FREE/BARGAIN — Science Fiction & Fantasy

[alee]

Originally Posted by salty-horse

The Adventures of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser Volume One by Fritz Leiber is $1.99 in the Amazon.com daily deal.
This collects Swords and Deviltry, Swords Against Death, and Swords in the Mist.

Google Play and Kobo have matched the price.

[salty-horse]

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant is $1.99 on Amazon.com

Killer mermaids!

The ocean is home to many myths,

But some are deadly...

Seven years ago the Atargatis set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film a mockumentary bringing to life ancient sea creatures of legend. It was lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a tragedy.

Now a new crew has been assembled. But this time they're not out to entertain. Some seek to validate their life's work. Some seek the greatest hunt of all. Some seek the truth. But for the ambitious young scientist Victoria Stewart this is a voyage to uncover the fate of the sister she lost.

Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the waves.

But the secrets of the deep come with a price.

Darwin's Radio by Greg Bear is $1.99 on Amazon.com

“Virus hunter” Christopher Dicken is a man on a mission, following a trail of rumors, government cover-ups, and dead bodies around the globe in search of a mysterious disease that strikes only pregnant women and invariably results in miscarriage. But when Dicken finds what he’s looking for, the answer proves to be stranger—and far deadlier—than he ever could have imagined. Something that has slept in human DNA for millions of years is waking up.

Molecular biologist Kaye Lang has spent her career tracing ancient retroviruses in the human genome. She believes these microscopic fossils can come to life again. But when Dicken’s discovery becomes public, Lang’s theory suddenly turns to chilling fact. As the outbreak of this terrifying disease threatens to become a deadly epidemic, Dicken and Lang must race against time to assemble the pieces of a puzzle only they are equipped to solve—an evolutionary puzzle that will determine the future of the human race . . . if a future exists at all.

A Study in Honor by Claire O'Dell is $1.99 on Amazon.com
This is a futuristic dystopian Watson & Holmes. A sequel has just been released.

Set in a near future Washington, D.C., a clever, incisive, and fresh feminist twist on a classic literary icon—Sherlock Holmes—in which Dr. Janet Watson and covert agent Sara Holmes will use espionage, advanced technology, and the power of deduction to unmask a murderer targeting Civil War veterans.

Dr. Janet Watson knows firsthand the horrifying cost of a divided nation. While treating broken soldiers on the battlefields of the New Civil War, a sniper’s bullet shattered her arm and ended her career. Honorably discharged and struggling with the semi-functional mechanical arm that replaced the limb she lost, she returns to the nation’s capital, a bleak, edgy city in the throes of a fraught presidential election. Homeless and jobless, Watson is uncertain of the future when she meets another black and queer woman, Sara Holmes, a mysterious yet playfully challenging covert agent who offers the doctor a place to stay.

Watson’s readjustment to civilian life is complicated by the infuriating antics of her strange new roommate. But the tensions between them dissolve when Watson discovers that soldiers from the New Civil War have begun dying one by one—and that the deaths may be the tip of something far more dangerous, involving the pharmaceutical industry and even the looming election. Joining forces, Watson and Holmes embark on a thrilling investigation to solve the mystery—and secure justice for these fallen soldiers.

[radbaddude]

The Book of M by Peng Shepherd ($1.99) -- Awesome book!

Set in a dangerous near future world, The Book of M tells the captivating story of a group of ordinary people caught in an extraordinary catastrophe who risk everything to save the ones they love. It is a sweeping debut that illuminates the power that memories have not only on the heart, but on the world itself.

One afternoon at an outdoor market in India, a man’s shadow disappears—an occurrence science cannot explain. He is only the first. The phenomenon spreads like a plague, and while those afflicted gain a strange new power, it comes at a horrible price: the loss of all their memories.

Ory and his wife Max have escaped the Forgetting so far by hiding in an abandoned hotel deep in the woods. Their new life feels almost normal, until one day Max’s shadow disappears too.

Knowing that the more she forgets, the more dangerous she will become to Ory, Max runs away. But Ory refuses to give up the time they have left together. Desperate to find Max before her memory disappears completely, he follows her trail across a perilous, unrecognizable world, braving the threat of roaming bandits, the call to a new war being waged on the ruins of the capital, and the rise of a sinister cult that worships the shadowless.

As they journey, each searches for answers: for Ory, about love, about survival, about hope; and for Max, about a new force growing in the south that may hold the cure.

[Dr. Drib]

^ Got it.

Thank you.

I filed it under 'M': Must Read.

[lxpose]

John Wyndham - The Kraken Wakes - £1.99

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kraken-Wake.../dp/B002RI9S1U

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by lxpose

John Wyndham - The Kraken Wakes - £1.99

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kraken-Wake.../dp/B002RI9S1U

Great book from the early '50s.

The U.S.A. title is "Out of the Deeps", with these differences, as noted by Wiki: SOME SPOILERS BELOW:

Spoiler:

Plot differences

Depending on the book's printed origin there are several changes to the plot:

In the US edition almost an entire chapter on how the Watsons gained possession of The Midge yacht, and their aborted attempt to use a dinghy to get to Cornwall is cut, instead simply stating that Freddie Whittier "found it" one day.
In the US epilogue, the Watsons are tracked down by Bocker via helicopter and he explains a great deal of what has happened to the world while Mike and Phyllis have been isolated – even describing the Japanese ultrasonic device in some detail. In the UK edition they are instead approached by a neighbour in a rowing boat, who gives them only a brief overview of what has happened in the world – excluding much of the detail and just mentioning that the Japanese have developed an ultrasonic device. He tells them that their names have been broadcast on radio, and that a "Council For Reconstruction" has been formed.
The UK edition is less bleak than the US version, implying that humanity has already begun to rebuild, and that civilisation survives – albeit at a lesser level than before.
There are several changes for a US audience in terms of language and phraseology.

[lumpynose]

Originally Posted by lxpose

John Wyndham - The Kraken Wakes - £1.99

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kraken-Wake.../dp/B002RI9S1U

Reminds me of the time I was searching for a book by an author I knew had passed away and I'm guessing that they weren't yet public domain. Which annoyed me and I felt that once the author and his wife dies they should become public domain. But then I realized that I was being inconsistent because I had no problem with the author's heirs keeping his/hers money and other property, it was only the books I wanted given up. So nix that idea.

[Fluribus]

A couple of purple books are available at Amazon.com. Or like a shade of purple. Asimov.

The Currents of Space (Galactic Empire series Book 2) for $2.99.

I found a copy of The Complete Stories, Vol. 1 for $2.99. This appears to be a cheap bootleg. No publisher is listed on the product page. There are page numbers and copyright notices mixed into the text. Missingspaces abound. It was published in February of this year. I very nearly bought it. Be wary.

[ZodWallop]

The Mandel Files: Volume 1 by Peter F. Hamilton is $1.99 at Amazon US. A collection of Mindstar Rising & A Quantum Murder.

For the first time in a single volume, Peter F. Hamilton’s acclaimed novels—Mindstar Rising and A Quantum Murder—set in a near-future so real it seems ripped from tomorrow’s headlines

In Mindstar Rising, Greg Mandel, gifted—or cursed—with biotechnology that makes him a living lie detector, is hired to investigate corporate espionage by Event Horizon, a powerful company about to introduce a technology that will solve the energy problems of a world decimated by global warming.

Set two years later, A Quantum Murder once again teams Mandel with Event Horizon and its beautiful young owner, Julia Evans, in a locked-room mystery that combines the ingenuity of an Agatha Christie novel with cutting-edge speculative brilliance.

Read together, these novels take on fresh depth and complexity, underscoring the magnitude of Peter F. Hamilton’s creative talent.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Fluribus

A couple of purple books are available at Amazon.com. Or like a shade of purple. Asimov.

Shouldn't that be as a shade of purple gray?

[ludovicus]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

The Mandel Files: Volume 1 by Peter F. Hamilton is $1.99 at Amazon US. A collection of Mindstar Rising & A Quantum Murder.

Got it, thanks for posting ZodWallop!

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by varlog

Well... I gave up after 100 pages or so. On the bright side: the title is good .

"The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is an excellent book. You really should read past 100 pages. The characters do grow on you and you end up feeling for them.

[bgalbrecht]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Shouldn't that be as a shade of purple gray?

Sadly, The Flying Sorcerors hasn't been on sale since April 2013, and currently bounces around $10 and $15.

[Fluribus]

Originally Posted by bgalbrecht

Sadly, The Flying Sorcerors hasn't been on sale since April 2013, and currently bounces around $10 and $15.

I've had that book in my wish list for soooo long.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

This is how to read a stand-alone book:


TABLE OF INSTRUCTIONS

In its own way, this book consists of many books, but two books above all.
The first can be read in a normal fashion and it ends with Chapter 56, at the close of which there are three garish little stars which stand for the words The End. Consequently, the reader may ignore what follows with a clean conscience.

The second should be read by beginning with Chapter 73 and then following the sequence indicated at the end of each chapter. In case of confusion or forgetfulness, one need only consult the following list:

73 - 1 - 2 - 116 - 3 - 84 - 4 - 71 - 5 - 81 - 74 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 93 - 68 - 9 - 104 - 10 - 65 - 11 - 136 - 12 - 106 - 13 - 115 - 14 - 114 - 117 - 15 - 120 - 16 - 137 - 17 - 97 - 18 - 153 - 19 - 90 - 20 - 126 - 21 - 79 - 22 - 62 - 23 - 124 - 128 - 24 - 134 - 25 - 141 - 60 - 26 - 109 - 27 - 28 - 130 - 151 - 152 - 143 - 100 - 76 - 101 - 144 - 92 - 103 - 108 - 64 - 155 - 123 - 145 - 122 - 112 - 154 - 85 - 150 - 95 -146 - 29 - 107 - 113 - 30 - 57 - 70 - 147 - 31 - 32 - 132 - 61 - 33 - 67 - 83 - 142 - 34 - 87 - 105 - 96 - 94 - 91 - 82 - 99 - 35 - 121 - 36 - 37 - 98 - 38 - 39 - 86 - 78 - 40 - 59 - 41 - 148 - 42 - 75 - 43 - 125 - 44 - 102 - 45 - 80 - 46 - 47 - 110 - 48 - 111 - 49 - 118 - 50 - 119 - 51 - 69 - 52 - 89 - 53 - 66 - 149 - 54 - 129 - 139 - 133 - 140 - 138 - 127 - 56 - 135 - 63 - 88 - 72 - 77 - 131 - 58 - 131 -

[quoted - Julio Cortazar]

And then, of course, there are a number of Expendable Chapters.

So how do you read the second book in a series like The Scar that is not standalone and has to be second otherwise you spoil the series because you read in the wrong order?