Address comments to the editor and we will get back to you on the next issue.

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Drop us a few lines telling us what you like, what you think we can improve and what you would like to see us publishing and we will automatically add you to our quarterly books giveaway.

Arthur, Kate and Nathan wrote us this month, they have already been added to our quarterly books giveaway contest.

DEADLY VIRUSES

Dear Editor:

Now that we need to spend more time at home because of the coronavirus, I thought I’d send in a few comments and requests.

First: I used to read Orson Scott Intergalactic Medicine Show almost religiously, even though some of the stories I found them to be somewhat similar to one another. Sadly, it is now gone. It was after looking for a replacement that I came across someone’s tweet on the Free Bundle. I must confess, the name threw me off at first, but once I looked at the material your magazine is publishing, I couldn’t resist subscribing.

What a delight it was to find a community of hardcore science fiction fans keeping the old school magazine type alive! I was aware of Asimov’s and a few others, but I didn’t realize there were still others for me to discover! The material is solid, too; I couldn’t believe it when I saw you had “The Monkey Paw” available for everyone to read! I particularly enjoyed “Daggers and Heroes” by Luke Kiernan.

Second: A MAP TO WHERE MUSES LIVE, OR HOW TO BUILD YOUR HOME LIBRARY. I must confess I had only read half of it because work and life got in the way back when it was first published, but now that I have more free time (again, thanks to that stupid virus), I’ve forced myself to sit down and read the rest. What a fantastic piece. Thank you. Thank you thank you thank you. I’m looking forward to reading more of your thoughts on how and why we should be building libraries. It would be an exciting read, especially now that the entire world is complaining about how dull their lives are because of the “self-imposed” quarantine (an oxymoron if there have been any in history).

The pictures you are using for the short stories in your mag are simple, yet, they remind me why simple is sometimes better: they do wonders for the imagination of the reader. I must also pay my compliments for the chosen column layout for the stories. Its been a while since I’ve read anything in this way, even the most well-known mags abandoned the old columns layout for a more modern approach.

As for the video cover, I must say you could do very well without it and still have a good quality magazine, besides giving artists a chance to showcase their work.

ARTHUR SAHA.

Arthur, Thank you for your kind compliments, everyone here works really hard into making the best magazine we possibly can. Getting comments like yours makes it all worth it. We are happy that you are enjoying the short stories we published. We are sure Mr. Luke Kiernan will be more than glad to read your mention of his story.

About my personal take on why it is imperative every home owns a library, there is a short piece I wrote for this issue where I discuss how everyone already has thanks to projects like Gutemberg or The Internet Archive. Still, even then, it is of the utmost importance everyone starts stockpiling books with the same crazy diligence they are filling their shelves with food and toilet paper. Not because of some deadly virus, but in case governments (which are a different kind of illness, one a tad more lethal we still haven’t found an immunity for), decide in their all mightly wisdom that we shouldn’t really enjoy the freedom to have them, as it is often the case with bureaucrats and men who ostentate a limited but relevant amount of power.

You know what? We have been actually thinking about opening our cover page to artists. We might take on your suggestion. Thank you again for writing, Arthur.

REQUEST FOR PDF VERSION

I am writing to you in name of everyone who owns and uses an iPad. Love the magazine, love the design, love the web version, but what I don’t love is not having a PDF version. Could you please, please add a way for those of us who do read PDF magazines to download yours? I do all of my reading on my iPad and it will be nice to have the Free Bundle. Since you are at it, could we have a name contest or something? The Free Bundle doesn’t sounds right for a Sci-Fi magazine. Thank you.

KATE BARNARD

Kate, We appreciate your suggestions! There have been editorial talks about changing the name of the magazine for sure, but we decided to go with what we have. The reason is that most people who already know what we do, are used to the name and those who don’t know it, will end up getting curious about it. Instead of changing it to something like “Fantastic Horizons” (which we could, mind you, but that’s the name of one of our sections), we will “own” it the best we can. Like many things in life, the name of this magazine outgrew its initial purpose (more on that here). We are confident that you will come to like it with time. Hopefully. Maybe. Perhaps. Give it a few months! Who knows.

Now, about the PDF situation, we have obviously thought about it and even made a few tests. That’s all I can say for now. I can’t promise anything, but if it happens, we will make sure you are the first to know about it. Thank you again for taking the time to write to us, Kate.

ANIVERSARY AND CONGRATULATIONS

Congratulations on completing your first year of printing old classics fantasies and awesome new science fiction shorts. When a friend sent me the link, I couldn’t believe I was reading a magazine, what a fantastic idea. With such a rise in quality over the last few numbers, there is no doubt that your magazine will be long lived. I can hardly wait for each new issue. My favorite section has to be DOG’s webcomic (the Christmas special was a blast!). Are you planning on publishing it for real? If you do, let me know, I will order a few issues for a few friends and me.

Could I make a request? I want to read more Lovecraftian stories. I’m not exactly fond of the Fantasy genre or the “hard sci-fi,” but I found myself coming back to “The Rite” more than a few times to really digest the ending.

One last thing: could you please clarify something for me? What is the run of this magazine? Once per month? Once every two months? Sometimes I get the email weekly, others every few months, and to be honest, it is getting somewhat difficult to keep up. Please don’t take it as a complaint, it is just that it would be easier for me to know when to wait for the new Issue, that’s all! Thanks!

NATHAN GILBERT

Nathan,

Thank you very much for the birthday wishes! It has been a rough year for the Free Bundle, but we never expect it to have it easy. Tell your friend we say hi! Regarding DOG’s webcomic: we are thrilled you like the character. It does take a substantial chunk of time to produce, though, so we can’t always deliver on schedule, but little by little, we’re getting there.

A printed version of DOG’s webcomic is going to happen. Not this year but, maybe next. There are plans for something else, though. Something we know you and everyone else reading the comic will most likely be pleased with. More on that on the next issue, which takes us to your last question. The Free Bundle gets updated with a new Issue every three months (quarterly), so you can expect a new Issue around June.

Thank you for reading, Nathan!