FREE/BARGAIN - Science Fiction, Fantasy - 2014

[ATDrake]

Free from the authors via KDP Select @ Amazon:

Age of Witches by Ukrainian fantasy authors Sergey & Marina Dyachenko (ISFDB, ISFDB, Wikipedia), an English translation of their 1997 Russian-language novel Ведьмин век. The Dyachenkos have won a number of European literary awards (the blurb says that this one in particular won some best-book-of-the-year Ukrainian and Russian and Polish prizes), and have had a few releases translated into English by Tor Books. In fact, there's a freebie Tor novella from them still available in multiple venues.

Is it easy to be a witch? Who can, and more importantly, who would want to understand her: this evil otherworldly creature, the symbol of promiscuity and whimsy? The symbol of the Woman?

Is it easy to be the Great Inquisitor? Who can, and more importantly, who would want to understand him, a heartless executioner, carrying out the will of the Inquisition? What would happen if the souls of these two, as incompatible as ice and fire, come into contact?

The novel THE AGE OF WITCHES contains several winningly rare combinations: that of a thriller, detective and melodrama, Western traditions and Eastern European textures. The epic scope of events and tension go hand in hand with the intense psychological twister representing the characters’ inner lives. An element of mystery allows for a new approach to the ancient questions.

[Xanthe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

They'll download, like any other books. Obviously it'll be a different Amazon account to your "amazon.com" account, though.

My Amazon UK account has my US address and all the Kindle books that I click on - from the deals to the full-price ones show as "This title is not currently available for purchase". The paper versions come up as available with a price shown.

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by Geralt

When you buy paperbacks you are not paying for paper only aren't you?
Whichever format you buy, you buy CONTENT that is the freaking book.
Why do people think ebooks or audiobooks are anything else than that same content wrapped in a different packaging.
Why do you consider dead tree format somehow superior to hold the content?
Heck, why don't we all go back to stone tablets. I bet those would last longer.
This will be my mantra from now on
I'd probably pay that much for a real, honest-to-goodness stone tablets but for a bunch of dead trees format? No way!
That's how silly those statements sound.

We've actually had several years of debate over that issue.

[Manabi]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

We've actually had several years of debate over that issue.

I think it's one of those things that everyone will never agree on. Different things appeal to different people. I ended up preferring eBooks because I got sick of finding places to store all my physical books. But I also have no issues reading on even an LCD screen, so it's not a big deal for me. For others, physical books my be better. I just figure go with whatever works best for you and don't get bent out of shape if others feel differently.

On topic, a couple of short stories for free:

If at First... by Peter F. Hamilton

Peter F. Hamilton has proven himself a modern master of epic space opera, carrying the tradition of far-future empire building begun by Heinlein and Asimov into the new millennium. But Hamilton is also a master of the short story, and when he tackles one of science fiction’s most enduring themes—time travel—the result is as provocative as it is entertaining. It starts in 2007 with a break-in. The victim: Marcus Orthew, the financial and technological genius behind Orthanics, the computer company whose radical products have delivered a one-two punch to the industry, all but knocking PCs and Macs out of the ring. The perpetrator: a man obsessed with Orthew. Just another simple case of celebrity stalking—or so everyone assumes at first, including Metropolitan Police Chief Detective David Lanson. But when Lanson interviews the suspect, he makes a startling claim: Orthew is from the future. Or, rather, a future—a parallel timeline. Thus begins the ride of a lifetime for Lanson, as his pursuit of the facts tumbles him headlong down a rabbit hole—and the hunter finds himself hunted.

Amazon, B&N, Google, iTunes, Kobo


The Nemesis Worm by Guy Haley

A standalone novella featuring the 22nd century's greatest detectives, The Nemesis Worm sees Richards & Klein involved in another high stakes investigation. Corpses are showing up all over Old London, and the finger of suspicion points right at Richards himself. Forced to clear his name, Richards and Otto uncover a fanatical group whose actions threaten the relationship between human and AI with destruction.

Amazon, B&N

Not sure how big an author Guy Haley is, but I've read that short story and Reality 36 set in the same universe and liked them both quite a lot.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by Manabi

I think it's one of those things that everyone will never agree on. Different things appeal to different people. I ended up preferring eBooks because I got sick of finding places to store all my physical books. But I also have no issues reading on even an LCD screen, so it's not a big deal for me. For others, physical books my be better. I just figure go with whatever works best for you and don't get bent out of shape if others feel differently.

Yep. When the codex format was invented (early books) I can well imagine some thinking it would never be as good as reliable scrolls were. Thanks for the links to some interesting stories.

[RDaneel54]

Originally Posted by crich70

Yep. When the codex format was invented (early books) I can well imagine some thinking it would never be as good as reliable scrolls were. Thanks for the links to some interesting stories.

Interesting that we have gone back to scroll(ing)s with web-based reading.

[Little.Egret]

Originally Posted by Xanthe

My Amazon UK account has my US address and all the Kindle books that I click on - from the deals to the full-price ones show as "This title is not currently available for purchase". The paper versions come up as available with a price shown.

That's what supposed to happen since you are not a UK etc resident and that's what the licenses for downloads look at.

Various people have tried having an account with a suitable UK address and even a UK credit card. Some have been challenged to prove their residency by Amazon. Same for expats in various countries who want UK-only books.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by RDaneel54

Interesting that we have gone back to scroll(ing)s with web-based reading.

I hadn't thought of that but you're quite right. And not just with web based reading. If you read on the Mobipocket app or use Calibre you can also scroll through the text that way too.

[murg]

Originally Posted by crich70

Yep. When the codex format was invented (early books) I can well imagine some thinking it would never be as good as reliable scrolls were. Thanks for the links to some interesting stories.

Yeah, all that page turning. No one will get used to that.

Not to mention the paper-cuts...

[ATDrake]

Free from the author via KDP Select @ Amazon:

The Leaving Sweater by Nebula-finalist Ruth Nestvold (ISFDB, Wikipedia), a modern fantasy magical realism short in her Tales From Far Beyond North series, which originally appeared in Strange Horizons magazine in 2007.

So you think magic isn't necessary in order to leave? Think again ...

Victoria Askew doesn't want to leave remote Rolynka, Alaska when she finishes high school; it's all she's ever known. At least, not until her mother knits her the most beautiful sweater she's ever seen, a sweater imbued with magic -- a leaving sweater.

[ATDrake]

Bargain @ $1.99 for today only (Oct 23rd) according to the newsletter, from Open Road Media in multiple stores (presumably North America-only since Hodder's Headline imprint has the rights to her works*, IIRC; couponable @ Kobo):

Bloodchild and Other Stories by the late Octavia E. Butler (ISFDB, Wikipedia), a multiple Hugo & Nebula Award-winner and one of the more important (and better quality!) modern sfnal writers. IIRC, I bought this collection a couple of years ago during one of ORM's Black Friday sales, but they seem to have changed the editions for some of their older titles, so the newer versions are in some way different and not linked to the ones you originally bought, so you might have to manually check your archives to see if you picked it up previously ( can't publishers just update in situ?!).

In any case, I highly recommend this, especially at this price (couponable!), which is probably less than half what I paid for it.

NB: despite the blurb saying that this has six stories, it actually contains 9 items (6 shorts + 1 novelette + 2 essays) and you can see the contents in its ISFDB entry, and includes 2 more stories than its original 1995 paper edition, if you happen to already own that.

Octavia E. Butler’s classic “Bloodchild,” winner of both the Nebula and Hugo awards, anchors this collection of incomparable stories and essays. “Bloodchild” is set on a distant planet where human children spend their lives preparing to become hosts for the offspring of the alien Tlic. Sometimes the procedure is harmless, but often it is not. Also included is the Hugo Award–winning “Speech Sounds,” about a near future in which humans must adapt after an apocalyptic event robs them of their ability to speak.

In these pages, Butler shows us life on Earth and amongst the stars, telling her tales with characteristic imagination and clarity.

This ebook features an illustrated biography of Octavia E. Butler including rare images from the author’s estate.

* And are incidentally offering the title story free for UK account holders @ B&N UK, Amazon UK, Kobo (probably only available to the UK), and likely also iTunes & Google Play UK, which I can't easily check.

[ATDrake]

Bargain @ $2.99 Canadian / some @ £1.99 UK from Orion Publishing, probably in multiple Commonwealth stores (not couponable, linkage goes to Kobo since I only have to do it once for you to see the applicable price in your region):

The Winter Ghosts by literary fiction novelist Kate Mosse (ISFDB, Wikipedia), her 2009 supernatural-ish themed period-set historical novel.

From the bestselling author of LABYRINTH and SEPULCHRE - a compelling story of ghosts and remembrance. Illustrated throughout by Brian Gallagher.

The Great War took much more than lives. It robbed a generation of friends, lovers and futures. In Freddie Watson's case, it took his beloved brother and, at times, his peace of mind. In the winter of 1928, still seeking resolution, Freddie is travelling through the French Pyrenees. During a snowstorm, his car spins off the mountain road. He stumbles through woods, emerging in a tiny village. There he meets Fabrissa, a beautiful woman also mourning a lost generation.

Over the course of one night, Fabrissa and Freddie share their stories. By the time dawn breaks, he will have stumbled across a tragic mystery that goes back through the centuries. By turns thrilling, poignant and haunting, this is a story of two lives touched by war and transformed by courage.

Labyrinth (not on sale in the UK), 1st in her Languedoc trilogy of medieval historical/present day mysterious fantasy, which has been adapted into a TV series (IMDB).

July 1209: in Carcassonne a seventeen-year-old girl is given a mysterious book by her father which he claims contains the secret of the true Grail. Although Alais cannot understand the strange words and symbols hidden within, she knows that her destiny lies in keeping the secret of the labyrinth safe...

July 2005: Alice Tanner discovers two skeletons in a forgotten cave in the French Pyrenees. Puzzled by the labyrinth symbol carved into the rock, she realises she's disturbed something that was meant to remain hidden. Somehow, a link to a horrific past - her past - has been revealed.

Orion's Gateway imprint also has a bunch of sfnal works marked down to £1.99 UK ($3.99 in Canada). I can't really judge if that's a particularly good price for UK readers, but there's a bunch of Joe Haldeman and Ray Bradbury and Richard Matheson in there, and you can get both volumes of George R. R. Martin's Dreamsongs nearly complete short story collection for what seems like a dirt-cheap price for the UK (~$12 each in Canada, last I checked).

Linkage for the lot @ Kobo (not couponable).

[mewmartigan]

not sure if this is ongoing or already posted but The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson is free at Amazon US.

http://www.amazon.com/Way-Kings-Stor...ndon+sanderson

[Apache]

I picked it up when they ran this in September.
Apache

[crich70]

Originally Posted by mewmartigan

not sure if this is ongoing or already posted but The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson is free at Amazon US.

http://www.amazon.com/Way-Kings-Stor...ndon+sanderson

I think it was last month as I purchased it then. It's always good to have a 2nd chance (if someone missed it then though).