In anticipation for the release of the long awaited Elegy Beach, Steven Boyett’s much loved fantasy-post-apocalyptic tale Ariel has been re-released. And, after reading and enjoying Ariel, we’ve decided to hold a giveaway!
More About the Book:
At four-thirty one Saturday afternoon the laws of physics as we know them underwent a change. Electronic devices, cars, industries stopped. The lights went out. Any technology more complicated than a lever or pulley simply wouldn’t work. A new set of rules took its place—laws that could only be called magic. Ninety-nine percent of humanity has simply vanished. Cities lie abandoned. Supernatural creatures wander the silenced achievements of a halted civilization.
Pete Garey has survived the Change and its ensuing chaos. He wanders the southeastern United States, scavenging, lying low. Learning. One day he makes an unexpected friend: a smartassed unicorn with serious attitude. Pete names her Ariel and teaches her how to talk, how to read, and how to survive in a world in which a unicorn horn has become a highly prized commodity.
When they learn that there is a price quite literally on Ariel’s head, the two unlikely companions set out from Atlanta to Manhattan to confront the sorcerer who wants her horn. And so begins a haunting, epic, and surprisingly funny journey through the remnants of a halted civilization in a desolated world.
Book Website (including chapter excerpts, audio excerpts, interactive maps, forums, and author info): www.arielbook.com
About the Author:
Steven R. Boyett has written novels, short stories, comic books, feature films, essays, and reviews. As a DJ he has played clubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Reno, as well as at Burning Man. He produces three of the world’s most popular music podcasts (Podrunner, Podrunner: Intervals, and Groovelectric), and was among the first people to make a living in that medium.
As owner of Sneaker Press Boyett published poetry chapbooks by Carrie Etter and the late Nancy Lambert. He has also been a martial-arts instructor, paper marbler, advertising copywriter, editor, typesetter, and proofreader. He designs websites, plays the didgeridoo, and composes electronic music. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, composer Maureen Halderson, and their two parrots.
GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
We are offering up TWO prize packs today, which each include an autographed copy of Ariel along with bookmarks, book fliers, and a signed copy of author Steven Boyett’s live DJ set from WorldCon. To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment here, naming your favorite post-apocalypse book/movie/comic/whatever.
The contest is open to residents of the US and Canada, and will run until Saturday September 26th at 11:59pm (pacific). One comment per person, please! Multiple entries will be disqualified. Good luck!
Also, while you’re at it – you can sign up for ANOTHER chance to win a brand spankin’ new autographed copy of Ariel over at author Steven Boyett’s blog. He’s currently running a contest, calling for the rattiest, water-damaged, duct-taped, broken copies of Ariel. The person with the gankiest copy will win! The contest has been extended until September 25! You can find out the entry details HERE.
54 Comments
Kimberly B.
September 23, 2009 at 12:48 amWhat a great giveaway! Don’t know how I missed this book on its first go-round, but maybe I’ll win a copy now!
My favorite post-Apocalyptic novel book, at least in recent memory, is Carrie Ryan’s Forest of Hands and Teeth. Thanks so much!
Lexie
September 23, 2009 at 3:20 amI remember seeing the cover of this in my used bookstore ages ago and thinking ‘Why does David Bowie have a unicorn with him?’ XD
My favorite post-apocalyptic book series is ‘Tomorrow, When the War Came’ by John Marsden. Soooo good. Sooo much love for it in my heart.
stezton
September 23, 2009 at 3:23 amMy favorite post-apocalyptic entertainment/media would have to be the Fallout game series. Nothing like searching the Wastelands firsthand.
Clara
September 23, 2009 at 4:51 amgiveaway, giveaway, giveaway *____________*
I love Matrix! You know, the movie with the extremly sexy Keanu!
Amanda Makepeace
September 23, 2009 at 4:51 amFavorite post-apocalyptic book you say? 😀 That’s my fav of fav’s! I’m not sure I can list just one. My favorite that did not include any supernatural beings is Earth Abides by George R. Stewart. As for those with the supernatural, I still think Richard Matheson’s I am Legend is one of the best.
I could go on about movies too, but I’d be here all day. 🙂
Sandra
September 23, 2009 at 6:28 amMy fave postapocalyptic novel(s) (cause its hard to pick just one lol) are the Dark Tower series by Stephen King, Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake, or the movie Demolition Man.
Cara Powers
September 23, 2009 at 6:39 amFavorite post-apocalytic book: A Canticle for Leibowitz. It has (almost) everything I like in a book.
KMont
September 23, 2009 at 7:05 amCrap, I forgot to pack my instant recall button today! Favorite post-Apocalyptic read/movie/anything?
I’ll go with Ghostland by Jory Strong since I read that one this year. Great mix of worldbuilding and characters that really surprised me, in a good way.
This also reminds me that I need to read more dystopic and post-Apocalyptic fiction. I love the concept, so why can’t I think of any others I’ve read? Brain, you lazy get!
Miss Marjie
September 23, 2009 at 7:56 amoh probably Earth Abides by George R. Stewart. Or maybe The Road by Cormac McCarthy. 😯
Ethansdad
September 23, 2009 at 8:41 amMy favorite post-apocalytic book – heck, it’s my favorite book ever – is The Stand.
MaryK
September 23, 2009 at 8:54 amI wasn’t going to enter because I don’t usually like post-apocalyptic much less have a favorite. But I just remembered Day of the Triffids, the BBC miniseries. Loved that show! Waited years for a DVD copy! 😆 Who knew?
Morning Glow
September 23, 2009 at 9:17 amI would have to say “I am Legend” is my favorite. I have yet to read the book.. but I want to, I hear it goes in depth, more so than the movie.
Thanks!
Morning Glow
Marie
September 23, 2009 at 9:28 amOne of the best that I’ve read is ‘Dies the Fire’ by S.M Stirling.
Great giveaway, by the way!
Stacy
September 23, 2009 at 10:08 amThe one that pops in my mind is the Forest of Hands and Teeth. I love these type of books!
Samantha R
September 23, 2009 at 10:27 amOne book I’ve read recently that I really liked was Hunger Games.
Thanks for the contest! 😀
Teresa W.
September 23, 2009 at 11:40 amMy favorite read in this genre is Swan Song by Robert McCammon! tWarner419@aol.com
RKCharron
September 23, 2009 at 11:41 amHi 🙂
It’s great that Ariel has been re-released.
THE POSTMAN by David Brin was great (the book not the movie)
THE STAND by Stephen King (book & miniseries)
I could go on, but I won’t. 🙂
All the best,
RKCharron
xoxo
Ava North
September 23, 2009 at 11:53 amSounds Good.
My favorite is the dead and the gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer.
Adrienne
September 23, 2009 at 12:03 pmCount me in for the give away; I love reading World Ends!-probably my favorite has to be The Stand-it has stayed with me for so many years and I have re-read it every summber since I was 15
Daelith
September 23, 2009 at 12:04 pmI’d have to say Mad Max is a favorite. I liked I Am Legend too.
Thanks
Danielle
September 23, 2009 at 12:16 pmThat’s a toughy. I’d have to say…the Giver series. Read it first in second grade and have re-read it a good six times. Genius.
Maya M.
September 23, 2009 at 12:22 pmFunny + unicorn + StarWarsesque = something that sounds very cool for my tween boy to read.
Faves? I was impressed with Will Smith’s acting in ‘I Am Legend’ (though the Darkseekers were utterly unconvincing), also Cillian Murphy in ’28 Days Later’ (though I’m not a zombie fan) and I think ’12 Monkeys’ is a seriously underappreciated movie.
Thea
September 23, 2009 at 12:50 pmThanks for all the great suggestions, everyone! I just had to pop in and say —
Maya – Dude. Weird Twilight Zone thing going on again – I *just* turned to the dear boyfriend yesterday and said “You know what’s a seriously underrated movie? 12 Monkeys.” 😯 And as for the perfect read for your boy, I really could not think of a better title. It’s got a lot of action and some guts and cool ninja stuff going on (so as to keep his attention), but also deceptively smart too with Don Quixote and Shakespeare sprinkled throughout. And, for what it’s worth, Ariel is a book that seems to resonate with readers that discovered it when they were adolescents themselves. So…DEFINITELY recommended 😉
Natasha
September 23, 2009 at 1:17 pmShiny! Pretty much anything Joss Whedon— Buffy and Angel comics and Firefly. Also zombie movies like Shaun of the Dead or Fido.
Thanks!
Rhiannon Hart
September 23, 2009 at 2:29 pmOh, wow. Pick a favourite? *bites hand* You know I love them all but …. but …. ok I guess I have to say Brave New World. Shhh don’t tell the other books….
These comments are fantastic. I have a pen in hand.
Celia
September 23, 2009 at 4:51 pmMy most recent favorite post-apocalyptic whatsit was The Hunger Games. Very cliche, I know, but still…
I’m looking forward to Ariel, and would love to be entered to win the prize packs!
celialarsen(at)gmail(dot)com
Andrea S
September 23, 2009 at 4:59 pmFavorite post-apocalyptic? Kate Daniels series hands down. 😀
Actually, that book also has swords in it, which I consider a good omen.
Kate A
September 23, 2009 at 5:10 pmGreat giveaway! I’d love to read Ariel. This is my first time hearing about it, but it sounds really good.
I don’t read many post-apocalyptic books but I’d have to say my favourite is The Hunger Games (I also liked The Forest of Hands and Teeth, but it wasn’t really a personal favourite)
Cait
September 23, 2009 at 6:17 pmI love talking about post-apocalyptic novels, so of course I’m entering! Ariel sounds like I’d enjoy it.
My absolute favourite is Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, followed closely by The Giver by Lois Lowry and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick (also known as Blade Runner, if you’ve seen the movie).
Debby
September 23, 2009 at 6:20 pmHmmm. I am not sure which one is my favorite so I willsay that my favorite post-apocalyptic book series is Tomorrow, When the War Came by John Marsden.
pamelia
September 23, 2009 at 6:32 pmDefinitely 12 Monkeys as far as films go!
Gillian
September 23, 2009 at 6:34 pmWhile I can’t be considered for the contest (living outside the US as I do), my first foray into post-apocalyptic fiction was ‘Obernewtyn’ by Isobelle Carmody. ‘Nylon Angel’ by Marianne de Pierres is also a good read, think Blade Runner meets Cyberpunk.
As for movies, the aforementioned Blade Runner is a classic and yes, 12 Monkeys is vastly underrated. Mad Max is definitely up there too, but avoid the sequels!
Buzzregog
September 23, 2009 at 6:45 pmHmm, not sure if Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany really fits so I’ll offer up the pulpy Horseclans series also 😉
Jenny N
September 23, 2009 at 9:26 pmI like the new cover for the book. My favourite post-apocalyptic is a book I finished reading recently the Hunger Games.
Allie
September 23, 2009 at 9:33 pmThe Forest of Hands and Teeth hands down!
Zombies!
Ariel
September 23, 2009 at 9:42 pmOoh, I love post-apocalyptic books so much! I would have to agree with the many many previous commenters who said The Forest of Teeth and Hands. It’s so good!
Niveau
September 23, 2009 at 10:52 pmI love post-apocalyptic books! There are so many good ones… but I think my favourite is Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake. It’s so good!
Kimi
September 23, 2009 at 11:58 pmI am Legend was cool!
Stacie
September 24, 2009 at 3:26 amMy pick would be The Stand by Stephen King.
TJ Mathews
September 24, 2009 at 6:21 amTimely question considering I am currently breaking my rule not to mix genres by reading three dystopic novels at once. The Forest of Hands and Teeth is good if you believe there is still a place in the world for a zombie book and the beautiful sparse prose Cormac McCarthy’s ‘The Road’ goes down like chilled everclear. My favorite, though, has to be the world of Suzanne Collin’s Hunger Games. Who would think that the victor of a civil war could hold an annual event to rub the losers’ noses in it? I haven’t heard of something so patently implausible since last year’s Orange Day Parade. I love it!! 😉
Bevin
September 24, 2009 at 7:53 amProbably Oryx and Crake currently, though as a kid I remember reading a book called Invitation to the Game, which has always stayed with me.
Shawna Lewis
September 24, 2009 at 8:30 amShawna L.
weloveourdogsATjunoDOTcom
My fav is Swan Song by Robert McCammon
IT ROCKS!!!!
Thanks for the chance to win this book!!!
Beth
September 24, 2009 at 9:02 amI really liked Dark Angel when it was on.
BethsBookReviewBlog AT gmail DOT com
Raelena
September 24, 2009 at 9:20 amThe Forest of Hands and Teeth is a great post-apocalyptic book…I can’t wait for The Dead Tossed Waves!
throuthehaze at gmail dot com
Biki
September 24, 2009 at 9:50 amHmm, when I read the question the first movie that came to mind was The Day After Tomorrow, lol. I loved the idea that due to our own overabundance, the world would restart itself in a final survival of the fittest. Book wise, I’m not quite sure which book would fall under this genre =/
Cecilia H.
September 24, 2009 at 5:16 pmThe book by William R. Forstchen titled, “One Second After” was super good read about the US being hit by an Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP) weapon that sent America back to the Dark Ages. Really creepy & believable.
Nicole Downing
September 24, 2009 at 5:23 pmTHis book sounds great and i had never heard of it before. Can’t wait to read it and I hope I win!
I would have to go with The Matrix
JenP
September 24, 2009 at 6:42 pmMy favorite is, without a doubt, Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games.
Jessica Watts
September 24, 2009 at 9:32 pmI never win anything!!! My favorite books EVER are The Hunger Games and Cathing Fire! 😀
Jamie D.
September 25, 2009 at 3:48 pmI’ve added “Ariel” to my “Books to Read” list on Amazon. Looking forward to it!
I was going to say my favorite was The Giver, or Z for Zachariah…..but these are too easy. I’m going to go with The White Mountains (Tripods trilogy) by John Christopher. I’m going to count it as post-apocalypse since it takes place post-modern when technology is gone after the invasion of the tripods…My fifth grade teacher read us these books, and I now have my own copies.
Valerie
September 25, 2009 at 10:34 pmMe me me me!!! Free books, yay!! *squee*(Please, if you would be so kind as to enter me in the Giveaway, I would greatly appreciate it)
Jacqueline L.
September 26, 2009 at 12:24 amDo Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick and its movie, Blade Runner!! 😀
Michelle M
September 26, 2009 at 4:26 pmMy fav distoypian/post-apocalyptic book has to be ‘the road’ by cormac mccarthy. Amazing. Can’t wait for the movie!!
Kate
September 26, 2009 at 4:36 pmGreat contest. Please enter me.
I think one of my favorites is I am Legend. It is just classic.