The Crimson Shadow ($7.99) by R. A. Salvatore. This single volume contains all three novels of The Crimson Shadow trilogy: The Sword of Bedwyr (hardcover only, $28.00), Luthien's Gamble ($5.59), and The Dragon King) ($5.59). Not only is it a bargain price, but the first novel in the series is not yet available for the Kindle as a single title.
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) (... an acclaimed fantasy bestseller of nonstop action and thrilling adventure. Alone, young noble Luthien Bedwyr can do little to save the land of Eriador from a foul wizard's demon armies. But with the help of mysterious allies, Luthien transforms into a legendary outlaw: a fearless rebel leader who strikes at will, remains hidden from foes, and casts...
This month's $1 Orbit book is Empress ($1.00) by Karen Miller. Non-Kindle formats available at Sony and Booksonboard.com (it is not marked down yet at Fictionwise). This is book one of the GodSpeaker trilogy (The Riven Kingdom ($6.39), Hammer of God ($6.39).In a family torn apart by poverty and violence, Hekat is no more than an unwanted mouth to feed, worth only a few coins from a passing slave trader. But Hekat was not born to be a slave. For her, a different path has been chosen. It is a path that will take her from stinking back alleys to the house of her God, from blood-drenched battlefields to the glittering palaces of Mijak.
This is the story of Hekat, precious and beautiful.
The Legend of Witch Bane ($0.99, Paperback $13.45), by Kevis Hendrickson is a bargain Young Adult title and is priced under a dollar for a limited time: High Queen Rhiannon Eldess has placed the kingdom of Kaldan under a terrible curse. Only Kòdobos, Anyr, and Laris can save their people from a dark fate. Danger awaits the children as they face the queen's evil minions in their desperate quest to save their kingdom. To gain final victory the children must find Witch Bane, the magic sword which will give them the power to defeat Rhiannon once and for all! But a prophecy foretelling of the return of an ancient evil threatens to doom them all. It will take all their courage to survive the malevolent forces of evil gathered against them. Will they fail or will they succeed? Prepare for the adventure of a lifetime!
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Those who can't wait for health reform might want to check out How To Do Your Own Dentistry ($0.45). Although I really doubt most of us are up for doing more than pulling out a loose baby tooth. Luckily, this is a (short) graphic story and is more of advice for those wanting to set up their own dental practice (of sorts). So far it has two reviews: one loved it, the other hated it.
(Next, there are a number of free ebooks worth checking out. First up is King Dog, by Ursula K. Le Guin. This one is a screenplay and in HTML format. Each chapter is a separate page, use the Print button to get a clean copy of each chapter and cut/paste them into a Word document, then email to your Kindle once you have it assembled).
A little background: The character of King Ashthera, with his dog, and his gambling streak, is derived from King Yudhisthira in the Mahabharata, the wonderful and interminable epic of India. When, towards the end of the story, Yudhisthira gets to Heaven, he is outraged to find some of his enemies are there, and some of his friends are not; and he decides not to enter Heaven at all unless they let his dog in with him. I stole all that.
The theme of figuring out what one’ s duty is and how to follow it is from the Mahabharata too. The rest is my invention. Yudhisthira’s dog’s name is Dharma, but Ashthera’s dog is just Dog.
From Amazon, pick up The Healthy House Answer Book: Answers to the 133 Most Commonly Asked Questions, by John & Lynn Marie Bower.
Among the various healthy housing books, The Healthy House Answer Book by John and Lynn Bower is something a little different. While the rest of the offerings in this field are thick, very comprehensive volumes, this is a smaller book in both size and depth--sort of a "pocket healthy housing guidebook." While covering the major concerns anyone would have about all aspects of construction and maintenance, all the information is presented in a very concise Q and A format. With subject chapters and a complete index, this is a great introductory book for anyone interested in the subject.
Peyton Lee has a large number of novels as free downloads on LuLu. There is an index on his web page; most of the titles are Historical Romance, including the six volume Geneva Saga.
Sean Williams is offering The Crooked Letter (Book One of The Cataclysm) as a free download in PDF format (paperback $12.46). From the author:
For those who aren't familiar with it, The Crooked Letter is kinda urban New Weird on a massive scale. It's been compared to China Mieville, Philip Pullman, Ursula K Le Guin, Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Michael Moorcock, yada yada, and it won both the Aurealis and Ditmar Awards the year it was released (the first fantasy novel in the history of the awards to do so). Chronologically speaking, it's the first book in my Change series, and stands as a prequel to The Stone Mage & the Sea, The Blood Debt, and The Changeling. It's also my attempt to take all the world's religions and wrap them up in a crazy Darwinian package that even an atheist like me might be tempted to believe. It was the most difficult book I ever wrote, and now it's free. Check it out!
The world had shattered into a million pieces, and he didn't know if he could ever put it back together again...
Hadrian's mirror twin, Seth, is dead, stabbed in front of him, and the woman he and his brother both loved has seemingly disappeared. As Hadrian searches for her, the cityscape becomes more nightmarish by the second.
Figures from legend swirl around him to help and hinder. These figures give darks hints of secret histories and sleeping gods stirring. Was everything he ever knew about the world a lie?
Caught between ancient forgotten magic and an uncertain future, Hadrian must learn to trust in the only person he has left: himself.
For those who would rather listen than read, Stranded, by Lori Foster, is available again as a free download from Audible.com. You'll need to either log on first, before trying to download the title, or create a new account after clicking the download button (no option is given to log in on that screen and the purchase doesn't go thru the "cart" process).
Last, for those who fancy taking a stab at writing, rather than reading, be sure to pick up a copy of Strunk & White's The Elements of Style, free on feedbooks.
