To celebrate the 100th issue of BCS, which comes out next week, we’re giving away a signed copy of a Robin Hobb short story collection.
Ms. Hobb, the author of multiple bestselling fantasy series including the Farseer Trilogy, wrote a bunch of earlier works under her real name, Megan Lindholm. The Inheritance and Other Stories includes short fiction written by her under both names, and this copy is signed by her.
To enter the giveaway: leave a comment on this very post, saying what your favorite issue of BCS is, out of all 99 we’ve published so far, and why. (Not your favorite story; your favorite issue.)
Your comment will enter you in a random drawing for the book.
This giveaway ends Fri. July 27, at midnight Pacific time. The full rules are below, after the More tag.
Good luck! Click here to skip straight to the comments. And enjoy Issue #100 next week!
Full rules for the signed Robin Hobb collection giveaway:
You must leave your comment on this post (“Giveaway: Signed Robin Hobb Collection”). Comments left anywhere else will not enter you in the giveaway.
You must say what your favorite issue of BCS is, and you must give a reason why.
You must post your comment before midnight PST on Fri. July 27. Any comments posted after that will not be eligible.
Each person will be entered only once in the random drawing (even if you leave more than one comment).
You must use a valid email address when you submit your comment (otherwise we won’t be able to contact you if you win).
BCS will conduct the random drawing from all eligible entries and mail the signed collection to the winner.
BCS is not responsible for comments that get lost or caught in our spam filtering or don’t show up in our system, or email addresses that get garbled or otherwise rendered unusable for contacting an entrant.
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook or Twitter. Participants are providing information to BCS and Firkin Press and not to Facebook or Twitter or anyone else.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in this post or via our Contact page. Good luck!
My favorite issue was #73. Where “And Her Eyes Sewn Shut with Unicorn Hair” moved forward at a breakneck pace, with many twists and turns in the story, “Walls of Paper, Soft as Skin” was slower, more reflective, with a poignancy that’s only really visible with the last three paragraphs. I liked the contrast between them.
I love issue #65. Cat Rambo and A.B. Treadwell both write such lyrical prose, and the whole tone of the issues stays with you long after reading the stories.
While the latest issues are great, I was introduced to Beneath Ceaseless Skies in Issue #5. You can thank Precious Meat for getting me hooked. It was just so vibrant and adventerous and with a protagonist I hadn’t seen before. I fell in love.
My favorite issue was #91. “The Book of Locked Doors” had such a deep setting and an interesting take on the supernatural and Juggernaut had two fascinating characters and a great ending.
Though it is a hard call, I’m going to put in for Issue #66, because it had the podcast of “Mr. Morrow Becomes Acquainted with the Delicate Art of Squid-Keeping”. I loved that story, and I “read” it via the podcast, so it makes sense to vote for that one.
My favorite issue is #25. Partly because it was the first issue I read, but “The Alchemist’s Feather” and “The Puzzle Box” still remain some of my favorite stories. Both protagonists, Alrun and Jerech, feel powerless in the beginning, yet they manage to take control in opposite ways. Alrun learns to resist his master and escape, while Jerech learns to submit and accept his place in life. Two very different paths to happy, yet believable endings.
Issue #74 because you introduced your readers to Adam Callaway.
Issue #63 was one of the very first I read and the one that really hooked me into coming back again and again. The quality of your audio fiction is second to none.
Thanks for all you do,
MJW
I would have to list my favorite issue as # 91, not because of story content (doing it that way would make my choice exceptionally difficult as everything I’ve read in BCS has been uniformly excellent), but because it is the issue with wich I was introduced to this incredible magazine.
While issues 8 & 84 remain close to my heart my favourite has to be one the latest, 98. I loved E. Catherine Tobler’s “Lady Marmalade”, a touching and moving tale, sensible and very imaginative. And the second part of Michael J. DeLuca’s “Death and the Thunderbird”, although plays one a couple of familiar things it has plenty of originality through setting and main characters.
I’m new to Beneath Ceaseless Skies, so I couldn’t really say which is my favorite issue. Having browsed the authors in past issues, I’m delighted to say I know relatively few of them. That means there are many new authors to discover. The authors I do know, Mike Allen (No. 93) and Megan Arkenberg (no. 91)are authors I know primarily as poets whose poems I admire very much, so I’m looking forward to reading their offerings here.
Issue # 15, because S. C. Butler told me about this site and the story he had in that issue (More Than Once Upon A Time) and that’s what got me reading the great stories here.
Congratulations on the 100th issue. Keep up the good work and my you continue for years to come.
My favorite issue was #85, although many of the issues surrounding it were very good! Both “The Traitor Baru Cormant…” and “The Death of Roach” stuck were stories I rememberedfor both style and content.
I thoroughly enjoy every one of your issues, my collection starts with Issue 14.
But, my favorite issue has to be #29. I love steampunk and was searching for some steampunk dirigible artwork when I discovered your magazine after finding the airship on the cover.
I have been a fan ever since.
Issue 99 was my favourite because I really enjoyed the stories – they just felt really magical and mystical and very well written,
Congratulations on #100!
I am very grateful for the regular deliveries of quality fantasy from Beneath Ceaseless Skies. The tales never fail to add an extra dimension to the otherwise mundane contents of my in box. Thus for very arbitary personal reasons, my favorite issue is #77 — the first one I received automatically through subscription.
On toward issue #1000!
Amazing to think that you are at 100 issues – congratulations!
Anyway, I was tempted to say the first one that I remember reading but I have to be VERY honest here and say that my all-time (so far) favourite issue is actually issue #69 (May 19, 2011); has a lot to do with it as it featured Cold Iron and Green Vines by a friend of mine, Wendy N. Wagner. The story from Margaret, and audio from Genevieve Valentine were amazing too.
But who says you can’t enjoy an excellent fiction magazine and a bit of nepotism at the same time?
I’m still working my way through the back issues and may change my mind down the line, but I’ve got to peg Issue #26 as my for-now favourite because it contains “The Mathematics of Faith” by Jonathan Wood. It’s among the best short stories I’ve read so far in 2012.
I would say I love issue #77 most, for which is my first Beneath Ceaseless Skies issue. And I think that mushroom cover is never used again.
Thanks very much, all, for commenting! And for the great answers on what your favorite issue was.
With the giveaway now closed, our crack BCS giveaways team will conduct the random drawing and contact the winner.
We have a winner. Congratulations to James Leach!
Thanks to everyone for commenting. It was very cool to read all the great answers; I hope you enjoyed writing them.
We will have more giveaways in the future, so stay tuned.