FREE/BARGAIN — DRM-Free

[Dr. Drib]

How many of those 40-45 titles are cartoon-type graphic ebooks? (I don't care for anything like that.)

Thanks.

[ATDrake]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

How many of those 40-45 titles are cartoon-type graphic ebooks? (I don't care for anything like that.)

The contributions from George R. R. Martin, Neil Gaiman, the Ray Bradbury tribute volume, a Harlan Ellison GN (he also has a prose short stories collection), and the William Gibson adaptation (4 issues, which I counted as 1 title), for a total of 5 out of the lot.

ETA: the Neil Gaiman book uses a relatively realistic art style, in case that's what you prefer to see in GNs, while the rest have fairly standard “superhero”-style comic book art; although IME, the Bradbury adaptations tend to use a wide range of styles (at least the old one from Topps Comics which later got reprinted by iBooks did).

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by ATDrake

The contributions from George R. R. Martin, Neil Gaiman, the Ray Bradbury tribute volume, a Harlan Ellison GN (he also has a prose short stories collection), and the William Gibson adaptation (4 issues, which I counted as 1 title), for a total of 5 out of the lot.

ETA: the Neil Gaiman book uses a relatively realistic art style, in case that's what you prefer to see in GNs, while the rest have fairly standard “superhero”-style comic book art; although IME, the Bradbury adaptations tend to use a wide range of styles (at least the old one from Topps Comics which later got reprinted by iBooks did).

Thank you for this information.

I appreciate it.

[ATDrake]

New Humble Bundle is up, and it's for:

Humble Book Bundle Make: Essentials Maker Faire Special containing DIY tech hobbyist books from the popular magazine, with a bit of an emphasis on practical home projects like Edible Inventions (and building your own outdoor pizza oven!), Musical Instruments, and other stuff for the entire family (plus drones and robots, as usual).

Fixed tiers of $1, $8 (additional titles added next week), and $15. A bunch of them are repeats, since these Make bundles are very popular, but several books are brand new, including some nice-looking educational how-to cartoon books for the kiddies.

This bundle is more than Faire. Can't make the Maker Faire this weekend? Let our bundle soothe your soul with maker-y goodness! Score brand-new releases like Linux for Makers, Electricity for Young Makers, Woodworking for Young Makers, Musical Inventions, and more from our friends at MAKE:!

Last week's Humble Book Bundle Super Nebula Showcase presented by SFWA, full of quality sfnal works by their assorted nominated and/or winning member authors, is still available for a limited time.

Bundle of Holding have a new RPF gamebook offering for the science fiction game set in a declining stellar empire, Fading Suns +2, which is apparently a continuation of some January offer also involving the game. They've also announced that they've added more books to the top tier of the D&D-style traditional fantasy game 13th Age, including for people who bought a previous incarnation of the bundle in 2015, which is really quite generous of them . Still available for a limited time is a previous bundle for Vampire 20A, the 20th anniversary edition of a classic White Wolf game.

Just a reminder that expiring in the next day or so is StoryBundle's The Witchy Bundle full of sfnal occultish works from indie authors. Their The Noir Bundle containing a mix of backlist and newer works by established and indie authors, including some vintage reprints by writers who were quite well known, back in the day, is still available for the next couple of weeks.

[ATDrake]

StoryBundle has a new offering, good through the next 3 weeks:

The Military SF Megabundle curated by Kevin J. Anderson (ISFDB, Wikipedia), featuring a mix of backlist titles and newer offerings from his own WordFire Press and others.

There are four current Baen books in this, including their recent The Year's Best Military & Adventure SF 2015 anthology, and some novels from a few of their popular authors like Travis S. Taylor and OH John Ringo NO (who apparently wears a kilt, according to the Curator's Note).

$5 gets you 4 novels + 1 anthology + 1 author collection by Brad Torgerson (previously in another StoryBundle, IIRC, but many of the other offerings look new-to-me)

$15 top tier adds an additional 9 titles, including works by Jody Lynn Nye (a 2005 novel originally out from small press Meisha Merlin, which had a pretty good catalogue before they collapsed), David Farland (aka Star Wars tie-in novelist Dave Wolverton; a Tor-published space opera novel which was previously a KDP Select freebie which you may already have) and the late Robert Asprin in his popular Phule's Company series out from Ace Books in the 1990s, and more.

Don't forget their Witchy Bundle of indie occult stories expires today, and offers a bonus freebie for newsletter subscribers, if you're interested.

[Rev. Bob]

Originally Posted by ATDrake

and OH John Ringo NO (who apparently wears a kilt, according to the Curator's Note).

This is true.

Originally Posted by ATDrake

and the late Robert Asprin in his popular Phule's Company series out from Ace Books in the 1990s,

I was thrilled to see the note claiming that Wordfire has released all six of these, only to be disappointed to learn that they've actually only released the first three so far. I'm looking forward to replacing my dead-tree originals, but I'm going to wait until I can do so all at once.

[ATDrake]

Originally Posted by Rev. Bob

I was thrilled to see the note claiming that Wordfire has released all six of these, only to be disappointed to learn that they've actually only released the first three so far.

Well, technically, the wording is “is thrilled to reissue all six of these books”, which does not state an actual timeframe or completion status for the re-releases, just an enthusiastic intent to do them all. Hopefully WordFire actually get to all 6 instead of imploding like Meisha Merlin did before they could publish the 3rd volume of the late John Morressy's collected Kedrigern stories (and maybe someone can sort out his literary estate and finally release his stuff into reprints, too).

Anyway, it's always nice to see older works being brought back into availability and given fresh exposure, as well as potentially freeing up shelf-space for fans who knew them of old.

[Telemachus]

I found this source of DRM free books...

http://www.luminosoa.org/

If I'm breaking any forum rules by posting this here please delete this post and accept my apologies.

[ATDrake]

LGBT specialty publisher Dreamspinner Press is celebrating their 10th anniversary, apparently with 30% off all titles, plus some sort of free book giveaway throughout May 30th & 31st via Twitter and Facebook, with each title available for just 60 minutes.

Until 10 am Eastern Time, the current freebie is:

Ink by Isabelle Rowan, some sort of paranormal m/m romance with a Roman centurion vampire surviving to present-day Australia.

Roman centurion Dominic drew his last human breath during the time of Hadrian. In the centuries since, he’s seen much of the world change around him, but the vampire finds himself held captive in Melbourne, Australia, by his fascination with young, passionate, fun-loving, and alive tattoo artist Michael Chapman. Unable to resist the lure of Michael’s beauty, Dominic finds himself entering the parlor to get a tattoo he knows will fade.

The attraction he feels only grows, and despite Dominic’s extreme reluctance to get involved with a human, he and Michael form a bond—a connection that all too soon attracts the attention of a dark specter from Dominic’s bloody past. Soon, a dangerous game of cat and mouse threatens not only the budding romance, but also their humanity.

This is an expanded novel based on the novella Ink originally published in the Desire Beyond Death anthology by Dreamspinner Press.

[ATDrake]

Dreamspinner's giveaway book until 2 pm EST on May 30th is an m/m contemporary romance by Catt Ford with content elements which make it ineligible to be posted or mentioned directly on MR. But you can get it via the notices on their Twitter and Facebook feeds in the post above.

Also, the Humble Book Bundle Make: Essentials presented by the popular DIY tech hobbyist magazine has added 4 new titles to its middle tier. One looks like a repeat about drones, but the other 3 are part of a nice-looking set on ReMaking History, with profiles of early inventors and their inventions. This expires tomorrow on Wednesday at 11 AM Pacific Time.

[ATDrake]

The Dreamspinner anniversary giveaway freebie until 6 pm Eastern Time is:

Revenant by Connie Bailey, an m/m supernatural psychic vs ghost romantic suspense.

Expecting another run-of-the-mill salvage job, Bo Andressen and his crew arrive at a crumbling castle in Wales and walk into a mystery of murder, hidden treasure, and greed with roots in the far past. In cooperating with the local law enforcement, Bo agrees to bring in a psychic, hoping to debunk rumors that the castle is haunted. However, paranormal liaison Tristan Lambert discovers that ghosts are only one suspected danger.

Bo doesn't believe in ghosts, but Tristan is convinced they're dealing with a revenant—a hostile spirit that feeds on sexual energy and will stop at nothing, including possession and coercion, to get it. The arrival of the castle's owner, Sir Rhys Turcotte, with his secretary—who happens to be Bo's ex-lover—complicates an already dangerous situation. Unwittingly bound together by an evil spell, Bo and Tristan seek to unmask the revenant's earthly allies... before more people become victims to an ancient evil seeking rebirth.

This is an expanded novel-length reprint of the novella Revenant originally published in the Desire Beyond Death anthology by Dreamspinner Press.

[ATDrake]

The Dreamspinner anniversary giveaway freebie until 8 PM Eastern Time is:

Start From the Beginning by Chrissy Munder, an m/m post-PTSD personal healing contemporary romance novella.

A heart attack leaves Miles wrangling with a slow recovery and a quiet retreat, just one cabin down from wounded warrior Drew. Although he's unhappy to have his solitude invaded, Drew finds himself fascinated with Miles, but he can't bring himself to push aside his skittish nerves. Both men fear rejection for different reasons, and it will take a real change of heart to seek the acceptance they crave.

[ATDrake]

The Dreamspinner anniversary giveaway freebie until 10 PM Eastern Time is:

Diplomacy by Zahra Owens, an m/m contemporary romance with cross-continental political and infidelity elements, between two men with career ambitions and established relationships with women.

Jack Christensen has everything he ever wanted. He's a rising star in US Diplomacy, the youngest man to have been appointed as an Ambassador of the United States. A career diplomat who's just been sent to a politically interesting Embassy in Europe, he has the perfect wife, speaks five languages and has all the right credentials, yet there's something missing and he doesn't quite know what.

Then Lucas Carlton walks into an Embassy reception and introduces himself and his American fiancée. From the first handshake, the young Englishman makes an impression on Jack that leaves him confused and uncharacteristically insecure. Lucas' position as the British liaison to the American Embassy means they are forced to work together closely and they have a hard time denying the attraction between them, despite their current relationships.

When their women decide to go on a weekend trip together, Jack and Lucas start a passionate relationship, which continues long after their partners return. Diplomatic circles are notoriously conservative though, and they each know that the right woman by their side makes a very significant contribution to their success. Will they be able to make the right choices in their professional and personal lives? Or will they need to sacrifice one for the other?

[ATDrake]

StoryBundle has a new offering for:

The Moonscapes Bundle curated by Dean Wesley Smith (ISFDB, Wikipedia) containing hard science fiction novels selected from contributors to the Fiction River anthology series' Moonscapes volume (published by Smith & Kristine Kathryn Rusch's WMG imprint).

There's a mix of backlist novels, small press series installments, and self-published novels by authors with previous short story publication credits.

$5 minimum gets you 5 novels, including an installment in Kristine Kathryn Rusch's popular Retrieval Artist space opera series

$15 top tier adds 5 more titles, including a 1994 backlist novel from Kevin J. Anderson originally published by Warner Aspect, a novel in Smith's own Seeders series, and the original Fiction River Moonscapes anthology volume

As a reminder, ending in the next couple of days is their The Noir Bundle containing a mix of backlist (some rather vintage reprints) and indie crime fiction, and The Military SF Megabundle featuring a generous selection of backlist and frontlist books (including 4 recent-ish titles from Baen) is still good for another week or so.

Bundle of Holding's new RPG gamebook offering is for Shadow of the Demonlord, a dark fantasy game pitting heroes against a cosmic destroyer, out from Schwalb Entertainment. Their previous Fading Suns +2 bundle with a sci-fantasy collapsing empire out from Holistic Design is also available for a limited time.

[ATDrake]

The Dreamspinner anniversary giveaway until 10:30 AM Eastern Time is:

Far From Home by Madeleine Urban, a collection of 3 science fiction novellas with strong m/m romantic elements.

A collection of three m/m sci-fi novellas by Madeleine Urban: Enhanced, Close Encounter, and Following the Sun.

Enhanced

In Earth’s not-too-far future, a talented scientist stumbles over a plot to use the genetically enhanced military to declare martial law and take over the government. Dr. Ryne Siler enlists his friend, Dr. Cary Matthews, a brilliant engineer, to figure out how to stop it. When the investigation goes awry, they’re on the run, and the only thing between them and capture is a hidden cache of sleeping soldiers with enhancements of their own. Ryne and Cary are desperate, but will waking these soldiers help – or just make things worse?

Close Encounter

Space privateer Tris is just doing his job – delivering canisters to a military science vessel – when he discovers that he is transporting people infected with an engineered virus designed to exterminate the human race. In the midst of an alien attack, can the rogue pilot save patient Retter - the key to the cure? Or will he lose both humanity’s salvation and his heart?

Following the Sun

The nearly fatal crash of their spacecraft leaves Jack and Samuel stranded on a verdant planet far from civilization. Discovered and sheltered by a native tribe, the two resign themselves to new lives – lives that include a new culture, a new language, and even new love. But their new home isn’t at all what it seems, and when war and illness strike, they find out just how far from home they are.