January FBS Contest: The Orphan’s Tales: In the Night Garden signed by Catherynne M. Valente

This is what I’m talking about! Opportunities to introduce yourself to the most creative writers in the field for free! What we have here is a chance to win Catherynne M. Valente’s Orphan’s Tales: In the Night Garden signed by Valente. We are talking about this bad boy:

EDIT - Kaluta did not do the cover but the interior illustrations, however at the Bodhisattva we don’t correct instances like this in the interest of laughing at one’s self - which is necessary for the wa. All other facts remain the same (i.e Kaluta is sick with it) but the cover is drawn by one Jon Foster who I don’t know enough about to gush over either as a fan of SF/F or comics. This information was brought to me by Catherynne M. Valente, who while risking her very life by publicly correcting the Bodhisattva on a Saturday is back in the good graces by telling us there are indeed 31 Kaluta illustrations.

The first thing that struck me is this cover by Kaluta, who any any self-respecting fan of comics should know is one of the most sick artists out there and has been for years. This guy has some great art in Weird War Tales, House of Mystery and The Shadow and Phantom Stranger - and if you don’t know those titles you are missing out on some of the best ever work from legends like Adams, Wrightson, Cardy and Aparo.

Okay let me revert from comic geek mode to fantasy geek mode (yet always suave - make no mistake):

I have discussed the beauty of Valente before. I was shocked and pleased to no end when she agreed to contribute to the first issue of Heliotrope with her poem Pasiphae’s Machine - and I’m still trying to figure out why I’m not seeing her on various shortlists - did people read Yume No Hon? This book and Justina Robson’s Living Next Door to the God of Love are the two books I’m going to fight for until the day that I die!

Anyways, back on subject - what is this book about? Kikrus tales us:

A tale of revenge, magic and family. Valente’s publisher compares this book to Arabian Nights, and that comparison is hardly hyperbole. An exotic and unnamed young lady with tattoos around her eyelids has been exiled to the garden of a palace, existing on the scraps and fruits left to her by the rest of the court, who shun her for her mysteriousness. But one unnamed boy is brave enough to talk to her, and she begins to tell him a fairy tale about a young Prince who kills a goose. Only the day is finished before the story is done, and the unnamed boy must return to hear the rest of the tale. From this story emerges another, and then another, and it’s soon revealed that the goose is really the Prince’s sister, and the old woman who owns the goose his mother, and before long, the Prince begins a quest to save his sister’s life. As time progresses, the young boy risks the antipathy of the rest of the court to continue listening to this interweaving story of magic, adventure, quests and murders, handed down through generations of women. A work of beautifully relayed, interlinked fairy tales

The person who introduced me to Valente’s work adds:

“Fabulous talespinning in the tradition of story cycles such as The Arabian Nights. Lyrical, wildly imaginative and slyly humorous, Valente’s prose possesses an irrepressible spirit.” - K.J. Bishop

and more…

“Astonishing work! Valente’s endless invention and mythic range are breathtaking. It’s as if she’s gone night-wandering, and plucked a hundred distant cultures out of the air to deliver their stories to us.” - Ellen Kushner

“Refreshingly original in both style and form, In the Night Garden should delight lovers of myth and folklore.” - Juliet Marillier

What else do you need to know? GO ENTER!

Please remember we have other contests running as well, and consider signing up for our newsletter to keep up to date on future contests (I’m coming back strong in 2007 - and I’m loving the FBS atmosphere right now) and other news.

Big thanks to Ms. Valente!

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Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)

• Valente, Catherynne: The Orphan’s Tales: In the Cities of Coin and Spice
• Currently reading The Orphan’s Tales: In the Night Garden
• Heartbreaking Prose