Christmas story for 2010, “The Trains that Climb the Winter Tree” by Michael Swanwick and Eileen Gunn, is shocking, lyrical, inventive, and as you might guess, a little mad. It will appear on Tor.com on Tuesday, December 21, but if you’re a registered member of the site you’ll be getting it tomorrow—a week early—personally emailed to you by the elves and wood sprites who labor in our vast network operations center deep beneath the sub-basement of the Flatiron Building.
Becoming a member of Tor.com costs nothing and confers upon you a long and impressive list of powers and privileges. Young John W. “Biff” Scalzi joined Tor.com in July 2008 and now he is a full-time novelist with an attractive family, a large house, a popular weblog, and dictatorial command over the armies of the Science Fiction Writers of America. Coincidence? We think not. Aren’t you sorry you still aren’t a member? Sign up or log in to view the story at this link.