Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 ($0.99), by L. Ron Hubbard, is today's Kindle Deal of the Day. You probably hated the movie, but if you read SciFi, you need to read the the book. This is an updated edition and I paid more than this earlier this year, to replace my battered paper edition.Book Description
In the year 3000, man is an endangered species at the mercy of a space-plundering race of nine-foot-tall, gas-breathing alien conquerors from the planet Psychlo. Against terrific odds, the remnants of humanity have engaged in a desperate and grueling battle for Earth against the alien oppressors--and so begins this epic adventure that surges across the Earth and explosively ignites across the galaxies of an alien empire ... to become the gripping tale that has kept countless readers enthralled for the past two decades.
I Love the Earl ($0.99), by Caroline Linden, is currently discounted by HarperCollins. The author also has a self-published short story at the same price, that you may also want to sample: Like None Other.Book Description
A single lady in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a suitor....
Margaret de Lacey has accepted her unmarried state with dignity, if not delight. She had no suitors when she was young and starry-eyed, though regrettably poor, and it’s unlikely any man will court her now that she’s older, wiser, and still just as penniless. Until, that is, her brother unexpectedly inherits the dukedom of Durham and settles an enormous dowry on her, making her the most eligible heiress in town.
No gentleman in London is more in need of a wealthy bride than Rhys Corwen, Earl of Dowling. He contrives an introduction to Margaret because of her dowry, but she swiftly sets him right: no fortune hunter will win her heart or her hand. Far from put off, Rhys is intrigued. Interested. Entranced. And soon the only thing he needs more than Margaret’s fortune . . . is her love.
Mistborn: The Final Empire ($2.99), by Brandon Sanderson, is the first in the Mistborn series. Definitely a recommended read, but check your library to see if you happened to get it free when Tor gave away copies in 2008, under a different ASIN.Book Description
Brandon Sanderson, fantasy's newest master tale spinner, author of the acclaimed debut Elantris, dares to turn a genre on its head by asking a simple question: What if the hero of prophecy fails? What kind of world results when the Dark Lord is in charge? The answer will be found in the Mistborn Trilogy, a saga of surprises and magical martial-arts action that begins in Mistborn.
For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the "Sliver of Infinity," reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler's most hellish prison. Kelsier "snapped" and found in himself the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, he turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark.
Kelsier recruited the underworld's elite, the smartest and most trustworthy allomancers, each of whom shares one of his many powers, and all of whom relish a high-stakes challenge. Only then does he reveal his ultimate dream, not just the greatest heist in history, but the downfall of the divine despot.
But even with the best criminal crew ever assembled, Kel's plan looks more like the ultimate long shot, until luck brings a ragged girl named Vin into his life. Like him, she's a half-Skaa orphan, but she's lived a much harsher life. Vin has learned to expect betrayal from everyone she meets, and gotten it. She will have to learn to trust, if Kel is to help her master powers of which she never dreamed.
Readers of Elantris thought they'd discovered someone special in Brandon Sanderson. Mistborn proves they were right.
The Rogue Agent: The Accidental Sorcerer, Witches Incorporated, Wizard Squared ($9.99), by K.E. Mills, is this month's Orbital Book Drop and works out to $3.33/title, for those that haven't started on this trilogy (I already have the first, but it's still $5/title, which is better than the $7.99 standalone price).Book Description
BOOK 1: THE ACCIDENTAL SORCERER
Gerald Dunwoody is a wizard. Just not a particularly good one. He's blown up a factory, lost his job, and there's a chance that he's not really a Third Grade wizard after all. So it's off to New Ottosland to be the new Court Wizard for King Lional.
It's a shame that King Lional isn't the vain, self-centered young man he appeared to be. With a Princess in danger, a talking bird who can't stay out of trouble, and a kingdom to save, Gerald soon suspects that he might be out of his depth. And if he can't keep this job, how will he ever become the wizard he was destined to be...
BOOK 2: WITCHES INCORPORATED
It's a case of espionage, skullduggery and serious unpleasantness
And it's also Gerald's first official government assignment. He's hunting down a deadly saboteur, and time is quickly running out. Old enemies and new combine forces to thwart him. Once again, innocent lives are on the line. He needs his friends. He can't do this alone.
But Princess Melissande and Reg have troubles of their own. With the help of Monk Markham's brilliant, beautiful sister, they've opened a one-stop-shop witching locum agency, where magical problems are solved for a price. Problem is, the girls are struggling to keep the business afloat. Things are looking grim for Witches Incorporated - and that's before they accidentally cross paths with Gerald's saboteur.
Suddenly everybody's lives are on the line and Gerald realizes, too late, that there's a reason government agents aren't supposed to have friends...
BOOK 3: Wizard Squared
When the staff of Witches Incorporated receive a visitor from an alternate reality, they are shocked to learn that life in the parallel world next door is anything but a bed of roses... and it's all because of Gerald Dunwoody.
At a crucial moment in time, their Gerald turned left... but the alternate reality Gerald turned right. Now the parallel world next door is in the grip of terror, staring down the barrel of a thaumaturgical war -- a war that threatens to spill across the dimensions and plunge every reality into a nightmare.
The only person who can stop a rogue wizard gone mad is another rogue wizard. But what do you do when another rogue wizard can't be found?
The Wake of Forgiveness ($2.99), by Bruce Machart Book Description
On a moonless Texas night in 1895, an ambitious young landowner suffers the loss of “the only woman he’s ever been fond of” when his wife dies during childbirth with the couple’s fourth boy, Karel. From an early age Karel proves so talented on horseback that his father enlists him to ride in acreage-staked horseraces against his neighbors. But Karel is forever haunted by thoughts of the mother he never knew, by the bloodshot blame in his father’s eyes, and permanently marked by the yoke he and his brothers are forced to wear to plow the family fields. Confident only in the saddle, Karel is certain that the horse “wants the whip the same way he wants his pop’s strap . . . the closest he ever gets to his father’s touch.” In the winter of 1910, Karel rides in the ultimate high-stakes race against a powerful Spanish patriarch and his alluring daughters. Hanging in the balance are his father’s fortune, his brother’s futures, and his own fate. Fourteen years later, with the stake of the race still driven hard between him and his brothers, Karel is finally forced to dress the wounds of his past and to salvage the tattered fabric of his family.
Reminiscent of Kent Haruf’s portrayals of hope amidst human heartbreak and Cormac McCarthy’s finely hewn evocations of the American Southwest, Bruce Machart’s striking debut is as well wrought as it is riveting. It compels us to consider the inescapable connections between sons and their mothers, between landscape and family, and between remembrance and redemption.
Dark Kill ($1.24), by Todhunter BallardBook Description
Two brothers who are joint owners of the largest cattle ranch in Colorado are headed down a disastrous road when their loyalties are pushed beyond the limit.
The Eye of the World ($2.99), the first title in the The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, is another recommended read (and a lot easier on the Kindle, as this is 832 pages in print).Book Description
The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.
Halfway to the Grave with Bonus Material ($1.99), the first in the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost, is one I ordered immediately, as this will complete this series for me (and let me retire the paper book). It's a pre-order, so if you want to check a sample first, get it from the older edition, but come back here to make sure you one-click the correct one.Book Description
For a limited time, discover Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress series with Halfway to the Grave. Plus, as a bonus, you will receive exclusive material, including deleted scenes and excerpts!
Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father—the one responsible for ruining her mother's life. Then she's captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unholy partnership.
In exchange for finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She's amazed she doesn't end up as his dinner—are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn't have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her newfound status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side . . . and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.
Gardens of the Moon ($2.99), the first in The Malazan Book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson, was on sale earlier, then went back up in price and has dropped again for an unknown period of time.Book Description
The Malazan Empire simmers with discontent, bled dry by interminable warfare, bitter infighting and bloody confrontations with the formidable Anomander Rake and his Tiste Andii, ancient and implacable sorcerers. Even the imperial legions, long inured to the bloodshed, yearn for some respite. Yet Empress Laseen's rule remains absolute, enforced by her dread Claw assassins.
For Sergeant Whiskeyjack and his squad of Bridgeburners, and for Tattersail, surviving cadre mage of the Second Legion, the aftermath of the siege of Pale should have been a time to mourn the many dead. But Darujhistan, last of the Free Cities of Genabackis, yet holds out. It is to this ancient citadel that Laseen turns her predatory gaze.
However, it would appear that the Empire is not alone in this great game. Sinister, shadowbound forces are gathering as the gods themselves prepare to play their hand...
Conceived and written on a panoramic scale, Gardens of the Moon is epic fantasy of the highest order--an enthralling adventure by an outstanding new voice.
Let the Right One In - with Bonus Content ($4.99), by John Ajvide Lindqvist and Ebba Segerberg (Translator), was originally titled Let Me In, winning numerous awards throughout Europe; the title change was made for the Tribeca Film Festival adaptation, where it took Top Honors. Oddly enough, there are two imprints (same publisher) for this title in the US and you can also get a Let Me In (Movie Tie-in) - with Bonus Content at the same price - I'm going to sample both, to see which is better formatted/translated or if it is just a cover and title change. The author's second novel, Handling the Undead, moves on to zombies, while his upcoming Harbor is a bit more mysterious in what is behind the disappearances.ETA: OK, I sampled both and I think that Let Me In (Movie Tie-in) - with Bonus Content wins in the formatting department. The quotes on the chapter start pages are placed better and it also includes the copyright and translation info. I really didn't see any reference in either edition to any added content that ties it to the movie, so grab either one on that count.
Book Description
It is autumn 1981 when the inconceivable comes to Blackeberg, a suburb in Sweden. The body of a teenage boy is found, emptied of blood, the murder rumored to be part of a ritual killing. Twelve-year-old Oskar is personally hoping that revenge has come at long last---revenge for the bullying he endures at school, day after day.
But the murder is not the most important thing on his mind. A new girl has moved in next door---a girl who has never seen a Rubik’s Cube before, but who can solve it at once. There is something wrong with her, though, something odd. And she only comes out at night. . . .
Sweeping top honors at film festivals all over the globe, director Tomas Alfredsson’s film of Let the Right One In has received the same kind of spectacular raves that have been lavished on the book. American readers of vampire fiction will be thrilled!
Abarat with Bonus Material ($1.99), by Clive Barker, is another pre-order that you can sample with an older edition. Abarat is the start of a very popular young teen series and this bonus edition includes excerpts from the next two in the series.Book Description
It begins in the most boring place in the world: Chickentown, U.S.A. There lives Candy Quackenbush, her heart bursting for some clue as to what her future might hold. When the answer comes, it's not one she expects. Out of nowhere comes a wave, and Candy, led by a man called John Mischief (whose brothers live on the horns on his head), leaps into the surging waters and is carried away.
Where? To the Abarat: a vast archipelago where every island is a different hour of the day, from The Great Head that sits in the mysterious twilight waters of Eight in the Evening, to the sunlit wonders of Three in the Afternoon, where dragons roam, to the dark terrors of Gorgossium, the island of Midnight, ruled over by the Prince of Midnight himself, Christopher Carrion.
Candy has a place in this extraordinary world: She is here to help save the Abarat from the dark forces that are stirring at its heart. Forces older than Time itself, and more evil than anything Candy has ever encountered.
