FREE/BARGAIN - Science Fiction, Fantasy - 2015

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by GlenBarrington

I never could get into his stuff, even when I was an adolescent. I was more into the Heinlein juveniles as a kid. Still am, really. With Heinlein, there was no firm dividing line between adult fiction and juvenile fiction.

I, too, read ALL the Heinlein juveniles. I have wonderful memories of reading them when I was a pre-teen and as a teenager. Great stuff, made more wonderful when discovered at the 'right' age.

[Manabi]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

I, too, read ALL the Heinlein juveniles. I have wonderful memories of reading them when I was a pre-teen and as a teenager. Great stuff, made more wonderful when discovered at the 'right' age.

I like his juveniles a lot better than some of his later stuff, which just got a bit too weird for me. (I actually loved the first part of Stranger in a Strange Land then it got so weird in the second part I had to force myself to finish it.) I read them first as an adult, but still enjoyed them a lot. I suspect I would have adored them as a teen or preteen.

I haven't tried any of Smith's stuff yet, and haven't been in a mood to read much lately or I'd give this a try and let you know how it works for me as an adult. I may still try to, and report back if I manage to finish it. (I've been stopping partway through stuff I like even, I just really don't feel like reading for some reason. It'll go away eventually and I'll probably read twice as much to make up for it.) I'm pretty sure I'll like it, I really enjoy the more pulpy writing from scifi's golden age.

[Dr. Drib]

Smith's writing is not juvenile, but is a 'cartoonish', 1930s-styled pulp opera.

Unfortunately, you've read some of the comments here already, as his writing being kind of "over-the-top" stylistically.

Some books are meant to be discovered at a 'perfect' age, at an ideal time, but then become almost unreadable as one gets older. I suspect that Smith falls into this category of appreciation.

[ATDrake]

X-link to the DRM-free megathread for some sfnal bundle deals:

The Literary Fantasy Bundle from StoryBundle, this time selected by fellow MR member author/editor Keith Brooke, contains Exactly What It Says In The Title (some works tending towards dark fantasy/horror), with backlist works which are either by various award-winning mostly-Commonwealth authors such as Eric Brown (BFSA), Australian Anna Tambour (Aurealis Award), Scottish John Grant (World Fantasy Award), Robert Holdstock & Garry Kilworth (both BFSA & World Fantasy), or which are themselves award-nominated works (sometimes both).

It seems pretty decent for the quality that you get, with 3 novels + 2 novellas at the $3 minimum basic level, and for the $12 top-tier, an extra 3 novels + 1 novella with bonus short stories in it.

Also, the current Humble Book Bundle Made with Kickstarter has added a few more sfnal text titles to its mainly GN content, and is now up to 3 anthologies of assorted steampunk, paranormal noir crime, and sfnal crowdfunding stories (the latter edited by John Joseph Adams of Night Shade & Prime Books), the previously-mentioned fantasy trilogy & sci-fi thriller novel, and 2 YA-looking fantasy novels as well.

[AnemicOak]

Right now The Sword of Shannara Trilogy (the first three Shannara books), by Terry Brooks can be had for $8.99

Amazon US | Google

At this point it hasn't dropped (still $18.99) at Kobo or B&N but links are included for later price checking.

BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Terry Brooks's The Measure of the Magic.

Twenty-five years ago, New York Times bestselling author Terry Brooks wrote a novel that brought to life a dazzling world that would become one of the most popular fantasy epics of all time, beloved by millions of fans around the world. Ten more Shannara books would follow. Now, for the first time in one elegant collector’s edition hardcover, and featuring an introduction by the author, here are the first three novels of that classic series: The Sword of Shannara, The Elfstones of Shannara, and The Wishsong of Shannara—the beginning of a phenomenal epic of good and evil.

The Sword of Shannara
Long ago, the wars of the ancient Evil ruined the world. In peaceful Shady Vale, half-elfin Shea Ohmsford knows little of such troubles. But the supposedly dead Warlock Lord is plotting to destroy everything in his wake. The sole weapon against this Power of Darkness is the Sword of Shannara, which can be used only by a true heir of Shannara. On Shea, last of the bloodline, rests the hope of all the races.

The Elfstones of Shannara
The magical Ellcrys tree is dying, loosening the spell that bars the Demons from enacting vengeance upon the land. Now Wil Ohmsford must guard the Elven girl Amberle on a perilous quest as she carries one of the Ellcrys’ seeds to a mysterious place where it can be quickened into a powerful new force. But dark on their trail comes the Reaper, most fearsome of all Demons, aiming to crush their mission at any cost.

The Wishsong of Shannara
An ancient Evil is stirring to new life, sending its ghastly Mord Wraiths to destroy Mankind. To win through the vile growth that protects this dark force, the Druid Allanon needs Brin Ohmsford—for she alone holds the magic power of the wishsong. Reluctantly Brin joins the Druid on his dangerous journey. But a prophecy foretells doom, as Evil nurses its plans to trap the unsuspecting Brin into a fate far more horrible than death.

Thus begins Terry Brooks’s thrilling Shannara epic, an unforgettable tale of adventure, magic, and myth.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by ATDrake

X-link to the DRM-free megathread for some sfnal bundle deals:

The Literary Fantasy Bundle from StoryBundle, this time selected by fellow MR member author/editor Keith Brooke, contains Exactly What It Says In The Title (some works tending towards dark fantasy/horror), with backlist works which are either by various award-winning mostly-Commonwealth authors such as Eric Brown (BFSA), Australian Anna Tambour (Aurealis Award), Scottish John Grant (World Fantasy Award), Robert Holdstock & Garry Kilworth (both BFSA & World Fantasy), or which are themselves award-nominated works (sometimes both).

It seems pretty decent for the quality that you get, with 3 novels + 2 novellas at the $5 minimum basic level, and for the $12 top-tier, an extra 3 novels + 1 novella with bonus short stories in it.

Also, the current Humble Book Bundle Made with Kickstarter has added a few more sfnal text titles to its mainly GN content, and is now up to 3 anthologies of assorted steampunk, paranormal noir crime, and sfnal crowdfunding stories (the latter edited by John Joseph Adams of Night Shade & Prime Books), the previously-mentioned fantasy trilogy & sci-fi thriller novel, and 2 YA-looking fantasy novels as well.

Isn't the phrase 'Literary Fantasy' similar to 'Military Intelligence'? They're so dissimilar!

--- Oh, OK: I'll go take a look. If I find a sentence without a verb, then the book better be by Jose Saramago or Cormac McCarthy - two of my favorite writers, by the way!


If you want to read LITERARY Fantasy, read anything by JONATHAN CARROLL. He's one of the best writers out there, in my opinion.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Right now The Sword of Shannara Trilogy (the first three Shannara books), by Terry Brooks can be had for $8.99

Amazon US | Google

At this point it hasn't dropped (still $18.99) at Kobo or B&N but links are included for later price checking.

A great fantasy trilogy. I highly recommend these to anyone who has yet to read Terry Brooks.

[Dngrsone]

I love this review at Amazon:

I HATE IT.

The characters are well defined. Allanon always tells the truth but not the whole truth. He reminds me of Poker players playing Texas Hold-em. Tells you enough to get the character to do what he wants them to do but not enough information to where the character would say ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR %}+%{ING MIND?

Why do I hate this trilogy? One reason; Mr Brooks is a fantastic author. He draws you into the story until you are excited at the exploits of the characters and you start caring about what happens to them, and you watch Mr Brooks kill character after character you have invested all that mental energy and emotion into. Not only does he kill them he kills them in brutal and gruesome ways by trolls, gnomes, and demons.

At the end you have the hero and maybe one or two characters the Mr. Brooks forgot to kill, and they no longer trust Allanon so Allanon waits for the next generation of Ohmsford's to get pulled into his schemes.

He'd better stay well away from G. R. R. Martin, then.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Dngrsone

I love this review at Amazon:




He'd better stay well away from J. R. R. Martin, then.

Now THAT's how to write a review: Total honesty, instead of some 'author' paying some 'service' for reviews that promise never to mention anything negative, which is probably the main reason we have grandma writing a book about her barking dog.

"And then, with the good Lord's grace, I woke up to find Benjy barking his head off like there was no tomorrow! Land-sakes, I thought, there must be some bad weather a-comin', 'cause I can feel that old ache in my bones that starts down at my old arthritic toes that curl 'round like a screw that's done gone crazy!"

And then we have all her aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, children, grandpa, and assorted dozens of kinfolk writing THEIR reviews saying how wonderful grandma's writing is. Oh, wait: Amazon stopped that a few days ago!

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Dngrsone

He'd better stay well away from J. R. R. Martin, then.

Is he G. R. R. Martin's brother?

[Dngrsone]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Is he G. R. R. Martin's brother?

DOH!

Fixed that. Thanks for pointing it out.

I have a habit for looking at the bad reviews first: many can be discounted as either trolls or one-time fails, but when one sees a trend...

[AnemicOak]

Shadowline by Glen Cook - $1.99

Amazon US | Google | B&N

Hasn't dropped at Kobo as of yet.

The vendetta in space had started centuries before "Mouse" Storm was born with his grandfather's raid on the planet Prefactlas, the blood bath that freed the human slaves from their Sangaree masters. But one Sangaree survived—the young Norborn heir, the man who swore vengeance on the Storm family and their soldiers, in a carefully mapped plot that would take generations to fulfill. Now Mouse's father Gneaus must fight for an El Dorado of wealth on the burning half of the planet Blackworld. As the great private armies of all space clash on the narrow Shadowline that divides inferno from life-sheltering shade, Gneaus' half-brother Michael plays his traitorous games, and a man called Death pulls the deadly strings that threaten to entrap them all—as the Starfishers Trilogy begins.

[odo]

Through Saturday, The Fortuitous Meeting, by Christopher Kastensmidt, is free to download from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Fortuitous-Mee...dp/B00YLQONBQ/

This particular edition has been self-published by the author, but the novelette appeared originally in Realms of Fantasy and was a finalist for the 2010 Nebula Award.

I highly recommend this story (in case someone is interested, I reviewed together with the other two novelettes in the series: http://sentidodelamaravilla.blogspot...banner-by.html )

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by ATDrake

X-link to the DRM-free megathread for some sfnal bundle deals:

The Literary Fantasy Bundle from StoryBundle, this time selected by fellow MR member author/editor Keith Brooke, contains Exactly What It Says In The Title (some works tending towards dark fantasy/horror), with backlist works which are either by various award-winning mostly-Commonwealth authors such as Eric Brown (BFSA), Australian Anna Tambour (Aurealis Award), Scottish John Grant (World Fantasy Award), Robert Holdstock & Garry Kilworth (both BFSA & World Fantasy), or which are themselves award-nominated works (sometimes both).

It seems pretty decent for the quality that you get, with 3 novels + 2 novellas at the $5 minimum basic level, and for the $12 top-tier, an extra 3 novels + 1 novella with bonus short stories in it.

Also, the current Humble Book Bundle Made with Kickstarter has added a few more sfnal text titles to its mainly GN content, and is now up to 3 anthologies of assorted steampunk, paranormal noir crime, and sfnal crowdfunding stories (the latter edited by John Joseph Adams of Night Shade & Prime Books), the previously-mentioned fantasy trilogy & sci-fi thriller novel, and 2 YA-looking fantasy novels as well.

I picked up the first 4 ebooks, from the Literary Fantasy Bundle, for only $3.00.

Buying the entire bundle set for $15.00 is a bit too rich for my taste.

I'm excited about reading those 4 I bought.

THANKS!

[ATDrake]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

I picked up the first 4 ebooks, from the Literary Fantasy Bundle, for only $3.00.

Buying the entire bundle set for $15.00 is a bit too rich for my taste.

I'm excited about reading those 4 I bought.

Huh. I never noticed that the minimum for this StoryBundle was $3 instead of the usual $5 that they ask. That does make it look like an even nicer offer, even if there's unfortunately no way to top up one's bundle purchase if one decides they want the top-tier later like Humble Bundle allows.

Went and updated the description post, thanks. Hope you enjoy the ones you got!

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

If you want to read LITERARY Fantasy, read anything by JONATHAN CARROLL. He's one of the best writers out there, in my opinion.

Well, anyone who wants to try Jonathan Carroll is in luck, because there's backlist book of his on sale at the moment.

Bargain @ $1.99 for today only (July 24th) according to the newsletter from Open Road Media (couponable @ Kobo, price should be matched in the usual Canada & US stores, may or may not also be discounted in other regions):

From the Teeth of Angels by Jonathan Carroll (ISFDB, Wikipedia), a literary dark fantasy/horror novel, 6th in the Answered Prayers sextet and a nominee for the Stoker, Locus, and World Fantasy Awards, originally out from HarperCollins in 1994, now with a new intro and some behind-the-scenes illustrated personal bio stuff as ORM likes to do for their featured authors.

Linkage to Kobo (ORM books seem to rotate freebie/sale status around 5 PM Pacific Time instead of the usual midnight Eastern Time, for some bizarre reason) & Google Play (both available to Canadians), B&N & Amazon (sale pricing does not seem to be available to Canadians, which Amazon sometimes skips for ORM books for us, just as they do with skipping their freebies for us ), for retailer-choice convenience.

Four strangers’ lives are turned upside down when death comes for a visit

At first it seems like an ordinary dream. Talkative Englishman Ian McGann meets a long-dead acquaintance and asks him questions about the afterlife. But when he awakes, a thick pink scar stretches across his chest. Each subsequent night, as he dreams of death, he asks more questions, understands less, and awakens with increasingly gruesome injuries. When he meets an American traveler in Sardinia and tells him of his experience, the stranger begins having matching dreams—with the same painful results. Across the globe, a former TV icon struggles with leukemia, and a movie star falls in love with an HIV-positive photographer. All are flirting with death, and the more they struggle to understand the mysteries of the afterlife, the more they realize the world is not nearly as simple as they once believed.

This ebook contains an all-new introduction by Jonathan Carroll, as well as an exclusive illustrated biography of the author including rare images from his personal collection.