A Worthy Cause

For my first order of business in my return to this blog, I thought it would be fitting to call attention to the blog of someone much smarter, funnier, and more talented than I. That person is one Patrick Rothfuss. Rothfuss, for those of you who aren't quite as massively nerdy as I am, is the author of the widely-acclaimed fantasy novel "The Name of the Wind," as well as the forthcoming sequel, "Wise Man's Fear." Now, I haven't read any of his work, but "The Name of the Wind" is definitely near the top of my gargantuan list of books I want to read, and I have followed his blog for the past couple years or so.

One of the reasons I consider myself to be a fan of Pat's, without having read anything by him, is that every year around the holidays, he runs a fundraiser of sorts to benefit Heifer International. He reaches out to all of his fellow author friends, a fantastic Sci-Fi/Fantasy specialty press called Subterranean Press, and a plethora of other sources to come up with a ton of books, comics, and other items of interest to give away for charity.

The specifics of the fundraiser, which is called Worldbuilders, can be found at his blog, but the basic idea is that for every $10 you give to Heifer International, you get a chance to win one of the fabulous books that Pat has assembled. And these are things that any Sci-Fi/Fantasy lover would drool over - limited editions, signed copies, advanced reading copies, rare and out of print volumes - it's a cornucopia of nerdy awesomeness. And the best part is, Rothfuss has pledged to match 50% of the amount raised, because he's just a great guy.

Last year, Worldbuilders raised almost $200,000 for Heifer International and gave away some pretty sweet stuff. I've given money the past two years, and managed to pocket two books for my contributions. So, if you're the type of person that gets irrationally excited by the thought of owning a book signed by Neil Gaiman or Jim Butcher, be sure to head over to the Worldbuilders site and fork over some of your cash - it's a good cause with great prizes.