FREE/BARGAIN — Science Fiction & Fantasy

[Quoth]

https://expertbeacon.com/why-are-the...deck-of-cards/

I can't think that's the reason.
Jack of Shades is obvious.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by salty-horse

King of Shards and Queen of Static, the first two books in the Worldmenders trilogy by Matthew Kressel are $1 each in the US. (Amazon only, but price-matchable on Kobo)
This is a Jewish mythology-inspired dark fantasy. Only these books have been published, and I doubt a third is planned.

The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2024 by Hugh Howey is $3 in the US (Kobo, Amazon)
Contents

ALSO:

The Matthew Kressel titles can be downloaded after purchase.

[salty-horse]

The Fall of the Kings (Swordspoint #2) by Ellen Kushner & Delia Shermanis £3 in the UK (Kobo, Amazon)
Set in the world of Swordspoint, but is standalone.

Generations ago the last king fell, taking with him the final truths about a race of wizards who ruled at his side. But the blood of the kings runs deep in the land and its people, waiting for the coming together of two unusual men. Theron Campion is heir to an ancient house - and a modern scandal. Tormented by his twin duties to his family and his own bright spirit, he seeks solace in the University. There he meets Basil St. Cloud, a brilliant and charismatic teacher ruled by a passion for knowledge - and for the ancient kings.

Around these two are gathering those who believe the land still cries out for a king - and those who would do anything to stop them returning.

Thomas the Rhymer by Ellen Kushner is £3 in the UK (Kobo, Amazon)

A minstrel lives by his words, his tunes, and sometimes by his lies. But when the bold and gifted young Thomas the Rhymer awakens the desire of the powerful Queen of Elfland, he finds that words are not enough to keep him from his fate.

As the Queen sweeps him far from the people he has known and loved into her realm of magic, opulence - and captivity - he learns at last what it is to be truly human. When he returns to his home with the Queen's parting gift, his great task will be to seek out the girl he loved and wronged, and offer her at last the tongue that cannot lie.

Award-winning author Ellen Kushner's inspired retelling of an ancient legend weaves myth and magic into a vivid contemporary novel about the mysteries of the human heart. Brimming with ballads, riddles, and magical transformations, here is the timeless tale of a charismatic bard whose talents earn him a two-edged otherworldly gift.

Histories Within Us by Matthew Kressel is $1 in the US (Kobo, Amazon)
Short story collection. Contents.

2025 Locus Recommended Reading List

An old man is forced to leave his ancestral home and migrate to a new Earth. A long-dead woman is recreated by an all-consuming evil menace in the distant future. The last surviving humans hope to escape a decimated galaxy through a collapsing black hole. Two orphans must play a game against monsters to save the world.

In these mind-blowing, tragic, and often touching stories, multiple Nebula, World Fantasy, and Eugie Award-nominated author Matthew Kressel takes the reader on adventures through time and space, love and loss, and what it means to be human.