We’ve seen a lot of unusual promotional giveaways over the years, but here’s one we hadn’t come across before: Orbit, the science fiction and fantasy division of Hachette Book Group, is giving away a chain-mail T-shirt from ThinkGeek.com to celebrate the publication of The Company, a new novel by K. J. Parker. Yep, it’s “thousands of anodized aluminum rings,” all linked together into one fashion statement that comes with a set of instructions on how to put it on:
“You cannot put it on one arm at a time like a fabric shirt. Instead lay the chain mail flat on the ground, bend over and thrust both arms into the bottom of the shirt. Work your hands through to the end of the sleeves and then begin to stand-up. Get your head through the neck hole and let the chain mail slide down your body. If you have long hair, make sure to tie up your hair before you wear the chain mail… PLEASE wear a shirt or some other garment underneath the chain mail. The edges of the rings where they are joined together are a bit rough and can scratch you.”
See the Orbit newsletter for instructions on how to enter the contest. And good luck; if nothing else, a shirt of metal might come in handy when the zombie hordes attack.