The anthology THIS IS HOW YOU DIE, sequel to THE MACHINE OF DEATH, was released today. I don’t have a story in it (I was considering submitting something, but I’m way too busy), but my friend and alpha reader Karen Stay Ahlstrom (who happens to be married to my assistant Peter Ahlstrom) does have a story in the volume. I was surprised when she submitted her story to our writing group, since she usually participates as a reader rather than a writer, but it was a great story and I think the anthology’s editors (Ryan North, David Malki!, and Matthew Bennardo) made a good choice when they plucked it from the field of over 2000 submissions for the volume.

What is THIS IS HOW YOU DIE, and what is the Machine of Death phenomenon? Longtime readers of my blog know I follow a lot of different webcomics. This particular phenomenon started with the following strip from DINOSAUR COMICS:

As I understand it, discussion got underway in the webcomics community about how cool the idea was: a machine that predicted your manner of death, but didn’t give you enough details for that knowledge to be very useful to you. DINOSAUR COMICS’ creator Ryan North and WONDERMARK creator David Malki! then got together with writer Matthew Bennardo and they edited the anthology THE MACHINE OF DEATH to explore the concept further. That book was indie-published and hit #1 on Amazon. THIS IS HOW YOU DIE is the sequel, and it was picked up by mainstream publisher Grand Central, an imprint of Hachette.

I think the concept is a great one, and the first book is quite entertaining. If you’ve read the first volume and are wondering if you should read the second, you may have noticed that one issue with the first is that a number of the stories tread the same ground, making a few of them a bit repetitive. The second book breaks that mold—the editors specifically put out a call for stories that took the concept in new and interesting directions.

I’ve read the second volume, and it certainly does that! A few of the stories do start out seeming like they’re going to be retreads and then you realize that something is wildly different. That’s the case with Karen’s story, titled “Machine of Death.” Each story in both anthologies has a title that is the cause of death read from the card the machine produces, such as “Natural Causes” and “Execution by Beheading,” but as in the comic above, these are often misleading. And that’s also the case with Karen’s story.

What if you haven’t read the first volume? Don’t worry. These are both concept anthologies, not a coherent narrative. Each story stands on its own. All you need to know is the initial concept of a machine that predicts how you die, and you’re good to go. The stories can be read in any order or no order. If you haven’t read the first volume, don’t hesitate to read the second one now and decide later whether you want to read the first one. These are the cream of the crop (though the first volume also has some very good stories—and it’s currently in the Humble Ebook Bundle II, which is a great deal).

There’s also this trailer for the book (or basically just the concept). It’s a bit gory, if you want to avoid that kind of thing.

This week’s Writing Excuses podcast episode is entitled “Your First Contract” and it’s about exactly that! We’re not lawyers so don’t consider this to be legal advice, but as a writer you’re a a small business owner who should be thinking about this sort of thing.

The STEELHEART fan art contest ends tonight at midnight (probably Mountain Time). There are over 30 entries so far. Fantastic work, folks! I’m looking forward to seeing what else gets submitted before the deadline. Note: This contest is only for people in the US and Canada, but Fantasy Book Critic has a book giveaway that is open worldwide. They don’t have the Mega Vault though.

Tor.com’s Way of Kings reread has reached chapters 19 and 20, which includes Dalinar’s first highstorm vision of the book.

Ta’veren Tees has a new shirt up for preorder, called the Golden Crane. It’s available for men and women.

The library comic UNSHELVED does a “book club” comic every week. The most recent one is on THE WELL OF ASCENSION. They also featured ALCATRAZ VERSUS THE EVIL LIBRARIANS a few years ago.

Something very cool today is that Tor.com is celebrating their five-year anniversary by giving away an ebook of every piece of short fiction Tor.com has ever published, including my novelette “Firstborn.” This ebook is available to anyone registered at Tor.com. All of the stories are still online for free, but the download is in convenient ebook format epub, mobi, and pdf. These stories are available from the ebook vendors for 99¢ each, so the following huge list for free (in alphabetical order by author) is a great deal:

1. When We Were Heroes, by Daniel Abraham
2. Olga, by C.T. Adams
3. Foundation, by Ann Aguirre
4. The Department of Alterations, by Gennifer Albin
5. The Fermi Paradox is Our Business Model, by Charlie Jane Anders
6. Six Months, Three Days, by Charlie Jane Anders
7. Intestate, by Charlie Jane Anders
8. Legacy Lost, by Anna Banks
9. The Witch of Duva, by Leigh Bardugo
10. The Too-Clever Fox, by Leigh Bardugo
11. The Girl Who Sang Rose Madder, by Elizabeth Bear
12. The Horrid Glory of Its Wings, by Elizabeth Bear
13. Faster Gun, by Elizabeth Bear
14. The Final Now, by Gregory Benford
15. Grace Immaculate, by Gregory Benford
16. Backscatter, by Gregory Benford
17. River of Souls, by Beth Bernobich
18. A Window or a Small Box, by Jedediah Berry
19. Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes, by Michael Bishop
20. Catch ‘Em in the Act, by Terry Bisson
21. TVA Baby, by Terry Bisson
22. The Cockroach Hat, by Terry Bisson
23. Shall We Gather, by Alex Bledsoe
24. Prophet, by Jennifer Bosworth
25. The Ruined Queen of Harvest World, by Damien Broderick
26. Time Considered as a Series of Thermite Burns in No Particular Order, by Damien Broderick
27. The Memory Coder, by Jessica Brody
28. The Desecrator, by Steven Brust
29. Brother. Prince. Snake., by Cecil Castellucci
30. We Have Always Lived on Mars, by Cecil Castellucci
31. Our Human, by Adam Troy Castro
32. The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere, by John Chu
33. Fare Thee Well, by Cathy Clamp
34. The Commonplace Book, by Jacob Clifton
35. What Makes a River, by Deborah Coates
36. The Ghosts of Christmas, by Paul Cornell
37. The Elephant in the Room, by Paul Cornell
38. Day One, by Matthew Costello
39. Am I Free To Go?, by Kathryn Cramer
40. Tourists, by Sean Craven
41. Eve of Sin City, by S.J. Day
42. The Cage, by A.M. Dellamonica
43. Among the Silvering Herd, by A.M. Dellamonica
44. Wild Things, by A.M. Dellamonica
45. Things That Make Me Weak and Strange Get Engineered Away, by Cory Doctorow
46. On 20468 Petercook, by Andy Duncan
47. The Strange Case of Mr. Salad Monday, by G.D. Falksen
48. Men Who Wish to Drown, by Elizabeth Fama
49. The Iron Shirts, by Michael Flynn
50. A Clean Sweep With All the Trimmings, by James Alan Gardner
51. Lightbringers and Rainmakers, by Felix Gilman
52. Shade, by Steven Gould
53. Bugs in the Arroyo, by Steven Gould
54. Steampunk Quartet, by Eileen Gunn
55. Mother, Crone, Maiden, by Cat Hellisen
56. The Ink Readers of Doi Saket, by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
57. Too Fond, by Leanna Renee Hieber
58. At the Foot of the Lighthouse, by Erin Hoffman
59. Ghost Hedgehog, by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
60. A Spell of Vengeance, by D.B. Jackson
61. The Cat Who Walked a Thousand Miles, by Kij Johnson
62. Ponies, by Kij Johnson
63. Crazy Me, by James Patrick Kelly
64. First Flight, by Mary Robinette Kowal
65. How to Make a Triffid, by Kelly Lagor
66. A Water Matter, by Jay Lake
67. The Speed of Time, by Jay Lake
68. The Starship Mechanic, by Jay Lake and Ken Scholes
69. Dress Your Marines in White, by Emmy Laybourne
70. A Vector Alphabet of Interstellar Travel, by Yoon Ha Lee
71. Uncle Flower’s Homecoming Waltz, by Marissa Lingen
72. Earth Hour, by Ken MacLeod
73. Farewell Performance, by Nick Mamatas
74. Though Smoke Shall Hide the Sun, by Brit Mandelo
75. The Finite Canvas, by Brit Mandelo
76. The Hanging Game, by Helen Marshall
77. The Courtship of the Queen, by Bruce McAllister
78. Heads Will Roll, by Lish McBride
79. Swift, Brutal Retaliation, by Meghan McCarron
80. Preparations, by Mark Mills
81. About Fairies, by Pat Murphy
82. Fire Above, Fire Below, by Garth Nix
83. Ruled, by Caragh M. O’Brien
84. Hello, Moto, by Nnedi Okorafor
85. Sacrifice of the First Sheason, by Peter Orullian
86. The Great Defense of Layosah, by Peter Orullian
87. The Battle of the Round, by Peter Orullian
88. Sweetheart, by Abbi Mei Otis
89. Ragnarok, by Paul Park
90. Four Horsemen, at Their Leisure, by Richard Parks
91. The Rotten Beast, by Mary E. Pearson
92. Angel Season, by J.T. Petty
93. Silver Linings, by Tim Pratt
94. The Button Man and the Murder Tree, by Cherie Priest
95. Clockwork Fairies, by Cat Rambo
96. The Next Invasion, by Robert Reed
97. Our Candidate, by Robert Reed
98. Swingers, by Robert Reed
99. The Cairn in Slater Woods, by Gina Rosati
100. Jack of Coins, by Christopher Rowe
101. Jack and the Aktuals, or, Physical Applications of Transfinite Set Theory, by Rudy Rucker
102. Good Night, Moon, by Rudy Rucker
103. Loco, by Rudy Rucker
104. Jacks and Queens at the Green Mill, by Marie Rutkoski
105. The Film-Makers of Mars, by Geoff Ryman
106. Firstborn, by Brandon Sanderson
107. After the Coup, by John Scalzi
108. The President’s Brain is Missing, by John Scalzi
109. Shadow War of the Night Dragons, Book One: The Dead City: Prologue, by John Scalzi
110. A Weeping Czar Beholds the Fallen Moon, by Ken Scholes
111. Making My Entrance Again With My Usual Flair, by Ken Scholes
112. Two Stories, by Ken Scholes
113. If Dragon’s Mass Eve Be Cold and Clear, by Ken Scholes
114. Rag and Bone, by Priya Sharma
115. Do Not Touch, by Prudence Shen
116. The Night Children: An Escape From Furnace Story, by Alexander Gordon Smith
117. King of Marbury, by Andrew Smith
118. Beauty Belongs to the Flowers, by Matthew Sanborn Smith
119. Overtime, by Charles Stross
120. Down on the Farm, by Charles Stross
121. A Tall Tail, by Charles Stross
122. Zeppelin City, by Michael Swanwick
123. The Trains That Climb the Winter Tree, by Michael Swanwick
124. The Dala Horse, by Michael Swanwick
125. The Mongolian Wizard, by Michael Swanwick
126. The Fire Gown, by Michael Swanwick
127. Day of the Kraken, by Michael Swanwick
128. Eros, Philia, Agape, by Rachel Swirsky
129. A Memory of Wind, by Rachel Swirsky
130. The Monster’s Million Faces, by Rachel Swirsky
131. Portrait of Lisane da Patagnia, by Rachel Swirsky
132. Sing, by Karin Tidbeck
133. What Doctor Gottlieb Saw, by Ian Tregillis
134. Vilcabamba, by Harry Turtledove
135. The Star and the Rockets, by Harry Turtledove
136. The House That George Built, by Harry Turtledove
137. We Haven’t Got There Yet, by Harry Turtledove
138. Shtetl Days, by Harry Turtledove
139. Lee at the Alamo, by Harry Turtledove
140. Running of the Bulls, by Harry Turtledove
141. The City Quiet as Death, by Steven Utley
142. The Girl Who Ruled Fairyland—For a Little While, by Catherynne M. Valente
143. Terrain, by Genevieve Valentine
144. Last Son of Tomorrow, by Greg van Eekhout
145. Errata, by Jeff VanderMeer
146. A Stroke of Dumb Luck, by Shiloh Walker
147. Last Train to Jubilee Bay, by Kali Wallace
148. Escape to Other Worlds with Science Fiction, by Jo Walton
149. The Nostalgist, by Daniel H. Wilson
150. Super Bass, by Kai Ashante Wilson
151. The Palencar Project, by Gregory Benford, L.E. Modesitt, Jr., James Morrow, Michael Swanwick, and Gene Wolfe, Edited by David G. Hartwell