FREE/BARGAIN — Science Fiction & Fantasy

[ATDrake]

X-link to the DRM-free thread for two rather nice sfnal bundles:

Humble Bundle Fantastic Fiction presented by Subterranean Press features a good spread of the noted specialty publisher's reprints/new novellas from well-known authors such as Hugo/Nebula/etc. winners Connie Willis (an excellent and recommended almost-complete short stories collection), John Scalzi (his latest novella short story collection from them, IIRC), Cherie Priest (another in her Hugo-nominated Clockwork Century series), Joe R. Landsdale, Harlan Ellison, Alistair Reynolds, and more. ETA: For horror readers, there are also two offerings from Clive Barker and Robert McCammon, which apparently continue stories in their popular settings.

The Steampunk Bundle from StoryBundle, curated by World Fantasy Award-nominated editor Cat Rambo, contains a mix of backlist and indies, and while not as obviously an auto-buy as the HB, is IMHO also fairly good value for money if you like steampunk, and I'm certainly willing to give it a try at the top-tier for the value-add of some interesting-looking small press anthologies.

[Dr. Drib]

Unfortunately, I already have most of those steampunk titles.

Fortunately, however, I haven't read a single one of them....yet.

[bookmarked]

Kingfisher by Patricia A. McKillip $1.99

File Size: 1007 KB
Print Length: 346 pages
Publisher: Ace (February 2, 2016) [Penguin]

https://www.amazon.com/Kingfisher-Pa...dp/B00X593B7W/

It's a fantasy, apparently a retelling of an old tale. I'd post the description, but Amazon has mucked up their JavaScript and I can't get the full details to open in Android Chrome.

Also on sale at Google Play and probably elsewhere.

[maddz]

Originally Posted by bookmarked

Kingfisher by Patricia A. McKillip $1.99

File Size: 1007 KB
Print Length: 346 pages
Publisher: Ace (February 2, 2016) [Penguin]

https://www.amazon.com/Kingfisher-Pa...dp/B00X593B7W/

It's a fantasy, apparently a retelling of an old tale. I'd post the description, but Amazon has mucked up their JavaScript and I can't get the full details to open in Android Chrome.

Also on sale at Google Play and probably elsewhere.

Not Amazon.co.uk - it's still priced at £12.99

[GeeCrow]

"A Beer at the End of the World" by Russ Anderson, Jr. is an enjoyable short story available for free on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Beer-at-End-W...d+of+the+world

[LJJohnson]

Originally Posted by ATDrake

X-link to the DRM-free thread for two rather nice sfnal bundles:

Humble Bundle Fantastic Fiction presented by Subterranean Press features a good spread of the noted specialty publisher's reprints/new novellas from well-known authors such as Hugo/Nebula/etc. winners Connie Willis (an excellent and recommended almost-complete short stories collection), John Scalzi (his latest novella short story collection from them, IIRC), Cherie Priest (another in her Hugo-nominated Clockwork Century series), Joe R. Landsdale, Harlan Ellison, Alistair Reynolds, and more. ETA: For horror readers, there are also two offerings from Clive Barker and Robert McCammon, which apparently continue stories in their popular settings.

For the Fantastic Fiction bundle, The prize of the bunch is The Winds of Marble Arch by Connie Willis. It is a fairly recent (March 2015) 600 page collection of her short stories. I will buy any book from Connie Willis (when they come down in price, that is), her short fiction is arguably better than her novels, and this is a $9.99 book you can get for $1.00, along with 4 other books. I had 3 of the others, but her's paid for the feast.

[orangekiwi]

The Sarah Zettel Collection: Playing God, Reclamation, The Quiet Invasion, and Fool's War is currently available in the US for $1.99 from open road media

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the...tel-collection

[Auricle]

Originally Posted by bookmarked

Kingfisher by Patricia A. McKillip $1.99

File Size: 1007 KB
Print Length: 346 pages
Publisher: Ace (February 2, 2016) [Penguin]

https://www.amazon.com/Kingfisher-Pa...dp/B00X593B7W/

It's a fantasy, apparently a retelling of an old tale. I'd post the description, but Amazon has mucked up their JavaScript and I can't get the full details to open in Android Chrome.

Also on sale at Google Play and probably elsewhere.

$1.99 on Amazon.ca as well which is an even better deal as $1.99CDN = $1.45USD!

[elaysee]

Andrea K Höst's And All the Stars is 99¢ right now - I checked Amazon US and Kobo.

Höst is well up among my top five favorite indie authors, and this is one of my favorite of her books. It's an alien invasion story, very much on the adventure side versus the hard science side, a bit YA, has a romance subplot but doesn't stick a love triangle in your face, and there's a nice plot twist along the way.

Come for the apocalypse.
Stay for cupcakes.
Die for love.

Madeleine Cost is working to become the youngest person ever to win the Archibald Prize for portraiture. Her elusive cousin Tyler is the perfect subject: androgynous, beautiful, and famous. All she needs to do is pin him down for the sittings.

None of her plans factored in the Spires: featureless, impossible, spearing into the hearts of cities across the world – and spraying clouds of sparkling dust into the wind.

Is it an alien invasion? Germ warfare? They are questions everyone on Earth would like answered, but Madeleine has a more immediate problem. At Ground Zero of the Sydney Spire, beneath the collapsed ruin of St James Station, she must make it to the surface before she can hope to find out if the world is ending.

Warning: Contains swearing, sexual situations, and Australians.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by elaysee

Andrea K Höst's And All the Stars is 99¢ right now - I checked Amazon US and Kobo.

Höst is well up among my top five favorite indie authors, and this is one of my favorite of her books. It's an alien invasion story, very much on the adventure side versus the hard science side, a bit YA, has a romance subplot but doesn't stick a love triangle in your face, and there's a nice plot twist along the way.

Really, really liked this book when I read it right after it came out.

[Little.Egret]

Originally Posted by elaysee

Andrea K Höst's And All the Stars is 99¢ right now - I checked Amazon US and Kobo.

Höst is well up among my top five favorite indie authors, and this is one of my favorite of her books. It's an alien invasion story, very much on the adventure side versus the hard science side, a bit YA, has a romance subplot but doesn't stick a love triangle in your face, and there's a nice plot twist along the way.

Also reduced in Canada but not in UK.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by ATDrake

The Steampunk Bundle from StoryBundle, curated by World Fantasy Award-nominated editor Cat Rambo, contains a mix of backlist and indies, and while not as obviously an auto-buy as the HB, is IMHO also fairly good value for money if you like steampunk, and I'm certainly willing to give it a try at the top-tier for the value-add of some interesting-looking small press anthologies.

Has anyone here read any of the authors in the Steampunk Bundle? Just curious how good a set of reads they may be.

[gbm]

Originally Posted by crich70

Has anyone here read any of the authors in the Steampunk Bundle? Just curious how good a set of reads they may be.

Here are the links to the "Authors pages at Baenebooks" a couple of the books offered have a larger sample at Baen.

http://www.baen.com/catalog/category...4768/?limit=36

http://www.baen.com/catalog/category...utler/id/2200/

http://www.baen.com/catalog/category...allen/id/2180/

http://www.baen.com/catalog/category...rambo/id/2280/


bernie

[maddz]

Originally Posted by crich70

Has anyone here read any of the authors in the Steampunk Bundle? Just curious how good a set of reads they may be.

I'm currently reading Mechanique. Not bad. I've heard good things about Lavie Tidhar and Frank Tuttle as well.

[elaysee]

Originally Posted by crich70

Has anyone here read any of the authors in the Steampunk Bundle? Just curious how good a set of reads they may be.

I've read mostly short fiction by several of them.

I've read enough Lavie Tidhar to automatically pick up any bargains from him - a bit weird, a bit thinky, and sometimes engaged with SFF's pulp past.

I know I'll gladly read more from Genevieve Valentine, but I can't give you a clear sense of her yet.

Cat Rambo's stories have ranged from OK to pretty good for me - she rarely knocks it out of the park but has earned more chances.

After multiple bounces I've concluded Lindsay Buroker is not for me - straightforward adventure that just hasn't hooked me. I can easily think of people I might recommend her books to, whose tastes are a bit different than mine.

I'm almost positive I've read Jaymee Goh and Ekaterina Sedia, and would be willing to look at more from each.