FREE/BARGAIN — Science Fiction & Fantasy

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Tarana

Relic By Alan Dean Foster $1.99 Amazon, Kobo and B&N
Sci fi

I was coming to share the same. Here's some links: Amazon, Kobo, B&N

[salty-horse]

The Big Book of Modern Fantasy edited by Add and Jeff VanderMeer is $5 (Amazon.com, Kobo US, Kobo WW)

Features stories published between 1946 and 2010, many of them in translation.
Table of contents

[Hollow Man]

Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson is $2.99 at Amazon and Kobo and B&N (USA).

[ZodWallop]

Year Zero by Rob Reid is $1.99 at Amazon, Koboand B&N US.

I don't usually go for humor. I didn't care for Hitchhiker's Guide and have zero interest in Discworld, so take this rec with that grain of salt.

Low-level entertainment lawyer Nick Carter thinks it’s a prank, not an alien encounter, when a redheaded mullah and a curvaceous nun show up at his office. But Frampton and Carly are highly advanced (if bumbling) extraterrestrials. The entire cosmos, they tell him, has been hopelessly hooked on American pop songs ever since “Year Zero” (1977 to us), resulting in the biggest copyright violation since the Big Bang and bankrupting the whole universe. Nick has just been tapped to clean up this mess before things get ugly. Thankfully, this unlikely galaxy-hopping hero does know a thing or two about copyright law. Now, with Carly and Frampton as his guides, Nick has forty-eight hours to save humanity—while hoping to wow the hot girl who lives down the hall from him.

[ZodWallop]

Twelve Days by Steven Barnes is $0.99 at Amazon, Kobo and B&N US

A paranormal thriller from master storyteller Steven Barnes: A broken family struggles to hold itself together against a plot to unleash global genocide in Twelve Days

Around the world, leaders and notorious criminals alike are mysteriously dying. A terrorist group promises a series of deaths within two months. And against the backdrop of the apocalypse, the lives of a small shattered family and a broken soldier are transformed in the bustling city of Atlanta.

Olympia Dorsey is a journalist and mother, with a cynical teenage daughter and an autistic son named Hannibal, all trying to heal from a personal tragedy. Across the street, Ex–Special Forces soldier Terry Nicolas and his wartime unit have reunited Stateside to carry out a risky heist that will not only right a terrible injustice, but also set them up for life—at the cost of their honor. Terry and the family's visit to an unusual martial arts exhibition brings them into contact with Madame Gupta, a teacher of singular skill who offers not just a way for Terry to tap into mastery beyond his dreams, but also for Hannibal to transcend the limits of his condition. But to see these promises realized, Terry will need to betray those with whom he fought and bled.

Meanwhile, as the death toll gains momentum and society itself teeters on the edge of collapse, Olympia's fragile clan is placed in jeopardy, and Terry comes to understand the terrible price he must pay to prevent catastrophe.

[Manabi]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Year Zero by Rob Reid is $1.99 at Amazon, Koboand B&N US.

I don't usually go for humor. I didn't care for Hitchhiker's Guide and have zero interest in Discworld, so take this rec with that grain of salt.

I've read it, it was the first book I read pre-release. (I won a drawing Reid did for a copy.) It's a fun and funny story that takes quite a lot of digs at copyright maximalism without being preachy. At $1.99 it's well worth grabbing!

Edit: I should have noted it was released during a time when the RIAA was either still suing individuals for downloading music or had only stopped doing so recently. I'm not sure if copyright trolls¹ had shown up before he wrote it, but if not they weren't far in the future. Copyright maximalism was running amok.

¹ People/companies that use mass lawsuits against accused downloaders of copyrighted material to get people's names/addresses from ISPs during discovery. Then they threaten life-destroying lawsuits to get people to settle. If you're not familiar with this, Prenda Law was one of the most notorious. Two of the principles ended up in jail, the third died before the wheels of justice got to him. One of the principles (Paul Hansmeier) is trying to file more copyright lawsuits from prison. He got the longest sentence at fourteen years and has clearly learned nothing.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Manabi

I've read it, it was the first book I read pre-release. (I won a drawing Reid did for a copy.) It's a fun and funny story that takes quite a lot of digs at copyright maximalism without being preachy. At $1.99 it's well worth grabbing!

Right on. I picked it up and I usually avoid humorous stories.

Copyright maximalism was running amok.

'Was'? It doesn't feel like that has ever stopped.

[ZodWallop]

Holy Fire by Bruce Sterling is $1.99 at Amazon, Kobo and B&N US.

In the late twenty-first century, technology has lengthened lifespans far beyond what was once medically possible. Existence itself has become relatively easy—if boring. In this futuristic paradise, ninety-four-year-old Mia Ziemann longs for something different and undergoes a radical new treatment that restores both her body and mind to that of a twenty-year-old. After her dramatic transformation, Mia finds herself lost in an avant-garde world of passion, designer drugs, and creative expression...

[ZodWallop]

This really belongs in Mystery, but fits both genres. And the Mystery thread was closed?

The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything by John D. MacDonald is $4.99 at Amazon, Kobo and B&N US. $5 is pricey for a deal, but I've not seen it drop any lower.

Once an ordinary math teacher, Omar Krepps developed a knack for gambling, amassed a fabulous fortune, and spent the rest of his life traveling the world and giving away his millions. Upon his death, however, Krepps bequeaths nothing to his nephew and only living blood relative, Kirby Winter—nothing, that is, except an antique watch and a sealed letter to be opened after one year.

But Kirby has much more in his possession than he realizes. The watch has the power to manipulate time. Not only does this revelation shed light on the mystery of his uncle’s life, it puts Kirby on the path to unimaginable wealth and a new lease on love . . . as well as a whole host of deadly troubles. Even in a universe where time is no issue, Kirby must tread carefully to stay one step ahead of danger.

[ratinox]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

'Was'? It doesn't feel like that has ever stopped.

Maybe slowing down a bit? Disney didn't buy another Copyright Term Extension Act, and US courts have been ruling harshly against Copyright trolls. So that's something. Big Content still have their tentacles woven deep into video platforms YouTube and Twitch, though.

[salty-horse]

Even Though I Knew the End by C. L. Polk is $3 on Kobo US, Amazon.com
Fantastical queer noir historical novella. Was on my wishlist. Very recent release.

A magical detective dives into the affairs of Chicago's divine monsters to secure a future with the love of her life. This sapphic period piece will dazzle anyone looking for mystery, intrigue, romance, magic, or all of the above.

An exiled augur who sold her soul to save her brother's life is offered one last job before serving an eternity in hell. When she turns it down, her client sweetens the pot by offering up the one payment she can't resist—the chance to have a future where she grows old with the woman she loves.

To succeed, she is given three days to track down the White City Vampire, Chicago's most notorious serial killer. If she fails, only hell and heartbreak await.

[sufue]

I adore this book, and yes, it rarely goes on sale for anything close to a decent price considering its age. But I bought it a long time ago, for more than I usually am willing to spend, just because I like it so much.

I too noticed the Mystery thread was closed, but it's open again as of now.

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

This really belongs in Mystery, but fits both genres. And the Mystery thread was closed?

The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything by John D. MacDonald is $4.99 at Amazon, Kobo and B&N US. $5 is pricey for a deal, but I've not seen it drop any lower.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by sufue

I adore this book, and yes, it rarely goes on sale for anything close to a decent price considering its age. But I bought it a long time ago, for more than I usually am willing to spend, just because I like it so much.

I too noticed the Mystery thread was closed, but it's open again as of now.

Thanks man. I'll go post there right now.

[Aleron Ives]

'Upgrade' by Blake Crouch is currently $2.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JV9NXXW
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/upgrade-16

[Manabi]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

'Was'? It doesn't feel like that has ever stopped.

It's not quite as bad as it was then. The RIAA stopped suing filesharers, most of the really notorious copyright trolls have had their extortion-suing train derailed (or ended up in jail like Prenda Law), and as ratinox noted, copyright duration wasn't extended yet again. Still plenty of it going on, but at least most people don't have to worry about being sued over it now.