Strange Horizons is having their annual fund drive, raising money to support the magazine. Thanks to John Scalzi‘s prompting, they have already raised a whooping $12,000, but if you want to donate, there’s still time. Lots of nifty prizes (including signed books), and you’ll support a very good magazine.
If you need more convincing, might I suggest heading over and read one of the following fine stories?

• “The Spider in You” by Sean E. Markey
  • We kept our god under the sink, in an old aquarium, so it wouldn’t spill its web all over the house. We didn’t tell you because you were so curious. Our daughter: you are like an otter, or a hummingbird. How would you stand against such a monster as our god?
• “Nira and I” by Shweta Narayan
  • Nira and I are with Hemal on the day she dies. She is teaching us a clapping song game, a remembering game. She is winning.
• “Another End of the Empire” by Tim Pratt
  • He sighed. “So I’m expected to send my Fell Rangers to the mountains, raze the village, leave no stone upon a stone, enslave the women, and kill all the younglings to stop this dire prophecy from coming to pass.”

You can donate here.

So, we’re back. Arg. Zombie-jetlagged (the plane landed in Paris at 3:00 am Canada time), and frustrated (we waited one hour for our luggage), but home.

At least, temporarily. We’re leaving again tomorrow for the last leg of the summer holidays (after the Worldcon and the week in Montreal). Destination: Spain, in the Sierra Nevada. Program: pool lounging and book catching-up. Also, writing catching-up.

I’ll have Internet access, but it’s likely to be intermittent, so if you haven’t heard from me in a while, that’s why. (I’ll continue to post con reports, probably more once every two days or something like that).

Speaking of which, books bought in Montreal:

• The Well of Ascension and The Hero of Ages, Brandon Sanderson
  • Bought both at con, finished on the plane home. It’s very much traditional fantasy, despite what the hype says on the cover, but it’s nicely done. Reminded me of my nights reading books with a light under the cover
• An Autumn War, Daniel Abraham
  • Very much looking forward to this one. I loved both previous books in the series (A Shadow in Summer and A Betrayal in Winter), and this looks really good.
• Blood of Elves, Andrzej Sapkowski
  • Aka winner of the David Gemmell Award. A Polish book and one of the rare ones published in English translation. I’m usually not a fan of that type of fantasy, but I have to admit I’m curious. (I was also looking for the Night Watch tetralogy, but couldn’t remember Sergei Lukyanenko’s name while actually in the bookstore, and I was already carrying a hefty pile of books…)
• Mark of the Demon, Diana Rowland
  • Again, I’m usually not a fan of urban fantasy. However, fellow Codexian Diana was a cop and worked in a morgue, so I figured this would be grittier than the average. Also, I was intrigued by the first chapter posted online.

Friday
Friday morning started out with a lovely Codexian breakfast in local diner Eggspectation.
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