The VIRUS giveaway contest

By Nick Mamatas November 12, 2012

Hey hey, it's been a while Haikasoruphiles, but we're back with a brand-new giveaway contest. Just in time for the winter holidays, we're releasing Virus: The Day of Resurrection in hardcover by Sakyo Komatsu, and we're giving away four copies. Komatsu's name should sound familiar—he's the author of Japan Sinks and was a guest of honor at the 2007 World Science Fiction Convention (you know, Worldcon) in Japan—the first ever Japanese Worldcon.

Virus is a classic from the 1960s and was made into a feature film in 1980. (Enterprising people can find the whole thing on YouTube.) In it, a virus from space is altered by scientists and becomes an unstoppable killer. Soon, there only ten thousand human being left alive—on Antarctica. Then the survivors get some bad news...


Is this guy walking home from Antarctica because he left a pot roast in the oven?



Which brings us to our giveaway! Virus posits the end of the world via human folly and space germs. How do you think the world might end? Or will it ever? Do you find the whole fascination with the end of the world fascinating, endearing, or just stupid? Write us a little essay of 50-200 words, or poem, or whatever, leave it in the form of a comment on this post and you might be one of four lucky and skillful winners. (We don't choose winners randomly; we pick the comments we find the most entertaining.) Feel free to write in English, Spanish, Japanese, German, French, or Greek, and we will ship anywhere!

Check back on Friday the 16th, at noon Pacific, when we announce the winners!