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Old 09-05-2011, 11:07 AM   #1
Eisengoth
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Indie Reads

I've been adding independent (read: self-published) books into my reading list over the past month or so, because frankly, every time I go to the bookstore I see the same covers and the same titles over and over again... and unless there's something new in a series that I know and like, I don't tend to buy anything any more.

I just finished THE HERO ALWAYS WINS by Robert Eaton. I reviewed it on my blog - long story short, if you're a fantasy fan (like I am), it's worth significantly more than the cover price indicates. It's quite well-formatted and nicely edited, especially for an indie, and the story itself is a very atypical take on the fantasy genre. Long, too - probably ~160,000 words (320 pages on ePub).

Anybody else have indie books that they recommend? I'm looking for more!
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Old 09-06-2011, 07:38 AM   #2
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since i got my kindle i've been reading indie and small press stuff exclusively. theres so much available that its like an entire world opens up.

i really liked-

The Half Orcs series by David Dalglish. I have all his books but i've only read the first two of this series so far. very, very dark fantasy. in the 1st book (which if free on amazon) the characters are utterly hateable, they're literally child murderers. the idea of unsympathetic characters may be a bitter pill to swallow for some but later books in the series seem to offer some redemption.

Taming Fire by Aaron Pogue. kind of a more mature cross between harry potter and eragon. well written and i look forward to the 2nd book.

Demon Gates by Robert Day. excellent classic epic fantasy of the "chosen one" variety but very well written and features combat vs 20 foot tall demons.

The Kinshield Legacy by KC May. extremely well written reluctant hero fantasy with a charming and loveable cast.

i've got about a dozen more fantasy novels on my TBR list that i've bought but these are what i've read lately that really stuck out. the 1st book of the half orcs is free and the others are 99 cents so they're not a major investment if anyone is iffy.
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Old 09-06-2011, 07:09 PM   #3
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OK - now it might depend on what type of fiction you like, but these are the indie authors who have impressed me thus far:
  • Gary Ballard - wrote the Bridge chronicles (trilogy). Loved his writing style and his slick characters
  • David H Burton - seems to range from children's steampunk to some darker fantasy for adults
  • Thomas Brookside - an author that likes re-imagining historic events. Loved his short novel The Last Days of Jericho
  • David Michael - he can be pretty dark, but his writing is fantastic and his stories really appealed to me. Also writes a lot of short stories so you can have plenty of samplers
  • Glen Krisch - again on the dark side, borderline horror. I like his ideas and his darkness
  • Simon Royle - great near-future Sci-Fi. TAG is great and a sequel is coming out soon
  • Lindsay Buroker - only read a short steampunk novella, but her feisty main character and entertaining story led me to buy all her books; they're on my TBR list.

I won't talk yet about the authors that I think are going to be great as sometimes I've been disappointed.

I've only recently launched an indie review site so I guess you can say that I'm fairly committed to the independent author.
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Old 09-07-2011, 07:48 AM   #4
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No question that indie authors are worth seeking out. So many big-name authors write one or maybe two good books, then hook up with the big advertising budgets of publishing houses and sell everything. The publishers, authors and, yes, the public ride that wave into the ground, hoping the next book by their last favorite author will be as good as they remembered the first one. There are exceptions, of course.

As I mentioned in another thread, I've been using a couple of web sites which offer, among other things, a chance to review pre-release books in exchange for an honest review. Most of these are indie-authored books, and while you don't "win" many requests (there may be 1000 requests for 1 book at times), if you are active and honest with your reviews, you can usually pick up a free book from time to time that takes you out of your normal genre rut.

Most of my reading lists come now from recommendations of friends who share my interests, from serious web sites frequented by avid readers, and from library discussion group recommendations. You can also find some fairly representative reviews on the NY Times book blog site, although they are often locked into reviewing books featured by their advertisers. And of course, follow the comments of people here on MR and you'll come up with some great suggestions.

Indie authors? You bet -- love 'em.
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Old 09-12-2011, 12:10 AM   #5
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I really enjoyed Chris Dolley's Resonance. I will definitely be seeking out more of his.

Here is the author's partial writeup.

Graham Smith is a 33 year-old office messenger. To the outside world he’s an obsessive-compulsive mute – weird but harmless. But to Graham Smith, it’s the world that’s weird. And far from harmless. He sees things others can’t . . . or won’t. He knows that roads can change course, people disappear, office blocks migrate across town. All at night when no one’s looking. The world’s an unstable place, still growing, sloughing off layers of reality like dead skin. One day you drive by, and it's changed.
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Old 09-15-2011, 02:47 PM   #6
Glen Krisch
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Thanks for the mention, Caleb! It's my goal to have my books as polished as anything you would find coming from a NY house. Hopefully, I succeed to a large degree. I should have new material available over the coming months as well.
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Old 09-15-2011, 03:57 PM   #7
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I just finished Where Darkness Dwells by Glen Kirsch and can verify that his books in eBook format are polished. I don't recall an error in typing or formatting on my Kindle. If you are a zombie or fan of the underworld, I can recommend it. My review of it can be found on either Goodreads and/or LibraryThing. He has kindly sent me another of his books, The Nightmare Within and I look forward to reading that to see how they compare.
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Old 09-15-2011, 07:08 PM   #8
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i seem to have gotten into science fiction lately.

Swarm by BV Larson- i mentioned it in another thread but its truly a fun book. classic everyman becomes the savior science fiction about average citizens captured by alien ships and forced into combat against an evil machine intelligence.

Odyssey One by Evan Currie. i'm only halfway through but its awesome and highly recommended for space opera or sci-fi tv fans. its a looong read but it has great characters and pulse pounding action.

Battle Earth by Nick S. Thomas-fun, action packed pulp military sci-fi about an alien invasion.

Siege of Titan by Michael G. Thomas-1st in a series about an underground pit fighter forced into military service against a wave of fanatical violence sweeping the galaxy.
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Old 09-15-2011, 07:31 PM   #9
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Great, thanks everyone! That's a lot of great stuff to check out!

Incidentally, I just finished reading "The Black God's War" by Moses Siregar III - the full novel, as opposed to the novella he released previously. I have to say, it's some of the best indie work I've read so far. If you're a fantasy fan and looking for something a little different, but very thoughtful, I definitely recommend it. A more thorough review will appear on my blog in short order, but it's worth checking out.
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Old 09-16-2011, 05:12 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Eisengoth View Post
Incidentally, I just finished reading "The Black God's War" by Moses Siregar III - the full novel, as opposed to the novella he released previously.
I've got that one on my TBR list. One of the best indie covers I've ever seen, and an utterly intriguing premise. Now, if only I could find more time for pleasure reading...
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Old 09-16-2011, 08:17 AM   #11
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re: WHERE DARKNESS DWELLS

Thanks, Mike! I'm somewhat of a perfectionist, so I'm glad to hear you didn't find any flaws in the text or formatting. Those kind of errors give indie authors a bad name.

Also, this thread is convincing me to check out Moses' new novel. I'm in the mood for an epic fantasy.
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Old 09-19-2011, 03:52 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Eisengoth View Post
Incidentally, I just finished reading "The Black God's War" by Moses Siregar III - the full novel, as opposed to the novella he released previously. I have to say, it's some of the best indie work I've read so far. If you're a fantasy fan and looking for something a little different, but very thoughtful, I definitely recommend it. A more thorough review will appear on my blog in short order, but it's worth checking out.
Reading this next and reviewing it for my indie review site. I'm really excited about this as I loved the novella and whined a few times about when this was coming out.

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Old 09-21-2011, 06:04 AM   #13
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downloaded Armsbearer and Mindbreaker, 2 books by Thomas Head. they're billed as being recommended for fans of conan.

i'm currently reading the 1st book Armsbearer. its very pulp and very "british" feeling like something that wouldn't be out of place in a copy of 2000 AD. he has an unusual, almost minimalist writing style but i'm liking it a lot so far.

"Magnatius Ginty, a former monk, is easily angered. And that's on a good day. When his village is razed, his beloved lord killed, and the lady of the house stolen away, he does the unthinkable, he sets out after the bastards. But his decision set him on a collision course with the thing that stirs in the haunted farmscapes of his homeland. It is an ancient cold, an evil that quickens from the depths. It dreams of tooth-work. And it knows his name.

In the first of an utterly engaging new series, Magnatius Ginty, a hard man with a penchant for soft ladies, makes the biggest decision of an already difficult life. Get to know him in ARMSBEARER, a breathlessly fun fantasy novel with both chills and chuckles alike. The fights come quick and furious, and the story is filled with characters as strange as life and dialogue as quick and clever as Magnatius' sword. It is a tale about dragons of a different sort, men whose sorcery is heavy doses of wit and arse-stomping."

both books were 99 cents each on amazon.
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Old 09-22-2011, 08:31 AM   #14
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Just finished The Kinshield Legacy by K.C. May. Great fantasy book. It's probably what I'd call a more traditional fantasy, but it's well written, the characters are interesting and the plot moves along nicely.

Would definitely recommend this to fantasy lovers.
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Old 09-23-2011, 12:36 AM   #15
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finished Armsbearer. what started as a pulpish fantasy became a pulpish fantasy with surreal, almost dream logic. it was good but bizarre. if you've ever seen the film Valhalla Rising, it kinda felt like that. definitely artsy, kinda experimental fantasy.

if this makes sense to you, you'd probably enjoy the book-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IB7LR...eature=related

(i dont know how to embed on this site)
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