[Manabi]

This month, Phoenix Pick's free book of the month is The Best of Hal Clement by Hal Clement, edited by Lester del Rey.

Hal Clement, one of the all-time greats of science fiction, was defining hard science fiction before such distinctions were even being thought of. He once described his approach to writing: “[T]he rules must be quite simple. They are; for the reader of a science-fiction story, they consist of finding as many as possible of the author’s statements or implications which conflict with the facts as science currently understands them. For the author, the rule is to make as few such slips as he possibly can.”

He was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 1999 and an annual award for Excellence in Children’s Science Fiction has been established in his memory and is presented each year at the annual Worldcon.

This collection presents some of his finest shorter pieces as collected by his friend and colleague, Lester del Rey.

Additionally there is one other deal, which includes the above book as well as two additional books. This is available for a minimum price of $5.99 (Suggested price: $8.00). The additional books are:

The Best of L. Sprague de Camp

Spoiler:

A science fiction collection by one of the all-time greats of science fiction, L. Sprague de Camp. These stories and poems exemplify de Camp’s unique outlook on life and mankind and are told with a quiet but sharp irony that became his trademark. Bold, inventive and humorous, this collection is a must for fans of the writer.

“Triumphant collection from SF's best-educated humanist.”—The Washington Post

“De Camp’s clever fusion of the droll and the sober is evident throughout.” —Booklist

The Best of Edmond Hamilton

Spoiler:

Here is a collection of some of the finest short fiction penned by one of "fathers" of modern science fiction.

These stories were selected (and edited) by his wife Leigh Brackett, an author and a screenwriter. Her screen-writing credits include work on such films as The Big Sleep, Rio Bravo, The Long Goodbye and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.

This collection spans nearly half a century of Edmond Hamilton's work and was selected from a repository of hundreds of stories that he had written over that period.

Both deals are available at the same link, linked at the top of the post.