Wil Wheaton Launches “Clash of the Geeks” Charity e-Book

Today Wil Wheaton and a number of writers released "Clash of the Geeks" a downloadable collection of short stories about a "unicorn Pegasus kitten". The book is available now for free, but they are asking for donations to help with the Lupus Alliance of America. Details below

 

Wheaton and Clash of the Geeks collection

Press Release

SHORT FORM:

Wil Wheaton, John Scalzi and Subterranean Press are proud to announce the publication of Clash of the Geeks, a special and fantastical electronic chapbook featuring stories by Wheaton, Scalzi, New York Times bestseller Patrick Rothfuss, Norton Award winner and Hugo Best Novel nominee Catherynne M. Valente, Hugo and Nebula Award nominee Rachel Swirsky and others, for the benefit of the Michigan/Indiana affiliate of the Lupus Alliance of America. The chapbook is free to download, but voluntary payment is strongly encouraged, via Paypal or by tax-deductible donation forms, both linked to later in this entry. All proceeds from this chapbook will go to the Michigan/Indiana affiliate of the Lupus Alliance of America. Please enjoy the stories, link your friends to this page — and give!


Clash of the Geeks cover w/ Wheaton in dreaded clown sweater striding the Unicorn Pegasus Kitten

LONG FORM:

Early in 2010, author John Scalzi had a vision. And it was of himself. As an orc. And of actor and writer Wil Wheaton. As a warrior. In a clown sweater. Astride a unicorn pegasus kitten. What did this singular vision mean? Scalzi didn’t know. But he knew it was clearly too powerful to be ignored.

And so, Scalzi contacted artist Jeff Zugale, who used all his skill and art to bring this vision to life. And then Scalzi, Wheaton and Bill Schafer, head of Scalzi and Wheaton’s mutual publisher Subterranean Press, called to the world of writers to answer one question: Seriously, now, what the hell’s going on in that picture?

The writers who answered the call were an eclectic group. Patrick Rothfuss, author of the smash-hit fantasy novel The Name of the Wind, and Catherynne Valente, who had leapt to the front ranks of modern fantasy writers with the Hugo-nominated novel Palimpsest, were the first on board. Hugo and Nebula nominee Rachel Swirsky and video game industry legend Stephen Toulouse then offered up their own interpretations. Science fiction and fantasy balladeer John Anealio put the vision to music. New writers Bernadette Durbin and Scott Mattes competed against hundreds of fellow writers to tell their spin on the tale. And, finally, Wil Wheaton and John Scalzi were of course obliged to share their own take on the thing.

But to what end? Surely a vision of this magnificence — and the stories it spawned — were meant to do something for the benefit of humanity. And so it was decided the stories of Wil, John and the Unicorn Pegasus Kitten would be bound together in a special electronic chapbook, and that this chapbook, entitled Clash of the Geeks, would be used to help those who suffered from lupus, the autoimmune disease which afflicts 1.5 million Americans and five million people worldwide (including Gretchen Schafer, Bill’s wife).

And so it was.

And so here it is: Clash of the Geeks, featuring eight stories (and one song) about the warrior Wheaton, the orc Scalzi, and the Unicorn Pegasus Kitten. From us. For you. And for the fight against lupus.

For more info and to download and donate, visit www.unicornpegasuskitten.com

 

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OMG !!! I hope this vision did not take place under the haze of Blood Wine or some other such thing.

Ugh, Star Trek news has gone downhill.

@ 2 … uh… how does a clash of the geeks book relate to star trek going downhill?

WHEEEEEEEAAAATONNNNN!

I’ve actually followed this a little on his blog. Fun stuff!

@3 he just wanted to seem negative ‘cuz it is the cool to be negative on the interwebz :/

@5 lol so true. he his jealous he doesn’t have a unicorn pegasus kitten. booya

I think that 2 was referring to the FACT that STN has not been updated for 3 days.

I don’t think that was it.

Yeah, negativity is all the rage these days. Bless you Wil Wheaton for trying to put a smile on our geek faces and raise money for charity at the same time. I can see how that might piss some people off.

GREAT ILLUSTRATION!

Geekolicious.

@5, 6: Clearly, #2 just has clown sweater envy.

This is completely insane, incredibly nerdy, and for a good cause. I approve mightily. But don’t those fools know that it’s never lupus?! ;)

But don’t those fools know that it’s never lupus?! ;)

I gotta queston that one. What do you mean, CarlG?

@13: It’s a running gag on “House”; someone suggests the patient might have lupus, and House shoots them down with some variation on “It’s not lupus, it’s never lupus!”

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/house-its-not-lupus

Except for that one time in season 4 when it WAS lupus. He was so happy. :)

Missed it. Thanks for the explano.

I’ve never seen House. Actually, I finally figured out (a few yarns back) that “House” was the title character’s name. My bad!

@15: No problem! Actually, I never stopped to think about the overlap (or lack thereof) between House fans and Trekkies…