FREE/BARGAIN — Science Fiction & Fantasy

[DrNefario]

A random book from my wishlist seems to be free on the UK Kindle store today:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Forever-Fan.../dp/B07D8QTWJM

Forever Fantasy Online by Rachel Aaron and Travis Bach

This is self-published LitRPG. I don't know whether or not it's a good example, but Aaron has a good reputation both as a self-publisher (Nice Dragons Finish Last) and trad-publisher (Legend of Eli Monpress, Paradox mil-SF trilogy (as Rachel Bach)).

[TrevorViking]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

A random book from my wishlist seems to be free on the UK Kindle store today:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Forever-Fan.../dp/B07D8QTWJM

Forever Fantasy Online by Rachel Aaron and Travis Bach

This is self-published LitRPG. I don't know whether or not it's a good example, but Aaron has a good reputation both as a self-publisher (Nice Dragons Finish Last) and trad-publisher (Legend of Eli Monpress, Paradox mil-SF trilogy (as Rachel Bach)).

US too
https://www.amazon.com/Forever-Fanta...xt%2C63&sr=1-1

[bookmarked]

Cross-posting from the Non-Fiction thread since it's non-fiction, but I'm guessing that there may be more interest here.

Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons & Dragons by Ben Riggs published by ‎ St. Martin's Press is on sale for $2.99.

There are a number of histories of Dungeons & Dragons. To be honest, I'm not sure how this one compares.

[DrNefario]

Originally Posted by bookmarked

Cross-posting from the Non-Fiction thread since it's non-fiction, but I'm guessing that there may be more interest here.

Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons & Dragons by Ben Riggs published by ‎ St. Martin's Press is on sale for $2.99.

There are a number of histories of Dungeons & Dragons. To be honest, I'm not sure how this one compares.

I have this one wishlisted, after seeing a recommendarion somewhere. (Maybe in the endnotes for the comic Die by Kieron Gillen?) Sadly it's still £10.99 here.

[salty-horse]

Books 2 and 3 of the Milkweed Triptych by Ian Tregillis are $3 each in the US (Kobo, Amazon).
I'll quote Cory Doctorow's description of the first book: Alternate WWII novel pits English warlocks against Nazi X-Men.
Note that store sites incorrectly list this as "Milkweek"

[salty-horse]

Acadie by Dave Hutchinson is $2 in the US (Kobo, Amazon)
Novella.

The first humans still hunt their children across the stars. Dave Hutchinson brings far future science fiction on a grand scale in Acadie.

The Colony left Earth to find their utopia--a home on a new planet where their leader could fully explore the colonists’ genetic potential, unfettered by their homeworld's restrictions. They settled a new paradise, and have been evolving and adapting for centuries.

Earth has other plans.

The original humans have been tracking their descendants across the stars, bent on their annihilation. They won't stop until the new humans have been destroyed, their experimentation wiped out of the human gene pool.

Can't anyone let go of a grudge anymore?

[salty-horse]

Originally Posted by salty-horse

Books 1 and 2 in the Virga series by Karl Schroeder are $3 each in the US (Kobo US, Kobo WW, Amazon)
These are Sun of Suns and Queen of Candesce

Now book #5, Ashes of Candesce, is on sale.

The Revolutions by Felix Gilman is $2 in the US (Kobo, Amazon)

A sweeping stand-alone tale of Victorian science fiction, arcane exploration, and planetary romance.

In 1893, young journalist Arthur Shaw is at work in the British Museum Reading Room when the Great Storm hits London, wreaking unprecedented damage. In its aftermath, Arthur's newspaper closes, owing him money, and all his debts come due at once. His fiancé Josephine takes a job as a stenographer for some of the fashionable spiritualist and occult societies of fin de siècle London society. At one of her meetings, Arthur is given a job lead for what seems to be accounting work, but at a salary many times what any clerk could expect. The work is long and peculiar, as the workers spend all day performing unnerving calculations that make them hallucinate or even go mad, but the money is compelling.

Things are beginning to look up when the perils of dabbling in the esoteric suddenly come to a head: A war breaks out between competing magical societies. Josephine joins one of them for a hazardous occult exploration—an experiment which threatens to leave her stranded at the outer limits of consciousness, among the celestial spheres.

Arthur won't give up his great love so easily, and hunts for a way to save her, as Josephine fights for survival...somewhere in the vicinity of Mars.

[salty-horse]

A Power Unbound (The Last Binding #3) by Freya Marske is $3 in the US (Kobo, Amazon)
All of the previous books have been on sale.

[salty-horse]

HIM by Geoff Ryman is $2 in the US, £1 in the UK. (Kobo US, Kobo UK, Amazon US, Amazon UK)
Was on my wishlist. Closer to speculative historical fiction, than pure SF&F.
Some reviews: Abigail Nussbaum, Adam Roberts, Raf Blutaxt

An extraordinary science-fiction novel about identity, divinity and alternate reality - the story of the son of God.

"Women, of course, can not be sons of God,"

In the village of Nazareth, virgin Maryam and the wife of Yosef barLevi gives birth to a miracle: a little girl. She is named Avigayil, after her grandmother.

But as Avigayil grows, it's clear she believes that she is destined to be someone greater than just the daughter of Maryam. From leading a gang of village boys to challenging the priests in the temple, Avigayil is determined to find her way as Yeshu, a man.

Yeshu can work miracles. He can see futures. He can speak for God.
A gripping, thoughtful sci-fi novel, tackling family, the multiverse and the survival of love through immense change and crisis.

[Hollow Man]

The Glass Box by J. Michael Straczynski is 99 cents at Amazon USA, Kobo USA, and B&N.

[Cactus Chef]

The Tomoe Gozen Saga (trilogy) in its entirety is on sale today for $2-3 per volume:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/series/the-tomoe-gozen-saga
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075V33DCD...f=dbs_dp_sirpi

I have not heard much about the series. Could be interesting.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Cactus Chef

The Tomoe Gozen Saga (trilogy) in its entirety is on sale today for $2-3 per volume:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/series/the-tomoe-gozen-saga
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075V33DCD...f=dbs_dp_sirpi

I have not heard much about the series. Could be interesting.

Thanks! It does look pretty good. Apparently she was a real person, though the trilogy mentions wizards and trips to hell, so the trilogy ain't Shōgun...

[salty-horse]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Thanks! It does look pretty good. Apparently she was a real person, though the trilogy mentions wizards and trips to hell, so the trilogy ain't Shōgun...

Wizards vs Lesbians describe it as "just like Conan the Barbarian book except in Japan starring a lesbian."

[Cactus Chef]

Krondor the Betrayal: Book One Of The Riftwar Legacy by Raymond E. Feist is on sale for $1.99 from the usual vendors:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FC12HI
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/krondor-the-betrayal

This one has an interesting history. Feist's Riftwar series was licensed for a famous MS-DOS game in the 90's. The game was widely praised at the time for its characters and writing, which were assumed to be written by Feist himself, but in fact were written by the game's development team.

Feist did, however, pen this novelization of the game some time later. Not having read it, I am unable to weigh in on whether the book was better.

[Quoth]

Short answer: A game and a book are far more different than movie/TV and a book. I thought the book was far better.

Longer answer
We have both. My daughter got further in the game which is a mismatched mix of adventure and combat. I found it unplayable.

I think the book was OK, but ages since I've read it. I've two versions of Magician on paper (allegedly publisher cut and writer's edit) and one that was on offer on ebook (the writer's edit version), that mysteriously was updated 3 times on Amazon.

Feist seems to find his own voice and more original story about halfway through Magician, so worth sticking at it even if you find the first 3rd a bit too stereotypical.

I've not all the Riftwar (or associated Janny Wurts titles), but plenty.

Edit:
It's on UK/Ireland Amazon for 99p, but not by edit link.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0041RRCSG/
So I got it in case I want to re-read it. Easier on the Kobo Sage than on paper. I think the game title is Betrayal at Krondor.

Edit 2:
Stupid Amazon puts a ":" in the download filename, which breaks backups! Does Windows even allow such file names? I'm running Linux, which does.