FREE/BARGAIN — Science Fiction & Fantasy

[Cactus Chef]

The Buried Giant (Vintage International) by Kazuo Ishiguro is $2 in the US (Kobo, Amazon)

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature and author of Never Let Me Go and the Booker Prize–winning novel The Remains of the Day comes a luminous meditation on the act of forgetting and the power of memory.

In post-Arthurian Britain, the wars that once raged between the Saxons and the Britons have finally ceased. Axl and Beatrice, an elderly British couple, set off to visit their son, whom they haven't seen in years. And, because a strange mist has caused mass amnesia throughout the land, they can scarcely remember anything about him. As they are joined on their journey by a Saxon warrior, his orphan charge, and an illustrious knight, Axl and Beatrice slowly begin to remember the dark and troubled past they all share.

By turns savage, suspenseful, and intensely moving, The Buried Giant is a luminous meditation on the act of forgetting and the power of memory.

[salty-horse]

Neon Hemlock are having a sale of 50% off until July 4th "in dishonor of Amazon".

Use code COMPOSITE at https://www.neonhemlock.com/ebooks

One of their latest releases is Shatter the Sun, a queer sword & sorcery anthology.

[elaysee]

Originally Posted by salty-horse

Neon Hemlock are having a sale of 50% off until July 4th "in dishonor of Amazon".

Use code COMPOSITE at https://www.neonhemlock.com/ebooks

One of their latest releases is Shatter the Sun, a queer sword & sorcery anthology.

All queer, primarily novellas and anthologies.

I've read and can recommend as enjoyable
The Dragonfly Gambit by A.D. Sui
And What Can We Offer You Tonight by Premee Mohamed

James Nicoll has a recent favorable review of
The Mystery of the Bitten Peach by Cecilia Tan

I'm going to pick up A Necessary Chaos by Brent Lambert, though I've lost the context on who recommended it to me.

[salty-horse]

Originally Posted by elaysee

James Nicoll has a recent favorable review of
The Mystery of the Bitten Peach by Cecilia Tan

Was also just covered by the Workers' Lit podcast.

[Cactus Chef]

The Sword of Shannara Trilogy (The Sword of Shannara) by Terry Brooks is $2 in the US (Kobo, Amazon)

For the first time in one elegant collector’s edition hardcover, and featuring an introduction by New York Times bestselling author Terry Brooks, 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.

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

[salty-horse]

Countess by Suzan Palumbo is $4 in the US (Kobo, Amazon is $1 more)

A queer, Caribbean, anti-colonial sci-fi novella in which a betrayed captain seeks revenge on the interplanetary empire that subjugated her people for generations

Virika Sameroo lives in colonized space under the Æcerbot Empire, much like her ancestors before her in the British West Indies. After years of working hard to rise through the ranks of the empire’s merchant marine, she’s finally become first lieutenant on an interstellar cargo vessel.

When her captain dies under suspicious circumstances, Virika is arrested for murder and charged with treason despite her lifelong loyalty to the empire. Her conviction and subsequent imprisonment set her on a path of revenge, determined to take down the evil empire that wronged her, all while the fate of her people hangs in the balance.

The four current English volumes of On the Calculation of Volume by Solvej Balle are £1 each in the UK (Kobo only, so maybe sale is about to end!)
Translated by Barbara J. Haveland, Sophia Hersi Smith & Jennifer Russell.
This is a literary time loop series, highly regarded. The final 7th volume is being written.

Tara Selter has slipped out of time.

It was clear that the day always returned to its starting point, but that there were also variations. It was not mechanical, there was more to it. It was the same day which kept recurring, but it was not set in stone.

Every morning, she wakes up to the 18th of November. She no longer expects to wake up to the 19th of November, and she no longer remembers the 17th of November as if it were yesterday.
She comes to know the shape of the day like the back of her hand - the grey morning light in her Paris hotel; the moment a blackbird breaks into song; her husband's surprise at seeing her return home unannounced. But for everyone around her, this day is lived for the first and only time. They do not remember the other 18ths of November, and they do not believe her when she tries to explain.
As Tara approaches her 365th 18th of November, she can't shake the feeling that somewhere underneath the surface of this day, there's a way to escape.

[Dr. Drib]

^^^^^^^

INFO ONLY:

Solvej Balle's four novels in this incredible series has been £0.99 for about 2 weeks.

A great series of novels. Think Proust or Knausgaard for the depth of the writing.

[salty-horse]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

^^^^^^^

INFO ONLY:

Solvej Balle's four novels in this incredible series has been £0.99 for about 2 weeks.

Why didn't you say anything?? Or did I miss it?

Here's Balle's acceptance speech after winning the Locus award a month ago:
https://youtu.be/DKyogQHuI0o?t=5654

[salty-horse]

The Forest on the Edge of Time by Jasmin Kirkbride is $3 in the US (Kobo, Amazon)

The Future of Another Timeline meets The Bone Clocks in this dazzling piece of time-travel climate fiction.

Recruited by the mysterious Project Kairos to change history and save the future from ecological disaster, Echo and Hazel are transported through time to opposite worlds. Echo works as a healer’s assistant in Ancient Athens, embroiled in dangerous politics and wild philosophy. Hazel is the last human alive, in a laboratory on a polluted island with nothing but tiny robots and an untrustworthy AI for company.

Both women suffer from amnesia, but when they fall asleep, their consciousnesses transcend time and they meet in their dreams. Together, they start to uncover their past – but soon discover the past threatens humanity’s survival.

If Echo and Hazel have a chance of changing the future, they must remember to forget…

THE FOREST ON THE EDGE OF TIME is a novel about family and duty and the worlds we try to save along the way.

[salty-horse]

The Rainseekers by Matthew Kressel is $2 in the US (Kobo, Amazon)

Burned out and looking to put her past behind her, a former addict and recovering influencer interviews her fellow travelers en route to witness the first rain on Mars.

Sakunja Salazar had it all. Money, toys, women, and all the drugs money could buy. A breakout Holo influencer, seemingly overnight she lifted her family out of their tiny Mexico City apartment and into the world of the rich and famous. That all changed when she hopped on a rocket and blasted into the cosmos, never to hawk lavender moisturizer again.

What goes up must come down, and when Sakunja finally crashed back down on Mars an alcoholic, addict, and has-been she thought her life was pretty much over. That is, until a magazine editor discovered her photography and offered her a job. Now, she’s the resident documentarian on a barebones expedition seeking to be the first humans to witness rain on Mars. For the first time in her life, Sakunja is turning the spotlight on someone else–interviewing her fellow travelers about what brought them to join this incredibly foolhardy crew of souls adrift in a world of danger and awe. And what they discover, both in their stories and their journey, will be more incredible than they could have ever imagined.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by salty-horse

Why didn't you say anything?? Or did I miss it?

Here's Balle's acceptance speech after winning the Locus award a month ago:
https://youtu.be/DKyogQHuI0o?t=5654

Now I must thank YOU! I had no idea Balle won the Locus Award last month.

Thanks for the link. I'll check it out.

[salty-horse]

Not a new deal, but the 2026 Le Guin Prize shortlist was just announced:
Audition by Pip Adam
Sunward by William Alexander
Call and Response by Christopher Caldwell
Midnight Timetable by Bora Chung, translated by Anton Hur
The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes
Notes from a Regicide by Isaac Fellman
Mad Sisters of Esi by Tashan Mehta
One Message Remains by Premee Mohamed
Slow Gods by Claire North

Some of those are still on sale from previous posts by me, or are on sale now, or are cheap to begin with. (One Message Remains is $3 on the publisher's store)
Call and Response is available on Neon Hemlock's website, with the coupon COMPOSITE for 50% off.
Mad Sisters of Esi is about $4 in its original Indian publication if you travel on Kobo's store.
The only book that has yet to be on sale is Audition - I've been tracking it almost since its publication date.

[salty-horse]

Boy, with Accidental Dinosaur by Ian McDonald is $3 in the US (Kobo, Amazon)
Novella. New release.

How to Train Your Dragon meets Mad Max in this story of an orphan in a fractured Southwest who just wants to ride a dinosaur under the lights.

Come one, come all to the dinosaur rodeo!

Tif Tamim wants nothing more than to be a dinosaur buckaroo. An orphan in search of a place to rest his head and a job to weigh down his pockets, Tif has bounced from circus to circus, yearning for a chance to ride a prehistoric beauty under the sparkling lights of a big-top.

To become a buckaroo, Tif needs to learn the tools of the trade, yet few dino maestros want to take a scrawny nobody from nowhere under their wing. But when Tif frees a dino from an abusive owner and braves the roving gangs of the formerly-American west to bring the dino to safety, he catches someone’s eye. And boy, how those eyes dazzle Tif from the back of a bucking carnotaur.

[salty-horse]

Out of the Loop by Katie Siegel is $2 in the US (Kobo, Amazon)

**She spent two years in a time loop. Now she’s ready to solve a murder. And maybe grab a bagel.

The Seven Year Slip meets Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers in this wholly original time loop mystery.**

For the past two years, Amie Teller has been stuck in a time loop. Each day, she wakes up, and it’s September 17. Same day, same weather, same people, same conversations. Until one day, it’s September 18, and Amie is free.

Before she can celebrate, Amie learns her neighbor was murdered the day before—the day Amie has lived hundreds of times. Amie knows she has to help; nobody knows yesterday like she does. But acclimating to her new nonrepeating life proves to be more difficult than expected. How does one resume their life after a time loop, anyway?

Assisted by an ex-girlfriend who wants to make their friendship work and a grumpy neighbor who spends his days building Rube Goldberg machines, Amie sets out to track down who killed (and killed and killed and killed) Savannah Harlow.

Readers who love time loop novels, amateur sleuth mysteries, and original takes on classic tropes will love Out of the Loop.

[andyh2000]

Originally Posted by salty-horse

Out of the Loop by Katie Siegel is $2 in the US (Kobo, Amazon)

Currently £0.76 at amazon.co.uk ($1). Sounds interesting.