MISHMASH | Neil Gaiman and Wheel of TIme Free Reads and New Steampunk Cover

The first 25 pages or so of Neil Gaiman's Odd and the Front Giant's is available here.  This is actually quite a large chuck of the text.  I read Odd soon after the UK World Book Day edition was released and enjoyed it immensely.  It is one of those books you wish had been around when you were 10 years old.  The Odd story involves a sort of greatest hits of Norse lore with a young boy.  Gaiman has said he wants to do more stories with Odd somewhere down the line.

Tor has also released the audio of chapter 2 from The Gathering Storm here.  You need an account with tor.com, but it is free and being a member puts you on their e-mail list about things such as this.

Elizabeth Bear has posted the cover to her new Steampunk novella Bone and Jewel Creatures with Subterranean Press to be released in March 2010.  Here is the description:

Dark magic is afoot in the City of Jackals...

Eighty years Bijou the Artificer has been a Wizard of Messaline, building her servants from precious scraps, living with the memory of a great love that betrayed her. She is ready to rest.

But now her former apprentice, Brazen the Enchanter, has brought her a speechless feral child poisoned by a sorcerous infection. Now, Messaline is swept by a mysterious plague. Now the seeping corpses of the dead stalk the streets.

Now, finally, Bijou's old nemesis--Bijou's old love--Kaulas the Necromancer is unleashing a reeking half-death on Bijou's people. And only Bijou and her creatures wrought of bone and jewels can save the City of Jackals from his final revenge.