This week's New York Times Bestsellers (September 21st)

In hardcover:

R.F. Kuang's Katabasis maintains its position at number 1. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Ross' Wild Reverence debuts at number 3. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Callie Hart's Quicksilver is down seven spots, finishing the week at number 10. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Onyx Storm is down seven positions, ending the week at number 14. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary maintains its position at number 5. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses maintains its position at number 13. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing returns at number 14. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Brandon Sanderson's excellent Legion for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

Brandon Sanderson is one of the most significant fantasists to enter the field in a good many years. His ambitious, multi-volume epics (Mistborn, The Stormlight Archive) and his stellar continuation of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series have earned both critical acclaim and a substantial popular following. In Legion, a distinctly contemporary novella filled with suspense, humor, and an endless flow of invention, Sanderson reveals a startling new facet of his singular narrative talent.

Stephen Leeds, AKA “Legion,” is a man whose unique mental condition allows him to generate a multitude of personae: hallucinatory entities with a wide variety of personal characteristics and a vast array of highly specialized skills. As the story begins, Leeds and his “aspects” are drawn into the search for the missing Balubal Razon, inventor of a camera whose astonishing properties could alter our understanding of human history and change the very structure of society. The action ranges from the familiar environs of America to the ancient, divided city of Jerusalem. Along the way, Sanderson touches on a formidable assortment of complex questions: the nature of time, the mysteries of the human mind, the potential uses of technology, and the volatile connection between politics and faith. Resonant, intelligent, and thoroughly absorbing, Legion is a provocative entertainment from a writer of great originality and seemingly limitless gifts.

Quote of the Day

Arenfall sighed. "Why is it marines are so unmanageable?"

"Was that rhetorical, sir?"

"Not intentionally. But I imagine that is a question that’s echoed down the decades."

Hung nodded. "Blame Dassem Ultor."

"We all do. Of course, it then becomes self-fulfilling, in that recruiters send the odd ones their way."

"Aye, sir . We know what to do with them."

- STEVEN ERIKSON, No Life Forsaken

For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Josiah Bancroft's Senlin Ascends for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

While honeymooning in the Tower of Babel, Thomas Senlin loses his wife, Marya.

The Tower of Babel is the greatest marvel of the Silk Age. Immense as a mountain, the ancient Tower holds unnumbered ringdoms, warring and peaceful, stacked one on the other like the layers of a cake. It is a world of geniuses and tyrants, of airships and steam engines, of unusual animals and mysterious machines.

Thomas Senlin, the mild-mannered headmaster of a small village school, is drawn to the Tower by scientific curiosity and the grandiose promises of a guidebook. The luxurious Baths of the Tower seem an ideal destination for a honeymoon, but soon after arriving, Senlin loses Marya in the crowd.

Senlin’s search for Marya carries him through madhouses, ballrooms, and burlesque theaters. He must survive betrayal, assassination, and the long guns of a flying fortress. But if he hopes to find his wife, he will have to do more than just survive. This quiet man of letters must become a man of action.

Quote of the Day

Where the coward leads, only cowards follow.

- STEVEN ERIKSON, No Life Forsaken

For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Hate Machine

By and large, I've been enjoying the Eric Carter books. Although this series isn't growing in scope quite as fast as other popular urban fantasy sequences and it's beginning to hurt it in myriad ways, the novels are entertaining reads. Still, eight volumes into this series, I feel that there should be more. A lot more.

The first few installments mostly read like Jim Butcher's early Dresden Files books. Short and episodic in format, they helped lay down the groundwork for what was coming. It looked as though we had reached the conclusion of the first story arc by the end of the third book, and there was true potential for bigger and better things to come. Then came Fire Season, which was a step in the right direction, followed by Ghost Money, Blackmoore's best effort yet. Unfortunately, the resolution of the Djinn's storyline in Bottle Demon was a bit of a letdown. And since Darius' threat seemed to be the underlying arc of the entire series, I was left wondering what the author had in store for us moving forward.

What truly hurt the seventh volume, Suicide Kings, is the fact that it was essentially the first half of what should have been a single novel. Weighing in at barely 200 pages, there is no reason why Suicide Kings and Hate Machine couldn't have been published as one work. There was no endgame and finale to speak of, as the book ended with another major cliffhanger. Even though it was another fun read, it's obvious that the author wasn't about to level up. If anything, Suicide Kings felt kind of like a step backward. At least this latest installment would hopefully provide the resolution that was lacking in its predecessor.

Here's the blurb:

The eighth book of this dark urban fantasy series follows necromancer Eric Carter through a world of vengeful gods and goddesses, mysterious murders, and restless ghosts.

If there's one thing Eric Carter can count on, it's his past coming back to bite him in the ass.

Gabriela Cortez, La Bruja, has had her soul trapped... somewhere, and the only one who knows how to get it back is the Oracle of Las Vegas, a powerful artifact that Carter helped create almost thirty years before. It doesn't just predict the future--it makes things happen, influencing events to reach the goal it wants.

Only somebody's gone and stolen it, attempting to turn it into an artifact that doesn't just change the future, but also the past.

Eric needs to find it and steal it back before this comes to pass. If he doesn't, Gabriela's soul is lost. And quite possibly the future as well.

As mentioned in my review of Suicide Kings, with Darius gone, I was expecting Stephen Blackmoore to elevate his game and take the Eric Carter series to another level, with more ambitious story arcs that would add layers to the plot. I was expecting this series to really open up and build on everything that has transpired so far. It is no wonder that I was disappointed to see the author take the micro approach instead of a more macro perspective and have the main character become Amanda Werther's bodyguard during the family's conclave. While it made for another fun and action-packed novel, in my humble opinion it wasn't exactly what the series needed to finally take off. But a trip to Las Vegas in search of a way to free Gabriela's soul sounds like a nice way to kickstart everything. But first, Eric must find the Oracle, an artifact that he helped create years ago. Trouble is, not everyone is happy to see Eric back in Vegas. And out of necessity, he must reunite with the old gang he used to run with in order to survive long enough to hopefully get his hand on the Oracle and discover what the hell is actually going on.

Structurally, everything would have worked better if Suicide Kings and Hate Machine had been a single novel. The Werther family conclave would have been the first part, with the Vegas trip offering something different in the greater scheme of things. Both installments also offer new and interesting supporting casts, which would have made that book the best of the bunch with Ghost Money. Eight volumes in, Blackmoore has yet to level up compared to his contemporaries. As I said before, to keep the Eric Carter books so short and episodic at this juncture prevents them from really taking off.

Hate Machine features a thrilling endgame, but the finale itself doesnn't offer the sort of resolution I expected. It raises more questions than it provides answers. Which would be all well and good if we knew there were plenty of sequels on the way.

However, Daw Books will no longer publish new Eric Carter material and I'm not sure if Blackmoore is allowed to try to get future installments released elsewhere. Which means that, as things stand, the ninth volume is the last one in the series. It will be interesting to discover whether Cult Classic will offer some sort of closure. Indeed, it would be sad if this one ended the same way it did for Harry Connolly and his Twenty Palaces series.

The final verdict: 7.5/10

For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download the digital edition of the first Shannara trilogy for only 4.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Terry Brooks's The Measure of the Magic.

Twenty-five years ago, New York Times bestselling author Terry Brooks wrote a novel that brought to life a dazzling world that would become one of the most popular fantasy epics of all time, beloved by millions of fans around the world. Ten more Shannara books would follow. Now, for the first time in one elegant collector’s edition hardcover, and featuring an introduction by the author, here are the first three novels of that classic series: The Sword of Shannara, The Elfstones of Shannara, and The Wishsong of Shannara—the beginning of a phenomenal epic of good and evil.

The Sword of Shannara

Long ago, the wars of the ancient Evil ruined the world. In peaceful Shady Vale, half-elfin Shea Ohmsford knows little of such troubles. But the supposedly dead Warlock Lord is plotting to destroy everything in his wake. The sole weapon against this Power of Darkness is the Sword of Shannara, which can be used only by a true heir of Shannara. On Shea, last of the bloodline, rests the hope of all the races.

The Elfstones of Shannara

The magical Ellcrys tree is dying, loosening the spell that bars the Demons from enacting vengeance upon the land. Now Wil Ohmsford must guard the Elven girl Amberle on a perilous quest as she carries one of the Ellcrys’ seeds to a mysterious place where it can be quickened into a powerful new force. But dark on their trail comes the Reaper, most fearsome of all Demons, aiming to crush their mission at any cost.

The Wishsong of Shannara

An ancient Evil is stirring to new life, sending its ghastly Mord Wraiths to destroy Mankind. To win through the vile growth that protects this dark force, the Druid Allanon needs Brin Ohmsford—for she alone holds the magic power of the wishsong. Reluctantly Brin joins the Druid on his dangerous journey. But a prophecy foretells doom, as Evil nurses its plans to trap the unsuspecting Brin into a fate far more horrible than death.

Thus begins Terry Brooks’s thrilling Shannara epic, an unforgettable tale of adventure, magic, and myth.

The End of the World As We Know It

DNF

I've been waiting for over a year for this anthology edited by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene and I had somewhat high expectations for it. Advance reviews were good and I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into it.

Stephen King left an immense sandbox for these authors to play in and the cast of contributors was stellar. Alas, most of the stories were uninspired tales that failed to impress. I persevered for about 500 pages, but I had to quit when it became obvious that there would be no saving grace for this collection. Which is a shame given the quality of the authors assembled to participate.

The worse aspect of It's the End of the World As We Know It is that it's a veritable slog from the get-go. Weighing in at more than 700 pages, it's much longer than it needed to be. Especially since virtually all the stories follow the same template and explore the same themes. It's all too repetitive, with very few tales that stand out.

We were promised stories set outside the USA to experience how society unraveled across the world. Sadly, all we ended up with are two tales set in Puerto Rico (not exactly international in style and tone), a totally forgettable one set in London, England, as well as an intriguing one set in Pakistan.

A scant few stories are original, chief among them Tim Lebbon's "Grace," which takes place aboard the space shuttle Discovery. But for the most part, the anthology features a bunch of lackluster tales that did little to keep me interested.

As a matter of course, your mileage may vary.

Here's the blurb:

An original short story anthology based on master storyteller Stephen King’s #1 New York Times bestselling classic The Stand!

Since its initial publication in 1978, The Stand has been considered Stephen King’s seminal masterpiece of apocalyptic fiction, with millions of copies sold and adapted twice for television. Although there are other extraordinary works exploring the unraveling of human society, none have been as influential as this iconic novel—generations of writers have been impacted by its dark yet ultimately hopeful vision of the end and new beginning of civilization, and its stunning array of characters.

Now for the first time, Stephen King has fully authorized a return to the harrowing world of The Stand through this original short story anthology as presented by award-winning authors and editors Christopher Golden and Brian Keene. Bringing together some of today’s greatest and most visionary writers, The End of the World As We Know It features unforgettable, all-new stories set during and after (and some perhaps long after) the events of The Stand—brilliant, terrifying, and painfully human tales that will resonate with readers everywhere as an essential companion to the classic, bestselling novel.

Featuring an introduction by Stephen King, a foreword by Christopher Golden, and an afterword by Brian Keene. Contributors include Wayne Brady and Maurice Broaddus, Poppy Z. Brite, Somer Canon, C. Robert Cargill, Nat Cassidy, V. Castro, Richard Chizmar, S. A. Cosby, Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes, Meg Gardiner, Gabino Iglesias, Jonathan Janz, Alma Katsu, Caroline Kepnes, Michael Koryta, Sarah Langan, Joe R. Lansdale, Tim Lebbon, Josh Malerman, Ronald Malfi, Usman T. Malik, Premee Mohamed, Cynthia Pelayo, Hailey Piper, David J. Schow, Alex Segura, Bryan Smith, Paul Tremblay, Catherynne M. Valente, Bev Vincent, Catriona Ward, Chuck Wendig, Wrath James White, and Rio Youers.

For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can get your hands on the digital edition of Steven Brust's The Book of Jhereg, an omnibus comprised of the first three Vlad Taltos books, for only 3.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

The first three fantastical adventures of assassin Vlad Taltos—now in one volume.

A welcome addition to any fantasy fan's library, The Book of Jhereg follows the antics of the wise-cracking Vlad Taltos and his dragon-like companion through their first three adventures—Jhereg, Yendi, and Teckla.

There are many ways for a young man with quick wits and a quick sword to advance in the world. Vlad Taltos chose the route of assassin. From his rookie days to his selfless feats of heroism, the dauntless Vlad will hold readers spellbound—and The Book of Jhereg will take its place among the classic compilations in fantasy.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Stephen King's Misery for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

Bestselling novelist Paul Sheldon thinks he’s finally free of Misery Chastain. In a controversial career move, he’s just killed off the popular protagonist of his beloved romance series in favor of expanding his creative horizons. But such a change doesn’t come without consequences. After a near-fatal car accident in rural Colorado leaves his body broken, Paul finds himself at the mercy of the terrifying rescuer who’s nursing him back to health—his self-proclaimed number one fan, Annie Wilkes. Annie is very upset over what Paul did to Misery and demands that he find a way to bring her back by writing a new novel—his best yet, and one that’s all for her. After all, Paul has all the time in the world to do so as a prisoner in her isolated house...and Annie has some very persuasive and violent methods to get exactly what she wants...

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (September 14th)

In hardcover:

R.F. Kuang's Katabasis debuts at number 1. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Callie Hart's Quicksilver is down two spots, finishing the week at number 3. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Onyx Storm is up one position, ending the week at number 7. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Briar Boleyn's On Wings of Blood is down seven spots, finishing the week at number 9. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Stephen King's Never Flinch returns at number 10. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl returns at number 14. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary is down two positions, ending the week at number 5. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses is down three positions, ending the week at number 13. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now get your hands on the digital edition of John Marco's The Jackal of Nar for only 3.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

A nation's fate rests one one man's struggle between loyalty and desire.

His enemies call Prince Richius "the Jackal," but he is merely a reluctant warrior for the Emperor in the fight for the strife-ridden borderland of Lucel-Lor. And though the empire's war machines are deadly, when the leader of a fanatical sect sweeps the battlefield with potent magic, Richius's forces are routed. He returns home defeated—but the Emperor will not accept the loss. Soon Richius is given one last chance to pit the empire's science against the enemy's devastating magic, and this time he fights for more than a ruler's mad whim. This time Richius has his own obsessive quest—and where he hesitated to go for an emperor's greed, for love he will plunge headlong into the grasp of the deadliest enemy he has ever encountered. . . .

New J.V. Jones Interview and Extract

You may or may not know that J.V. Jones recently finished Endlords, the latest installment in the Sword of Shadows series. The manuscript has been turned in at Tor Books, but in the fifteen years since Watcher of the Dead was published her book deal has expired and no one is quite sure what's going to happen.

The Folks at Grimdark Magazine just posted an interview with the author. If you want to learn more about Endlords and the reason why it was so long in coming, you can read it here.

The have also posted the first chapter here.

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (September 7th)

In hardcover:

Callie Hart's Quicksilver debuts at number 1. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Briar Boleyn's On Wings of Blood debuts at number 2. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Christopher Golden and Brian Keene's The End of the World as We Know it debuts at number 3. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

K.X. Song's The Dragon Wakes With Thunder debuts at number 7. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Onyx Storm is down three positions, ending the week at number 8. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

T. Kingfisher's Hemlock and Silver debuts at number 9. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

V. E. Schwab's Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil returns at number 13. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary is down one position, ending the week at number 3. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses is down one position, ending the week at number 10. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Hannah Nicole Maehrer's Accomplice to the Villain is down thirteen positions, ending the week at number 14. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download The Best of the Best, Volume 2: 20 Years of the Best Short Science Fiction Novels, edited by Gardner Dozois, for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

For more than twenty years The Year's Best Science Fiction has been recognized as the best collection of short science fiction writing in the universe and an essential resource for every science fiction fan. In 2005 the original Best of the Best collected the finest short stories from that series and became a benchmark in the SF field. Now, for the first time ever, Hugo Award–winning editor Gardner Dozios sifts through hundreds of stories and dozens of authors who have gone on to become some of the most esteemed practitioners of the form, to bring readers the ultimate anthology of short science fiction novels from his legendary series.

Included are such notable short novels as:

Sailing to Byzantium by Robert Silverberg: In the fiftieth century, people of Earth are able to create entire cities on a whim, including those of mythology and legend. When twentieth-century traveler Charles Philip accidentally lands in this aberrant time period, he is simultaneously obsessed with discovering more about this alluring world and getting back home. But in a world made entirely of man's creation, things are not always as they seem on the surface.

Forgiveness Day by Ursula K. Le Guin: Le Guin returns to her Hainish-settled interstellar community, the Edumen, to tell the tale of two star-crossed lovers who are literally worlds apart in this story of politics, violence, religion, and cultural disparity.

Turquoise Days by Alastair Reynolds: On a sea-wold planet covered with idyllic tropical oceans, peace seems pervasive. Beneath the placid water lurks an ominous force that has the potential to destroy all tranquility.

Contributors include: Greg Egan; Joe Haldeman; James Patrick Kelly; Nancy Kress; Ursula K. Le Guin; Ian R. MacLeod; Ian McDonald; Maureen F. McHugh; Frederick Pohl; Alastair Reynolds; Robert Silverberg; Michael Swanwick; Walter Jon Williams

With work spanning two decades, The Best of the Best: Volume 2 stands as the ultimate anthology of short science fiction novels ever published in the world.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download The Dragonriders of Pern omnibus by Anne McCaffrey for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Together in one volume—the first three books in the world’s most beloved science-fiction series!

DRAGONFLIGHT

On a beautiful world called Pern, an ancient way of life is about to come under attack. Lessa is an outcast survivor—her parents murdered, her birthright stolen—a strong young woman who has never stopped dreaming of revenge. But when an ancient threat reemerges, Lessa will rise—upon the back of a great dragon with whom she shares a telepathic bond more intimate than any human connection. Together, dragon and rider will fly, and Pern will be changed forever.

DRAGONQUEST

Since Lessa and Ramoth, her golden queen dragon, traveled into the past to bring forward a small army of dragons and riders to save their world from deadly alien spores, fear and desperation have spread across the land. But while the dragonriders struggle with threats both human and otherworldly, a young rider named F’nor and his brown dragon, Canth, hatch a bold plan to destroy the alien scourge at its source—the baleful Red Star that fills the heavens and promises doom to all.

THE WHITE DRAGON

Never in the history of Pern has there been a dragon like Ruth. Mocked by other dragons for his small size and pure white color, Ruth is smart, brave, and loyal—qualities that he shares with his rider, the young Lord Jaxom. Unfortunately, Jaxom is also looked down upon by his fellow lords, and by other riders as well. His dreams of joining the dragonriders in defending Pern are dismissed. What else can Jaxom and Ruth do but strike out on their own, pursuing in secret all they are denied? But in doing so, the two friends will find themselves facing a desperate choice—one that will push their bond to the breaking point . . . and threaten the future of Pern itself.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can download Guy Gavriel Kay's incredible Under Heaven for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

UNDER HEAVEN will be published in April 2010, and takes place in a world inspired by the glory and power of Tang Dynasty China in the 8th century, a world in which history and the fantastic meld into something both memorable and emotionally compelling. In the novel, Shen Tai is the son of a general who led the forces of imperial Kitai in the empire's last great war against its western enemies, twenty years before. Forty thousand men, on both sides, were slain by a remote mountain lake. General Shen Gao himself has died recently, having spoken to his son in later years about his sadness in the matter of this terrible battle.

To honour his father's memory, Tai spends two years in official mourning alone at the battle site by the blue waters of Kuala Nor. Each day he digs graves in hard ground to bury the bones of the dead. At night he can hear the ghosts moan and stir, terrifying voices of anger and lament. Sometimes he realizes that a given voice has ceased its crying, and he knows that is one he has laid to rest.

The dead by the lake are equally Kitan and their Taguran foes; there is no way to tell the bones apart, and he buries them all with honour.

It is during a routine supply visit led by a Taguran officer who has reluctantly come to befriend him that Tai learns that others, much more powerful, have taken note of his vigil. The White Jade Princess Cheng-wan, 17th daughter of the Emperor of Kitai, presents him with two hundred and fifty Sardian horses. They are being given in royal recognition of his courage and piety, and the honour he has done the dead. You gave a man one of the famed Sardian horses to reward him greatly.

You gave him four or five to exalt him above his fellows, propel him towards rank, and earn him jealousy, possibly mortal jealousy. Two hundred and fifty is an unthinkable gift, a gift to overwhelm an emperor. Tai is in deep waters. He needs to get himself back to court and his own emperor, alive. Riding the first of the Sardian horses, and bringing news of the rest, he starts east towards the glittering, dangerous capital of Kitai, and the Ta-Ming Palace - and gathers his wits for a return from solitude by a mountain lake to his own forever-altered life.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Brandon Sanderson and Mary Robinette Kowal's The Original for only 0.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

Hugo Award-winning authors Brandon Sanderson and Mary Robinette Kowal team up in this sci-fi thriller set in a world where one woman fights to know her true identity and survive the forces that threaten her very existence.

In the near future, humans choose life—for a price. Injectable nanite technology is the lifeblood that flows through every individual wishing to experience the world through the lens of their own theme. While death from mortal wounds is still possible, life is made easier in a socially liberated society where automation and income equality allow passion pursuits to flourish over traditional work. Renewal stations are provided to every law-abiding citizen for weekly check-ins, which issue life-sustaining repairs in exchange for personal privacy. But what becomes of those who check out, of those who dare to resist immortality and risk being edited under the gaze of an identity-extracting government surveillance system?

When Holly Winseed wakes up in a hospital room, her memory compromised and a new identity imposed on her, a team of government agents wastes no time stating their objective. With intent to infiltrate and defeat the terrorist group ICON, the agents tell Holly that she is now a Provisional Replica and has one week to hunt down and kill her Original for the murder of her husband, Jonathan. If she succeeds, she’ll assume her Original’s place in society. If she fails, her life will end. Holly’s progress is monitored by an assigned contact that feeds her information as she confronts the blank, robotic world around her, discovering that others view life through the theme of their own choosing.

With her newly implanted combat and deduction skills, Holly fends off both attacks by terrorists and doubts about her own trustworthiness as clues lead her to her Original—and to the truth about Jonathan. In the end, one body remains and one walks away. Although questions persist, one thing is certain: Life will never be the same.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Anna Smith Spark's A Sword of Gold and Ruin for only 4.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

Readers of Shauna Lawless and Thilde Kold Holdt will love this Celtic-inflected adventure by critically acclaimed, grimdark epic fantasy novelist, Anna Smith Spark.

The sequel to the masterpiece folk horror high fantasy A Sword of Bronze and Ashes, a lyrical blend of epic myth and daily life.

Kanda and her family are on a quest to rebuild the glory that was Roven. Mother and daughters stand together as a light against the darkness. But mother and daughters both have hands that are stained red with blood. They walk a path that is stranger and more beautiful than even Kanda dared imagine, bright with joy, bitter with grief. Ghosts and monsters dog their footsteps - but the greatest monsters lie in their hearts.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Robin Hobb's The Rain Wilds Chronicles omnibus for only 3.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

From New York Times bestselling master storyteller Robin Hobb comes four thrilling fantasies set in the world of the Rain Wilds. Get all four novels in Robin Hobb's The Rain Wilds Chronicles in one e-book, including Dragon Keeper,Dragon Haven,City of Dragons, and Blood of Dragons. This thrilling series tells the story of the resurgence of dragons in a world that both needs and fears them.