To coincide with the unveiling of the English Heritage Blue Plaque at Amelia Edwards' former London home, publishers Jurassic London have announced that the e-book of the "disgustingly, gloriously good" anthology The Book of the Dead, edited by Jared Shurin and published in partnership with the Egypt Exploration Society, will be available to download for free from Amazon UK on Thursday 19 March 2015 for one day only. Go to http://tinyurl.com/ozsg24q for your copy.
Shurin commented,"I have been tremendously inspired by Amelia Edwards, not only through her dedication to developing and enriching the discipline of Egyptology but also due to her considerable talent as an author of popular fiction and the creator of a number of extremely atmospheric short stories in the field of what would, today, be described as 'speculative fiction'. As such, I'm sure that Amelia would have heartily approved of The Book of the Dead and it is to her that the anthology is dedicated. It seems appropriate, therefore, to make the e-publication of The Book of the Dead freely available on the day that Amelia receives this rare recognition by English Heritage."
The Book of the Dead is the first ever anthology of entirely new and specially commissioned mummy stories, containing nineteen original tales of revenge, romance, monsters and mayhem, ranging freely across time periods, genres and styles.
Contributors include Gail Carriger, Will Hill, Jesse Bullington, Paul Cornell, Maria Dahvana Headley, Jonathan Green, Molly Tanzer, David Bryher, Den Patrick, Lou Morgan, Sarah Newton, Maurice Broaddus, Glen Mehn, Louis Greenberg, Michael West, Jenni Hill, David Thomas Moore, Roger Luckhurst and Adam Roberts.
The stories are illustrated by Garen Ewing, award-winning creator of The Adventures of Julius Chancer series, and introduced by John J. Johnston, Vice Chair of the Egypt Exploration Society.
Since its initial publication in October 2013, The Book of the Dead has been a finalist for a prestigious Shirley Jackson Award and Adam Roberts contribution 'Tollund,' a finalist for a Sidewise Award.
"Be prepared, therefore, to shudder, smile, shed a tear, and even lose some sleep..."