FREE/BARGAIN — Science Fiction & Fantasy

[Critteranne]

Originally Posted by salty-horse

Speaking of which.... Here's a testimony (the first story in that article) about him being a child predator (consider that a content warning, obviously)

I'm not sure why SF fans ignore the whispers about him and then rant against other late authors for being huge a-holes. Like Jason Sanford says, many people initially assumed the charges were made because Clarke was a closeted gay man.

Being a huge a-hole is bad. Powerful a-holes in an industry can make lives miserable and even drive people out of an industry. But yes, some things are even worse than that.

Speaking of problematic behavior, you can read The John W. Campbell Letters, Vol. I for free on Kindle Unlimited or buy it for $3.50. But one reviewer reported that the Kindle is "a mess." (It could be scanning errors -- or maybe JWC had a lousy typewriter.)

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by sufue

OTOH, I mostly read mysteries, and there is at least one prominent mystery author who did murder someone, albeit while very young. I guess at its root, this is the age-old discussion of the artist vs. the art.

At least, you can say Anne Perry knows what she writes about. <no smiley>

[salty-horse]

The novelization of Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan by Vonda M. McIntyre is $0.99 on Amazon.com

[pdurrant]

Twelve of Timothy Zahn's Star Wars books are on sale for £0.99 each at Amazon UK today: https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?rh=n%3A47...4725112031_sar

[salty-horse]

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri is $2.99 on Amazon.com
First in a new series.

Exiled by her despotic brother, princess Malini spends her days dreaming of vengeance while imprisoned in the Hirana: an ancient cliffside temple that was once the revered source of the magical deathless waters but is now little more than a decaying ruin.

The secrets of the Hirana call to Priya. But in order to keep the truth of her past safely hidden, she works as a servant in the loathed regent’s household, biting her tongue and cleaning Malini’s chambers.

But when Malini witnesses Priya’s true nature, their destinies become irrevocably tangled. One is a ruthless princess seeking to steal a throne. The other a powerful priestess desperate to save her family. Together, they will set an empire ablaze.

[curtw]

Originally Posted by GlennD

YMMV of course, and learning about Marion Zimmer Bradley's case did make me uninterested in continuing to read her books. Ah, well. I never claimed to be consistent.

You should have SEEN the size of my Bill Cosby collection that went to the landfill!

[zje]

Originally Posted by salty-horse

Speaking of which.... Here's a testimony (the first story in that article) about him being a child predator (consider that a content warning, obviously)

Sigh, Clarke was never convicted of being a pedophile. It was suggested in a British tabloid that he admitted to being a pedophile on tape and that the tabloid had the tape. When the Sri Lankan authorities requested the tape in order to pursue a case against Clarke there was no tape to be found. The case was dropped, the tabloid apologized.

I hope you didn't get sucked in by tabloid fodder and dump your ACC collection.

[salty-horse]

Originally Posted by zje

Sigh, Clarke was never convicted of being a pedophile.

I didn't say that. The linked article isn't about the tabloid or the investigation. Have you read it? It's a personal testimony by a victim.
Also, all the points you make are brought up in the post by Jason Sanford that Critteranne shared.

[ReadingManiac]

Originally Posted by sufue

Wow, I had no idea of most of this (Eddings, Clarke), although I do remember reading, probably on this forum, some stuff about Marion Zimmer Bradley. OTOH, I mostly read mysteries, and there is at least one prominent mystery author who did murder someone, albeit while very young. I guess at its root, this is the age-old discussion of the artist vs. the art.

I'm at the stage where I'm holding my ears and totally separating the authors from the books, especially if they're dead. Darkover was such a wonderful series! Why spoil good fiction with real life?

[Tarana]

The Book of Life By Deborah Harkness $1.99 Amazon, Kobo and B&N
Fantasy - Be sure to check your library as the trilogy was available in Dec 2019 for cheap so you might have it already.

[Manabi]

Originally Posted by salty-horse

Teach me your secrets!

With books I've never found it to be an issue. I've never felt that the author of a book is intrinsically linked to the story itself, nor are the crimes they've committed. (With some exceptions.) I don't think about the author while I'm reading, but about the characters, the world, the technology of the world, and so on. If an author's alive, like Orson Scott Card, I sure as hell won't buy any of their books so as to not support (in his case) bigotry financially, but I can still enjoy books written by him.

With music, it varies. When I'm in the mood to listen to 80s music I'm not going to leave out Michael Jackson's stuff, because no matter how awful a person he may have been, his music was everywhere in the 80s. Leaving it out makes things feel incomplete. But an artist that wasn't such a giant for the era I might skip. (I don't really know of any other artists from the 80s accused of stuff like MJ was, so I can't give examples.)

curtw mentioned Bill Cosby, and that I totally agree on, but comedians are intrinsically linked to the comedy they produce. I can't think of any way to listen to any comedian's stuff and not think of the person, so I'll never listen to Cosby's stuff again either. I never cared for his TV show, but he's pretty intrinsically linked to it as well, and you have to look at him while watching it, so I can't see any way to watch that and not think about his misdeeds either.

But I have a very logical outlook on things, so it's probably easier for me to do this than most people. For example when I've had loved ones die I completely skip to the final stage of grief and just accept it immediately. I know there's nothing I can do to bring them back, there's nothing anyone else can do either, so... there's no point in doing anything but accepting it and going on with my life. I've learned over the years that very few people handle grief in this manner.

[maddz]

A couple of books in the Amazon.co.uk Kindle Daily Deal:

Shadow and Bone, by Leigh Bardugo (The Grisha 1) is 99p
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Shadow-Bo...1_1_2?dchild=1

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams (HHGTTG 1) is 99p ​REPEAT
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Hitchhike...31_1_3?dchild=
Although badged as the 42nd Anniversary Edition, it shows as a repeat for me, so it's just a new cover.

[Tarana]

Sandman Slim By Richard Kadrey $2.99 Amazon, Kobo and B&N
Fantasy

[salty-horse]

All the Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter (Angela Slatter) is $1.99 on Amazon.com
This dark gothic fairy tale was on my wishlist.

Long ago Miren O'Malley's family prospered due to a deal struck with the mer: safety for their ships in return for a child of each generation. But for many years the family have been unable to keep their side of the bargain and have fallen into decline. Miren's grandmother is determined to restore their glory, even at the price of Miren's freedom.

A spellbinding tale of dark family secrets, magic and witches, and creatures of myth and the sea; of strong women and the men who seek to control them.

[salty-horse]

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green is $2.99 on Amazon.com.
First in a young-adult duology.

Roaming through New York City at three a.m., twenty-three-year-old April May stumbles across a giant sculpture. Delighted by its appearance and craftsmanship—like a ten-foot-tall Transformer wearing a suit of samurai armor—April and her best friend, Andy, make a video with it, which Andy uploads to YouTube. The next day, April wakes up to a viral video and a new life. News quickly spreads that there are Carls in dozens of cities around the world—from Beijing to Buenos Aires—and April, as their first documentarian, finds herself at the center of an intense international media spotlight.

Seizing the opportunity to make her mark on the world, April now has to deal with the consequences her new particular brand of fame has on her relationships, her safety, and her own identity. And all eyes are on April to figure out not just what the Carls are, but what they want from us.