizons contributor, will tuckerize you, fair reader, in the as-yet-untitled sequel to the Memoirs of Lady Trent series.
Made by Hand bundle: A grey Victorian scarf handknit by none other than SH founder Mary Anne Mohanraj herself. Plus a pair of book earrings, 16 pages, hand-bound, with surgical steel hooks made by author Sam Mills. (Donated by Mary Anne Mohanraj and Sam Mills.)
Novella bundle: A collection of novellas by Strange Horizons contributors! The Arrival of Missives by Aliya Whiteley, a genre-defying story of fate, free-will and the choices we make in life; a signed copy of Through Immortal Shadows Singing by Mari Ness, a soaring poem of love and war, healing and pain, hatred and triumph; a signed copy of upcoming novella Catfish Lullaby by AC Wise, which is, at its heart, it's a story about family; and a signed copy of The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion by Margaret Killjoy, pitting utopian anarchists against rogue demon deer in this dropkick-in-the-mouth punk fantasy. (Donated by the authors.)
Anthology bundle: A bundle of anthologies spanning a range of the fantastic. Sycorax’s Daughters, published by Cedar Grove Publisher, 2017 (donated by Linda Addison); a paperback copy of Witches, Princesses and Women at Arms: Erotic Lesbian Fairy Tales, edited by Sacchi Green for Cleis Press (donated by Constance Wilkins); a signed copy of 49th Parallels: Alternative Canadian Histories and Futures, from Bundoran Press and edited by Hayden Trenholm (donated by Kate Heartfield); Fantastic Defenders (donated by Donna Royston); and a copy of Interzone #262 (donated by Philip Suggars.)
Short story bundle: You love a good short story collection, don’t you? I mean, who doesn’t? How about a COLLECTION of short story collections? A signed copy of Monsters In My Mind by Ada Hoffmann, a richly-textured speculative fiction collection exploring deeply human experiences like loss, grief, love; a signed copy of Vandana Singh’s upcoming collection from Small Beer Press, Ambiguity Machines and Other Stories, “a spectacular assembly of work and not to be missed by fans of cutting-edge SF with a deeply human sensibility,” - PW; a signed UK hardcover of Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado, where Machado bends genre to shape startling narratives that map the realities of women's lives and the violence visited upon their bodies; a hardcover copy of Freak Weather Stories by Mary Kuryla, as unpredictable as the atmospheric changes that give this collection its name; and a signed copy of Vacui Magia: Stories LS Johnson, a provocative and original short story collection that ingeniously blends myth and nightmare. (Donated by the authors.)
YA bundle: Don’t miss this bundle of YA novels by Strange Horizons contributors! A signed hardcover copy of An Inheritance of Ashes by Leah Bobet, a stark, beautiful fantasy; a signed hardcover of Seriously Hexed Tina Connolly, the latest installment to the Andre Norton Award-nominated "Seriously Wicked" series; a signed copy of The Demon Girl's Song by Susan Jane Bigelow, an epic journey for fans of Malinda Lo's Ash and Huntress. (Donated by the authors.)
Debut novel bundle: Looking for something new? This bundle includes a signed hardcover of The Daughters by Adrienne Celt, a tapestry of secrets, affairs, and unimaginable sacrifices; a signed hardcover of Sunburst Award-winning Spells of Blood and Kin by Claire Humphrey, a paranormal world with vivid emotional depth and gritty violence; a signed soft-cover of Swift For The Sun by Karen Bovenmeyer, an LGBT pirate tale about Benjamin Lector—a smuggler, a gunrunner, and an all-around scoundrel. (Donated by the authors.)
Poetry bundle: Perhaps you’d care for something a bit more lyrical? A signed copy of Suicide Hotline Hold Music by Jessy Randall, a collection of short poems and poetry comics; a signed copy of Field Guide to the End of the World by Jeannine Hall Gailey, a whimsical look at our culture’s obsession with apocalypse; a bright green t-shirt size XL showing an erasure of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 turning it into "Thou art hot," designed by Bennett Spengler to benefit the now-closed Mountain Fold Books in Colorado Springs. (Donated by the authors.)
Historical fantasy duo: An adventurous pair, consider a signed copy of Harkworth Hall by LS Johnson, where Caroline will have to face the horror beneath Harkworth Hall—and the woman who will change her life; and a signed copy of middle-grade, illustrated historical fantasy Tokoyo, the Samurai’s Daughter by Faith L. Justice, about Tokoyo, the daughter of a samurai in fourteenth century Japan. (Donated by the authors.)
Sci-fi bundle: Write in style! We’re offering a custom pencil case featuring the caged sun and rocket from Rachel Kahn’s illustration for UtopiaLoL! and a signed copy of First Fleet by Stephen Case. (Donated by the creators.)
Art bundle: A small art print of a painting by Lora Gray and a custom pencil case featuring the caged sun and rocket from Rachel Kahn’s illustration for UtopiaLoL!. (Donated by the creators.)
New Things: A copy of the New Things collection with a greeting card and a social justice calendar, donated by Liz Argall.
Jordan bundle: A copy of The Long List Anthology vol. 3, featuring Rebecca Ann Jordan’s Strange Horizons story, “We Have A Cultural Difference, Can I Taste You?”, as well as a pair of handmade comics. (Donated by the author.)
Barrett bundle: Copies of Forget Yourself and The Giddy Death of the Gays & the Strange Demise of Straights, both by Redfern Jon Barrett and published by Lethe Press. (Donated by the author.)
Palmer bundle: Own the whole Terra Ingota series! A hardcover copy of The Will to Battle, a trade paperback of Seven Surrenders, and a UK paperback of Too Like the Lightning, all by Ada Palmer; a set of 2 CDs and the DVD of the author’s Sundown Whispers of Ragnarok Norse myth song cycle, a copy of the author’s Norse Cosmos poster; and a glass drinking stein lazer etched with the Utopian sigil and the Utopian Oath. (Donated by the author.)
Tor mini hardback bundle: five canonical works published by Tor US as gift-sized 4"x6" paper-over-board hardcovers: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, From the Two Rivers by Robert Jordan, Wild Cards vol I edited by George R. R. Martin, Edgedancer by Brandon Sanderson, and Old Man's War by John Scalzi.
Riddell's Goth Girl bundle: hardback editions of the first two volumes in the YA Goth Girl series written and illustrated by Chris Riddell: Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse, which won the 2013 Costa Children's Book Award, and its immediate sequel, Goth Girl and a Fete Worse than Death. Ada Goth lives with her father, Lord Goth, in Ghastly-Gorm Hall. They have lots of servants and at least half a dozen ghosts, but Ada doesn't have any friends -- at least until the night when Ada meets a ghostly mouse called Ishmael, and sets out to solve the mystery of some strange happenings…
Pratchett hardback bundle: two volumes in the Discworld Collector's Library, hardback editions with foil embossed covers illustrated by Joe McLaren. In Pyramids (1989, and winner of the BSFA Award for Best Novel) Pteppic, prince of the tiny kingdom of Djelibeybi, returns home on his father's death but finds himself in conflict with the traditionally-minded high priest, Dios. Meanwhile, Small Gods (1992) explores the origin of the god Om and his sometimes awkward relationship with his prophet, the reformer Brutha.
Fire in the Unnameable Country by Ghalid Islam: published in 2014, this is a hardback edition of Islam’s debut novel, which is the story of Hedayat, a "glossolalist" narrator born on a flying carpet in the skies above an obscure land whose leader has manufactured the ability to hear every unspoken utterance of the nation. As his country collapses into disarray, Hedayat begins to record his version of recent events, including a mysterious epidemic, a gruesome reality show, and the intertwining of family and national history. We hosted a round table discussion of this complex, powerful novel, featuring contributions from Aishwarya Subramanian, Ethan Robinson, and Nandini Ramachandran.
Provenance by Ann Leckie: a hardback edition of Ann Leckie's latest novel, set in a newly-revealed corner of the Ancillary universe. Reviewing the novel for NPR, Genevieve Valentine described it as "a story about the necessity of exploring the edges of the known, which makes Provenance a fitting addition to the Ancillary world, and suggests an expanded universe with many such stories yet to be told."
Hav by Jan Morris: a copy of the Arthur C. Clarke Award-shortlisted 2006 hardback edition (slightly worn) of Jan Morris's fictional travelogue, which compiles the original Last Letters From Hav (1985) alongside an additional companion story, Hav of the Myrmidons. Matthew Cheney reviewed it for us in 2007, describing it as "a book that is quietly but consistently true to its own internal logic, and to the vision it presents. The proof of Hav's excellence lies in its inability to be summarized in any satisfactory way." So perhaps the best way to judge whether this is for you is perhaps to ask whether you find this opening sentence immediately seductive: "I did what Tolstoy did, and jumped out of the train when it stopped in the evening at the old frontier….
Ack-Ack Macaque: The Complete Trilogy by Gareth L. Powell: a trade paperback volume comprising the BSFA Award-winning Ack-Ack Macaque (2013) along with its sequels Hive Monkey (2014) and Macaque Attack (2015) and some related short stories. Two unlikely heroes and one mightily pissed-off monkey come together (says the blurb) in a trilogy full of action, adventure, bananas and bottles of rum.
Walkaway by Cory Doctorow: a copy of the hardback Tor US edition of Doctorow's most recent novel, which Redfern Jon Barrett wrote enthusiastically about for us last year: "a remarkable, imperfect book ... As a manifesto it excels, demonstrating the most realistic utopia I’ve ever read. As a novel it’s greatly enjoyable, but not without its flaws ... It sacrifices the personal for the political, and honestly this did nothing to harm my enjoyment in reading it, nor did it diminish the power of its vision. This book genuinely inspired me."
The Devourers by Indra Das: a (slightly worn) trade paperback copy of the first edition (Penguin India) of Das's powerful 2015 debut novel, which was shortlisted for the WIlliam L. Crawford Award, and won a Lambda Literary Award. Salik Shah took it on for us: "What sets Das’s work apart from his South Asian peers is his resistance to India’s mythical past and creatures, and yet his keen understanding of the essence of its geography and setting. The Devourers captures the beauty of living in a shared world of fantasy, and the desire to be human and to love in beautiful, haunting prose. The novel, however, is scattered, like the modern great Indian experience—the ruins of its civilizations on the verge of collapse and disintegration—in a homogenizing, twenty-first century. Nevertheless, it results in a magnificent tale."
The Blazing World by Siri Hustvedt: a (slightly worn) hardback copy of Hustvedt's 2014 novel about a female artist who conceals her identity in three solo exhibitions held under male names, and the mysteries that surround her work after her death. Abigail Nussbaum (although not for us) wrote of it that, "I can't remember the last book that left me feeling as exhilarated and energized as The Blazing World, and as desperate to press it into the hands of everyone I know … the heart of The Blazing World isn't in its story, but in the fervent, overpowering personality of its main character, a difficult, mercurial, fiercely intelligent woman who is equal parts bully and victim, and whose passion for art and creation shines through every page of this book."
The Island of Lost Girls by Manjula Padmanabhan: a hardback copy of the sequel to Padmanabhan's earlier feminist dystopian novel, Escape. The books follow the lives of Meiji, a young girl, and her caretaker and father, Youngest, whose escape from the Indian subcontinent following a civil war that resulted in the brutal and engineered genocide of all women in the region has now led them to the complexities of the outside world. In an in-depth discussion for us in 2016, Hena Mehta, Samira Nadkarni and Shashi Mike looked at a number of issues with the novel; Nadkarni concluded that "it's hard to recommend them because I think we're not supposed to "enjoy" them in the conventional sense of the term. How do you enjoy seeing your world taken to its extremes and knowing your choices in this dystopian future are to either be violently and sadistically murdered or raped as your only real outcomes? You can't really. But the books are incredibly compelling and I'd recommend them, with the numerous caveats that we've raised in place."
Space Gulliver: Chronicles of an Alien by Sampurna Chattarji: a paperback copy of Chattarji's 2015 poetry collection, which the blurb describes as "boldly playful, ingenious, associative and mercurial … a dizzy journey of defamiliarization, as the alien protagonist, Space Gulliver, extends and challenges habitual ideas of what constitutes the mundane."
YA Bundle: two novels in Venita Coehlo's Animal Intelligence Agency series, in which specially trained animal and human agents work undercover to save animals and save the world—Dead as a Dodo, in which agents are dispatched to recover the only known living dodo, and Tiger by the Tail, in which they investigate a mysterious rash of tiger disappearances—plus a copy of Ajay Chowdhury's Ayesha and the Firefish, which is "a terrific fable about the planet's future and the power of children, written beautifully with an infectious warmth and momentum", according to Amit Chaudhuri.
Near-future India bundle: first, a (slightly worn) trade paperback copy of Anil Menon's 2015 state-of-India novel, Half of What I Say. Gautam Bhatia explored the novel and its contexts for us, noting its slipstream aspects, and how it addresses "the political, economic, and cultural violence that has come to be woven into everyday Indian life .. by introducing deft brushstrokes of unreality upon a grimly realist canvas." Second, a hardback copy of Murder with Bengali Characteristics by Shovon Chowdhury, in which Inspector Li must investigate the murder of a teacher in the Chinese-run Bengal Protectorate; reviews describe it as a short sharp satire.
Dark State by Charles Stross: a hardback copy of Charles Stross's latest novel, a new tale in the Merchant Princes sequence. In the near future, two nuclear superpowers are about to collide across time lines. One is a remorseless police state; the other is in the midst of a technological revolution. And two women—a mother and her long-lost daughter—are about to find themselves on opposite sides of the confrontation…