Libriomancer Roundup and Giveaway
Months ago, I thought about how August 1 marked the end of the Hugo voting period, which meant I could go on my blog and post something like, “Now that voting is over, I can stop worrying about pissing off the entire internet and tell y’all what I really think!” Or words to that effect.
And then I pissed off half of Reddit five days early, and COMPLETELY RUINED THE TIMING FOR MY SMARTASS JOKE!
D’oh!
Anyway, Libriomancer [Amazon | B&N | Mysterious Galaxy] comes out in six days. Yes, I’m excited. Yes, I’m freaking out. Here are some of the book-related things taking up my mental real estate right now…
- My German publisher made an offer for Libriomancer and the sequel! Woo hoo! This is the first foreign deal for the book, but hopefully not the last 🙂
- Booksignings! Next week I’ll be running all over Michigan to read, chat, and sign books with some of my favorite stores and people. You should totally come!
- August 7, 7:00 p.m. Schuler Books – Eastwood Location. Lansing, Michigan.
- August 8, 7:00 p.m. Nicola’s Books. Ann Arbor, Michigan.
- August 9, 7:00 p.m. Schuler Books – Alpine Location. Walker, Michigan.
- August 10, 7:00 p.m. Kazoo Books – Parkview Location. Kalamazoo, Michigan.
- Reviews! Justin at Staffer’s Book Review posted a review of the book (and some commentary about the Reddit thing). He says, in part:
“Libriomancer … communicates a passion for genre fiction that I felt can only be captured with one word–Joy. Jim C. Hines’ novel is an ode to genre and all the joy it’s brought him. A joy that he brought me as I read it … It’s a fantasy novel written by a fan, for fans. I would strongly recommend anyone who’s characterized themselves as such to read Libriomancer as soon as possible.”
- The Little Red Reviewer said, “This might look like a run of the mill urban fantasy, but it’s a character driven story that will keep you thinking into the small hours of the night.”
- SciFiChick was a bit disappointed by the romance, but liked the book overall, describing it as “fast-paced, action-packed and full of entertaining humor and suspense … a fantastic world of magic, mystery and excitement.”
- Interviews! My Q&A with Publishers Weekly is now available on their website, and I’ve got more interviews and guest posts coming soon.
#
And now for the giveaway! I’m gonna keep this simple. If you were given the power of libriomancy, the ability to create anything described on the pages of any published book, what would it be? Per the rules of libriomancy, you can’t create an intelligent being, and whatever you create has to fit through the pages. No TARDIS-making, sorry!
Leave your entry in the comments. I’ll pick one random winner this weekend and send them a personally inscribed copy of the book.
Have fun!
JanArrah
August 1, 2012 @ 9:53 am
Oh.. I’d probably create the Mozuku Blood Talisman from the Slayers novels. I am majorly obsessed with them and they boost magical power, so.. why not? I could cast just about every Slayers spell with that and I love me some Slayers spells.
Joshua D
August 1, 2012 @ 10:17 am
How does Isaac feel about ebooks? Does that get a mention in the book? 🙂 Looking forward to Libriomancer.
I’m guessing I probably couldn’t pull a dwarven kingdom through the pages, eh?
I’ll go back and pull out the Elfstones from the Shannara books.
Casey
August 1, 2012 @ 10:22 am
Well, all the deathly hallows could fit through pretty easily, yes? I’m not sure I would actually like to be immortal but it might be nice to have the option.
(On a side note, the timing on the publication of this book is awesome – I’ve been trying to come up with a birthday gift for my librarian boyfriend in a couple of weeks, and I’m always afraid to buy him books or comics for fear he’s already read them. PROBLEM SOLVED. And I was coincidentally mentioning you recently when regaling him with stories of 2006 Clarion. I’ll bet the weather in Michigan is nice this time of year.)
Holmelund
August 1, 2012 @ 10:25 am
I´d like to get Draupnir.
Draupnir is a gold ring with the ability to multiply itself: Every ninth night eight new rings ‘drip’ from Draupnir, each one of the same size and weight as the original.
fractal
August 1, 2012 @ 10:26 am
My first thoughts require an innate ability in the user (wands, Blood jewels, etc.) and therefore are unreliable for my potential use. Since “intelligent beings” forbids most of the cool pets, I think I’d have to start with something like cyberoptics from the Neuromancer books, in the hopes that we could reverse-engineer them for near-future use.
Jon Lundy
August 1, 2012 @ 10:27 am
This is a pretty easy one. Aladdin’s lamp (the original version, not the Disney 3 wishes variation). After that I can have my palace made of gems if I want.
Jim C. Hines
August 1, 2012 @ 10:29 am
Ebooks are indeed touched on and talked about!
And yeah, unless you were going to pull the kingdom through one stone at a time, that’s probably not going to work.
Jim C. Hines
August 1, 2012 @ 10:29 am
“My first thoughts require an innate ability in the user (wands, Blood jewels, etc.) and therefore are unreliable for my potential use.”
Good catch! That’s something that gets mentioned in the book, too 🙂
KimAlt
August 1, 2012 @ 10:35 am
I’d pull out the book “Enchantment” from Charles de Lint’s Memory and Dream.
Phil Stracchino
August 1, 2012 @ 10:38 am
“Anything described on the pages of any published book, but it has to fit through the pages.” I think I’m going to go with a jar of general-purpose nano-assemblers. Once I instruct them to build me a small nanotech-based fabber, I can have the fabber construct anything I want, starting with a hefty dose of blood-nannies a la Schlockiverse and the parts for a bigger fabber that can construct a regen tank. I would really like to walk properly again (and see clearly again).
And really, once you have a fabber, the sky’s the limit. Clarke’s Law applies.
Keith West
August 1, 2012 @ 10:39 am
Anything described in the pages of any published book, eh? Sounds like a great way to stock my library with all the rare and expensive items I can’t find/afford. All I would need would be some good bibliographic reference books. Complete sets of Weird Tales/Black Mask/Astounding/Dime Detective/The Shadow/Arkham House/Jim C. Hines/etc. coming up.
Mike
August 1, 2012 @ 10:53 am
Well, it took me less time to come up with “lightsaber” than it did to finish reading the rules to be sure it’s allowed, so I’ll go with that.
MikeL
August 1, 2012 @ 10:57 am
I’ve always thought invisibility was the coolest power, so I’d pull a cloak of invisibility out of any one of the dozens of fantasy novels those appear in.
Daniel Chisholm
August 1, 2012 @ 10:59 am
So many decisions, so many options. Now does it have to be a fiction book or will any book qualify (encyclopedias, video game guides, tech manuals, etc)? If I can pull out of any book I would probably be greedy and get a book about Fort Knox, a few encyclopedias of various fantasy worlds (the One Ring, Sting, Mithril Mail, the Invisibility Cloak, various pre-enchanted weapons, Excalibur, Shrink Rays, Mind Control Devices etc.) and take over the world… Nothing big.
Jim C. Hines
August 1, 2012 @ 11:02 am
It does not have to be a fiction book. I have another libriomancer who specializes in history, and in book two, I’m playing with the idea of a libriomancer who works with poetry 🙂
Anita K.
August 1, 2012 @ 11:24 am
So hard to pick!! I think I would want one of the living furs mentioned in a couple books of Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga. I think it could fold up to fit through… 🙂
Or maybe some lembas, I’ve wanted to taste that since I was 9 and read LotR the first time.
Though if ANY books count, I’d keep quite busy tasting all the things in my cookbooks that I do not have time/patience/money to prepare. Maybe it is a good thing I am not really a libriomancer.
Can’t wait until the library copy gets in and processed – I think I managed to be first on the hold list!
Jennifer Thorne
August 1, 2012 @ 11:32 am
I would make Arda. And then I would live there.
Jennifer Thorne
August 1, 2012 @ 11:33 am
Seriously. If you’re going to dream… dream large!
Megan
August 1, 2012 @ 11:45 am
Samwise’s box, with mallorn tree seed and dirt.
Jeff S.
August 1, 2012 @ 12:06 pm
Starstuff from “Peter and the Starcatchers” series by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Kevin S.
August 1, 2012 @ 12:14 pm
The Babel fish of Hitchhikers guide fame!!!!
Kevin S.
August 1, 2012 @ 12:19 pm
Dunno if that would be considered ‘intelligent’ though hahaha
mamajoan
August 1, 2012 @ 12:23 pm
I think it would be great to reach into a book and pull out…more books! 🙂 A pair of seven-league boots would be pretty cool to have too. I’ve always wanted to travel. 😉
Pam Adams
August 1, 2012 @ 12:27 pm
Hmmm….. You know that library in Robin McKinley’s Beauty? The one with all the books ever published, including the future? We could pull them through one book at a time.
My copy is on order, from my friendly local independent. (Yay, Vroman’s!)
Jim C. Hines
August 1, 2012 @ 12:30 pm
I do know that library, as a matter of fact 🙂
Ari
August 1, 2012 @ 12:37 pm
I would want one of those bouncing glass balls as described being played with by the zombified children in the Wrinkle in Time series. Silly, pointless, without any significant purpose, but oh how badly I have wanted one to play with!
neth
August 1, 2012 @ 12:52 pm
Hmm…lots of things come to mind, but I think I’d pull out the nicest bottle of scotch I can think of. Probably the Macallan 64 Year Old in Lalique, but I’d do some pretty detailed research first. (and of course if I could go back for more, it’d be whole bunch of them)
Bran
August 1, 2012 @ 12:57 pm
I’d pull out Azazel from the Asimov book, because why not?
Chuk
August 1, 2012 @ 1:08 pm
Haven’t read the books yet but the concept is cool. Can libriomancers pull things out of comic books? If so, I wouldn’t mind a Cosmic Cube and I’m pretty sure one could fit through the page. Or just a Green Lantern ring, that’d even fit through one of those digest sized comics.
Kat
August 1, 2012 @ 1:08 pm
Definitely the Prose Portal from the Eyre Affair! (I’m pretty sure it was described as being book sized, so I think it would fit thought the pages). Then I could jump into any book!
Mike (@NewGuyMike)
August 1, 2012 @ 1:52 pm
I would pull through The Pattern from Zelazny’s Amber books. The whole power to walk through Shadow it grants would be awesome but there’s that whole setback about needing to be of royal blood to not die in the process. So that’s out.
The real reason I want it is so I could get a good look at it. I’ve always wanted it as a tattoo. Righ on my shoulder joint. While I’m at it, I’d go to the other end and pull the Logrus from the Courts of Chaos for the other shoulder tattoo. Order on one side, chaos on the other and me on the fine line between them.
I guess really small people could try to walk the Pattern on my shoulder too. Ants walking through shadow would be pretty cool.
Phil Stracchino
August 1, 2012 @ 1:56 pm
Would you have to have the blood of Amber and the Jewel of Judgment to apply that tattoo, though…?
LauraA
August 1, 2012 @ 2:10 pm
Oh, very nice!
Kel
August 1, 2012 @ 2:30 pm
Medical nanobots.
I think pretty much everything else falls short of the potential of those…
Victoria
August 1, 2012 @ 2:44 pm
Nothing intelligent… hmm. I don’t suppose there’s a loophole that would allow a very small, very stupid dragon to sneak through?
In that case, I’d take anything that enables me to fly. A broom from the Potter books, SF gravity boots, I’m not picky.
Dan
August 1, 2012 @ 2:56 pm
I can’t help but be surprised that no one has snatched a lightsaber yet…
I think I would go with the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which hits on three important points:
-it is useful, in that it contains vast knowledge;
-it is doubly useful if you are therefore able to pull further things out of it, as you mention you touch on eBooks and the like; and finally
-it touches upon my love of meta-reading, and a book that references itself being pulled from another book?
I think Adams would appreciate it, at least.
Bennett
August 1, 2012 @ 2:58 pm
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which I imagine to be about the size of an iPad, should fit through the hardcover collected edition of the (inappropriately named) trilogy by the same name. I just need to be reminded “DON’T PANIC” every now and then.
Bennett
August 1, 2012 @ 2:59 pm
You posted it as I was typing. Well played…
Dan
August 1, 2012 @ 3:00 pm
Great minds, and all that!
Dan
August 1, 2012 @ 3:02 pm
A fine and gentlemanly response, sir.
Bran
August 1, 2012 @ 4:06 pm
Wait, Azazel would technically be considered intelligent, wouldn’t he? Hmm…Then I’d want the Keys to the Kingdom, especially the Fifth Key. Its not like Arthur wanted them anyway…
Debbie
August 1, 2012 @ 4:24 pm
Just one thing? hmm. Hermione’s time turner. Thing would be so useful.
Maxine MagicFox
August 1, 2012 @ 4:55 pm
Haha, here. I’ll give it a try! How about the One Ring from Lord of the Rings… or all twenty of them while I was at it. … It doesn’t count as an intelligent being, does it? If that’s the case: Sting (Bilbo’s sword). Definitely.
Emily
August 1, 2012 @ 5:17 pm
I think I’d start out simple, and wrangle myself a portable hole from the D&D source books. 🙂 At least then, my desk wouldn’t be such a mess…
Sally
August 1, 2012 @ 5:46 pm
A Bag of Infinite Holding, from the D&D manuals.
Finally, enough closet space and bookshelf space.
DeadlyAccurate
August 1, 2012 @ 5:59 pm
I’d get cookbooks and use libriomancy to create the meals. Imagine having piping hot, delicious food all the time and never having to cook it yourself? I’d have the best dinner parties in the world.
redfred
August 1, 2012 @ 6:23 pm
i cant do only one. I would have to get a bunch of political autobiographies so i could pull the politicians out one by one and knock some sense into them. Oh you said no intelligent beings…..i believe i am still safe with that rule…
Carrie Nilles (@wvredreads)
August 1, 2012 @ 6:27 pm
I am still annoyed that there is no way to teleport. I want my future right now. So I would want either the Tarnhelm from Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen or Portkeys.
Alex
August 1, 2012 @ 6:35 pm
The question of course. We know the answer (42) but we need the question.
Rebecca
August 1, 2012 @ 6:39 pm
I’d be tempted to get a time turner, but that would probably turn out badly for me. (I can pretend I have the strength to not misuse it, but I’d be lying to myself, I think.)
…Oh. I was thinking about the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and then comics, and oh, I want an arc reactor from the Iron Man comics. Or just samples of vibranium. All the science! *goes off to think of more science things*
oldStevo
August 1, 2012 @ 8:14 pm
I’d pull out Thanos’s Infinity Gauntlet from Marvel Comics. Once you have that power you can do anything.
Cat Faber
August 1, 2012 @ 9:41 pm
Heward’s Handy Haversack: Dungeon Master’s Guide core rulebook II (D&D 3.0) Backpack that holds up to 120 pounds (if you use the pockets) but weighs only 5, even full, and always has item you want on top. Scrunched up and empty it should fit through one page of the DM’s Guide (it is on page 219 if that matters.)
Once I have the Haversack, I can carry a *lot* of books–useful for a libriomancer.
Paul (@princejvstin)
August 1, 2012 @ 9:43 pm
Having been so lucky as to have been able to read an ARC of the book, I’ve been thinking a lot about Libriomancy ever since I read it.
I wouldn’t pull through the Pattern of Amber–its too big! That wouldn’t work.
However, if I pulled through a Trump deck, that would work. Merlin, Rinaldo and Coral are relatively approachable, chatting them up via a trump call would be one way to visit other worlds…
Galena
August 1, 2012 @ 10:50 pm
Hermione’s beaded bag of holding! I’m assuming that it would not require magical abilities on the part of the user, as it itself is the magical item.
Holmelund
August 2, 2012 @ 1:32 am
A quick question: If you can´t bring intelligent creatures out, then how was the Firespider brought in to our world?
Jim C. Hines
August 2, 2012 @ 7:56 am
As much as I love Smudge, I wouldn’t count him as an intelligent being. (Maybe sentient would be a better word.)
Even so, Smudge was a bit of a borderline case, which Isaac mentions at one point in the book.
Danielle
August 2, 2012 @ 8:49 am
If it were just one shot it’d be honey-disks from the Obsidian Trilogy. My partner has been asking me to make them for her since we’ve read the series; all attempts have led to gloriously sticky disasters. If I could grab them I would get them for her no contest.
If I had multiple shots, I would pull out our Redwall collection and invite the friends for an amazing dinner party.
Terri
August 2, 2012 @ 9:28 am
I would pull Dorothy’s shoes out. I hate commuting.
Steven
August 2, 2012 @ 10:03 am
Call me simplistic (or perhaps just not crazy enough to want Infinity Gems, Ultimate Nullifiers, or even H.E.R.B.I.E.), but I’ll be content with a Legion Flight Ring. Simple, compact, and the ability to fly in an easily overlooked signet ring.
rcs
August 2, 2012 @ 6:20 pm
Hmm. Does the book have to be already published or can I think of something cool like a miniaturized T.A.R.D.I.S. with a switch to make it full-sized, then write a nonsensical book and self-publish it? And also put inside the blue box lots of other goodies that come out with it, like maybe the Black Box from Redshirts and some chocolate cake trees from Xanth?
Jane's Folly
August 2, 2012 @ 8:47 pm
I’d start pulling magic items out of my dungeon-master’s guide- non-cursed rings, for example.
Candie
August 2, 2012 @ 8:59 pm
I second Galena. I’d have to go with Hermione’s beaded bag of holding as well.
Hanna
August 3, 2012 @ 6:17 am
Hmm…I only posted a reply on goodreads…but it seems I should have posted here instead???n :S….Anyhow, I just repost what I had originally posted on goodreads:
“Ooh…Fresh lemon cakes from any book in the Song of Ice and Fire Series by G.R.R. Martin! Because I’m a bit of a glutton and I always get hungry reading his books…
Seriously, I would probably (mis)use the power of libriomancy to conjure up massive amounts of food from books…hmm…I wonder how this works in combination with cookbooks…”
ps. Someone mentioned lightsabers earlier…that would be brilliant! Then I can replace the replica I have in my room with a real one!
Hanna
August 3, 2012 @ 6:18 am
I knoooow! The possibilities are infinite…
Jim C. Hines
August 3, 2012 @ 7:24 am
Comments count no matter where they are. I’ll pull them from Goodreads, LJ, Dreamwidth, and here before I do the drawing. No worries 🙂
Susan
August 3, 2012 @ 11:45 am
This one’s easy. I’ll go back to my childhood and pull out the vial of healing elixor that Aslan gave to Lucy in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
(My fallback choice would be the magician’s book of spells that Lucy discovered in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I bet that had a healing spell plus all sorts of other good stuff to boot. And, sorry, but I’m vain enough to use the beauty spell for myself–in addition to the smart spell, if that’s included!)
Congratulations on the release!
Sara Why
August 3, 2012 @ 2:21 pm
AURYN from The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. And I would probably use it to wish up stuff from other books like a working wand from Harry Potter or Smaug’s treasure from The Hobbit. Also AURYN would not be limited by size or intelegent beings or whatever. I could meet Danielle, Snow, Talia, Bea, and Gerta in person! I could study at Hogwarts, walk through the looking glass, and travel across the Divide! Yes, I would definitely bring AURYN out of its book because then ALL of my book-related wishes could come true!
Cat
August 5, 2012 @ 4:10 pm
I’m with Sara, although I personally was going to go with one of the wishing objects out of Lang’s rainbow of fairy tale books — one thing with which I could ultimately get a lot of OTHER things!
DelilahSDawson
August 8, 2012 @ 8:38 am
Some spice from Frank Herbert’s Dune. I want to fold time!
SilverMoon
August 8, 2012 @ 11:20 pm
It’s immanently impractical, and not nearly as clever as the riches creating, world peace creating, flying things of awesomeness everyone else has come with, but I’d really like to try a Pangalactic Gargleblaster. To the point where my sister and I have been trying to recreate one with Earth spirits. Needs more lemon, and a dash more gold brick though.
Jim C. Hines
August 9, 2012 @ 7:22 am
We were just talking about creating a Pangalactic Gargleblaster at the booksigning last night 🙂