Results tagged “free books”

November is here!

You know what that means.

Halloween has just passed, leaving both kids and adults alike with candy galore. The clocks have fallen behind, giving everyone an extra hour to read (you didn’t use it for sleep, did you?). The blustery fall weather is torturing what foliage remains and is quickly becoming winter—at least in the northern hemisphere. And bookstores have begun gearing up for the holiday sales season.

It is also time for new additions to the Suvudu Free Library!

We have three great books ready for your free download:

A Kiss of Shadows by Laurell K. Hamilton

Laurell K. Hamilton has been a fixture in the urban fantasy / paranormal romance section of the bookstore for a long time now. Through Anita Blake, she gave readers a fun and sexy vampire / werewolf / undead story. But Anita is not her only great creation. A Kiss of Shadows is the first book in the Meredith Gentry series and it is just as fun and as filled with glorious romping as her other series. Definitely give A Kiss of Shadows After all, it is free!

Trading In Danger by Elizabeth Moon

There has been some fantastic space opera done the last five years and Elizabeth Moon is one of the authors producing it. Even though my favorite book by Elizabeth is The Speed of Dark, Trading In Danger is a great read as well, the first in a new series spanning the universe with a kick ass heroine. And here you get to read it for free!

The Best of Robert E. Howard: Crimson Shadows by Robert E. Howard

Robert E. Howard is one of the most famous and influential pulp authors of the twentieth century. Though largely known as the man who invented the sword-and-sorcery genre—and for his iconic hero Conan the Cimmerian—Howard also wrote horror tales, desert adventures, detective yarns, epic poetry, and more. This spectacular volume, gorgeously illustrated by Jim and Ruth Keegan, includes some of his best and most popular works. Can’t argue with free!

There you go! The new free eBooks for the Free Library!

Pretty soon, with the fast approaching holiday season, you’ll want to spend your time with your nose in a book instead of talking to that wacky, fruitcake-making aunt who never remembers your name.

Use the Free Library!!

And keep some of your sanity!

The Free Library has a been a wonderful success. Thousands and thousands of people have downloaded free eBooks and discovered new and exciting authors to read. In an economy that forces all of us to make tough choices, I am happy to see the Free Library getting such use—and helping others enjoy reading while saving them money!

As usual, Suvudu will be posting new additions to the Free Library at the beginning of November—three great books, in fact.

But on November 1st, many of those free eBooks already listed in the Free Library will be reverting back to their authors—and back to cover price.

So these last few October days see your last chance to download these books:

• Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning
• Manifold: Time by Stephen Baxter
• Queen of the Orcs: King’s Property by Morgan Howell
• The Brass Bed by Jennifer Stevenson
• The Briar King by Greg Keyes
• Changelings by McCaffrey & Scarborough
• Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
• Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur

Because at the end of Halloween night, the only trick will be on you if you don’t take advantage of the Free Library books that will disappear!

More to come soon though!

Stay tuned!

It is that time of month again.

Except this time it is different.

I look outside and I see a Seattle draped in gray. Just in the last week the weather has taken a turn toward winter. The leaves are changing, the trees wearing gold and burnt orange and crimson. The days are getting shorter and the nights longer. The wind is no longer welcome but instead has a toothy bite to it. Soon it will be raining and sleeting and snowing and whatever else Seattle weather can achieve to keep me inside.

It will be like that in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere soon.

That means a lot more time to read. And I’ve been reading a lot more in the last week.

Thankfully we have the Free Library to use when I have no wish to drive through torrents of rain to make it to the bookstore!

Today Suvudu has added two new titles. Here they are:

The Demon Awakens by R.A. Savlatore and Starfist: First to Fight by David Sherman and Dan Cragg!

• The Demon Awakens is considered by most of my friends—readers and authors alike—to be Salvatore’s best series. Not to take anything away from Drizzt, but the sheer amount of work Salvatore put into the world of Corona is quickly evident just from the first few pages. Great characters, great political intrigue and great magic. You will love it and I highly recommend a free eBook download!


• Starfist: First to Fight is, quite simply, one of the best and most fun “Marine” sci-fi books out there. Hardened warriors against insurmountable odds—on an alien planet. How can sci-fi get better than that, eh? As we haven’t offered a lot in the way of sci-fi, we thought October would be a fun time to throw a monkey wrench into the works—for free!

These books are available exclusively through our retailer outlets in a variety of eBook formats. Click HERE to read more about the titles and start downloading today!

More in November! Keep the weather at bay with the Free Library!

Happy reading!

September is here.

Summer is coming to a close in some parts of the United States and Seattle is no exception. I can feel it in the air. The leaves, once so vibrant green, are becoming dull. The Seattle mornings possess a misty gloom before eventually burning off to temperate afternoons. And the sunsets, while colorful and beautiful, are occurring earlier and earlier. Soon the leaves will be dropping off, the morning chill will give way to all-day rainy cold, and the days will shorten to almost non-existence.

My favorite season, fall, is right around the corner.

It is my favorite season for many reasons, but first and foremost is the transition from doing outdoor activities to those indoor in nature. Reading is on top of that list. I spend more money and time on books in the fall and winter than the other two seasons, which means I get to enjoy some great tales by some of the best the genre has to offer!

I’m happy to note that the Free Library will be helping me out some financially, especially with one of the books just published as a free eBook today!

1500 Followers—take that, Branch Davidians.

I mean…hooray for us!

And, more importantly: hooray for you. Because, as promised, @bantamspectra is giving away books.

The rules are pretty simple:

1) Follow us on Twitter
2) Be a U.S. citizen (We’re so sorry—we love all of our foreign followers, but they kind of get antsy here when we have to send stuff international, which for some reason includes Canada. Yes, we realize Canada is a separate country, but, well…come on. It’s right there. Alas, our friends to the north, I can’t bend on this).
3) Send a tweet with “@bantamspectra” saying you want free books (or simply make sure it has “@bantamspectra” and “#15kbk”)
4) Do this (once) until 11:59 PM EST, Sunday, August 23, 2009.
5) Wait for us to put the entries into a random number generator (the order you respond is your number), and then pick the winners.
6) Win free books!
7) We will announce the winners by Wednesday, August 26, 2009 (but probably sooner), and ask that they DM us with their address.
8) Receive free books!

And which books, exactly, can you win? Let me tell you:

All great things must come to an end.

At least that end is a week away—and you can prepare!

Suvudu has offered its Free Library since March 2009, allowing readers to download eBooks of some of the best books in the genre. For five months people could download them for free on a number of different platforms.

Now those books are returning to their authors and publishers and in a week they will drop off of the Free Library.

That means you have a week remaining to download these fine books:

• His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik
• Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb
• Settling Accounts: Return Engagement by Harry Turtledove
• Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
• Blood Engines by T.A. Pratt

One week remains for free downloads of those great books.

So what are you waiting for?

Get downloadin’!

Maybe you were unable to attend Comic Con to stand in the long lines for books and posters signed by your favorite authors or just maybe you are STILL upset that you stood in the long line but were cut off before you could get a signed prize. Disappointing wasn’t (and isn’t) it?! Well, you may just be in luck as Suvudu has a bunch of signed titles and Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi/Death Troopers posters signed by Aaron Allston, Christie Golden and Troy Denning from Comic Con ‘09 to giveaway.

It’s the beginning of the month again!

And you know what that means, right?

No, not endless days of 100 degree Seattle heat leeching away my sanity well into a new month, with no hope of air conditioning ever blowing on my face or allowing me a moment of peaceful slumber!

Can you read how whiny I sound? I really do sound like that right now!

Indeed, instead, it is time to update our Free Library and offer new free eBooks that we can take on Kindles and laptops to the nearest air conditioned cafe or coffee source!

Here are the new additions:

• The Briar King by Greg Keyes – Two thousand years ago, the Born Queen defeated the Skasloi lords, freeing humans from the bitter yoke of slavery. But now monstrous creatures roam the land—and destinies become inextricably entangled in a drama of power and seduction. The king’s woodsman, a rebellious girl, a young priest, a roguish adventurer, and a young man made suddenly into a knight—all face malevolent forces that shake the foundations of the kingdom, even as the Briar King, legendary harbinger of death, awakens from his slumber. At the heart of this many-layered tale is Anne Dare, youngest daughter of the royal family … upon whom the fate of her world may depend.
• King’s Property by Morgan Howell – Born into hardship, Dar learns to rely on herself alone. When her family betrays her, Dar is conscripted into King Kregant’s army and its brutal campaign to conquer a neighboring country. Now she is bound as a slave to a dreaded regiment of orcs, creatures legendary for their savagery and battle prowess. Rather than cower, Dar rises to the challenge. She learns the unique culture and language of the orcs, survives treachery from both allies and enemies, and struggles to understand a mystical gift that brings her dark, prophetic visions. As the war escalates-amid nightmarish combat and shattering loss-Dar must seize a single chance at freedom.
• The Brass Bed by Jennifer Stevenson – THE CURSE: Satisfy one hundred women or be trapped in a brass bed forever Lord Randall was a lousy lover in 1811, so his magician-mistress turned him into a sex demon. Lucky for him, his bed fell into Clay’s hands. THE CON: Sex therapy for women on an antique brass “treatment bed”
  Clay has the perfect scam going, until that pesky, foxy fraud investigator Jewel comes sniffing around. Lucky for him, she has a soft spot for hunky con men. THE CHOICE: Sex demon or sex fraudster? Jewel is Randy’s hundredth woman. Now he says he’s her personal sex slave, and her case against the con artist is dissolving in a hail of hormones. Lucky for her, she’s a tough cop with a lusty libido.
  

There you go! Three new additions to the Free Library! Of those posted I have read The Briar King by Greg Keyes and I think it is one of the best novels I have read in quite a while. It is also one of those books Terry Brooks forced me to read because it deserved to be. The Briar King is the first book of a completed quartet. Keyes writes great characters and I have to admit when I finished up the last few chapters of the last book in the series, The Born Queen, I had standing tears in the eyes.

Now I get to try King’s Property and The Brass Bed—for free!

Be sure to tell your friends about these free books! I’m sure they are fans as well!

Until next month…View image

As readers of Suvudu know, we are proud to launch Del Rey Comics with the adaptation of Stephen King and Peter Straub’s THE TALISMAN. The comic will be adapted from the novel by Robin Furth with pencils and inks by Tony Shasteen, colors by Nei Ruffino, and cover paintings by Massimo Carnevale.

We’re so excited about this book that we have created a special black and white preview edition of issue 0 that we will give away for FREE at San Diego Comic Con. Come by the Del Rey booth, #1129, and ask for your copy.

Not going to comic con? The full color issue 0 will be available in comic shops around the country on October, 21 for $1.00. Find your local comic book shop at comicshoplocator.com.

We also want to know what you think of it. Please email us at delreycomics@randomhouse.com

Ahh, I love the repetition of these types of posts!

It is the first of the month! Again!

And like the previous four months—again—Suvudu and its Free Library are bringing you free eBooks to try and get hooked on!

Here are the new additions:

• Manifold: Time by Stephen Baxter – Once upon a time I used to work with an employee named Graham at a Barnes & Noble. He had his PhD. He had the driest of wits that tend to accompany such men. Along with Steven Erikson and Robert V.S. Redick, he was one of the smartest people I’ve met. And he was also exceptionally well read in science fiction literature. He swore by Stephen Baxter and loved the Manifold series, repeatedly saying Baxter was one of the best at interweaving hard science with great storytelling that is pertinent to our world’s cultural, economic and scientific problems. I have not yet read Manifold: Time but it’s nice to know I can now for free! And so can you!
• Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning – Here is another book I haven’t read yet will soon thanks to the Free Library! Urban fantasy and paranormal romance have been so huge as of the last few years and it sounds like Darkfever sits right between them. When MacKayla Lane’s sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death, Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed—a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae…

There you go! Two new additions to the Free Library!

Yes, make sure you pay your rent and mortgage on time. It is the first of the month, after all, no matter how much it pains you. Then feel good about yourself by saving money and downloading one of these free eBooks!

And be sure to tell your friends about these free books! I’m sure they are fans as well!

Until next month…

It is a new month!

You know what that means, right?

That’s right! New additions to the Suvudu Free Library!

All are great books!

And the best part. I can’t say it enough. They are free!

• Magic Kingdom For Sale—Sold! by Terry Brooks
• For Love of Mother-Not by Alan Dean Foster
• Star Wars: Precipice by John Jackson Miller

Pretty cool, huh?

Magic Kingdom For Sale—Sold! by Terry Brooks is the first book in the Landover series. Terry is best known for the epic fantasy of his Shannara series but he has written two other series that are also well-written and great tales! If you are a Shannara fan but haven’t tried Landover, here is your chance to try it for free!

For Love of Mother-Not by Alan Dean Foster is the first chronological book in his wondrous Pip & Flinx series, which just wrapped up last month in Flinx Transcendent. Here is your chance to try Alan’s work!

Star Wars: Lost Tribe of The Sith: Precipice by John Jackson Miller is a Star Wars short story. To read more about this great free tale, read what Kyle had to say about it last week HERE! Then go download it and read it—for free!

Visit the Free Library page and decide how you want to download them. You never know. You might find your next favorite writer!

More coming soon! So stay tuned!

That’s right!

It’s that time again!

No, I don’t mean rent time. Or Cinco de Mayo. Or another month passing without A Dance With Dragons!

This is far more important! It’s time to add new titles to the Suvudu Free Library!

This month we have three new additions to go alongside those that have come before, books you can download for free, read, and decide for yourself if you like them and if you want to read more by those writers.

All are great books!

And the best part. I can’t say it enough. They are free!

• Kiss of Midnight by Lara Adrian
• Weapons of Choice by John Birmingham
• Elric: The Stealer of Souls by Michael Moorcock

Visit the Free Library page and decide how you want to download them. You never know. You might find your next favorite writer!

More coming soon! So stay tuned!

Bestselling author Douglas Clegg made digital history a decade ago when his novel Naomi became the Internet’s first publisher-sponsored e-serial.

In that tradition, last year, Clegg made a deal with his fans: If they spread the word and got enough people to check out the free online version of his acclaimed novel Afterlife, he would reward them with a brand new free serial this summer.

Well, they did. And he will. Earlier today the widget below surfaced on the web, counting down to the release of a brand new free email serial. And given the description (click on the widget to get details) we can’t wait.

This is going to be killer.

Sorry, but this contest has ended. If you entered in time, please keep an eye on your email account (and your junk mail filter, just in case). We’ll be contacting the winner shortly. Thanks for checking in!

Remember, the prize contains one of each of the following:

• $100 Suvudu VISA gift card
• In Odd We Trust by Dean Koontz (signed by Dean Koontz and Queenie Chan)
• The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle by Jim Butcher (signed by Jim Butcher)
• The Pirate King by R.A. Salvatore (signed by R.A. Salvatore)
• The Stowaway by R.A. Salvatore and Geno Salvatore (signed by R.A. Salvatore and Geno Salvatore)
• Breakdowns: Portrait of the artist as a young %@#*! by Art Spiegelman
• Gears of the City by Felix Gilman
• City at the End of Time by Greg Bear
• Brisingr by Christopher Paolini
• Damosel by Stephanie Spinner

So come one, come all! No matter what you celebrate this holiday season (or if you do at all), we want to give you the gift of some truly awesome books.

The interesting thing about the Amazon Kindle is that it’s a year old and people are still pontificating about whether it’s going to succeed or not. They wonder if it’s got the right functionality, how it can be better. They go on at length about how its limited online scope hurts it, or, in the opinion of the New York Times Book Review, helps it.

I received a Kindle, quite unexpectedly, for my birthday last July. It was never something I considered getting: the DRM bugged me, it was expensive, and I liked my regular books too much.

But it grew on me. I’m finding the Kindle as an excellent tool for a geek in general, and a sci-fi fan in specific. And, believe it or not, the Kindle can be a way an SF geek can save money - (once you get past the initial price tag).

• You can email PDFs and other files to your Kindle for $.10 a file. Or put them on the device for free if you connect it to your computer (but come on, email’s so freaking easy I don’t mind the dime).
• Many podcast-to-print SF books are available via free PDF: Jack Wakes Up, and Digital Magic and The Case of the Pitcher’s Pendant, to name a few.
• Several publishers are starting to release books via free PDF, including Small Beer Press (Magic for Beginners and The Ant King and Other Stories and others), Tor.com (various titles at different times; you must be a member of the site; it’s free) and Baen.com (the Baen Free Library).
• James Lewin recently stated, “The Kindle is a basically an expensive device that lets rich people get access to a store that lets them buy other expensive stuff.” And while I won’t argue that the price of the Kindle needs to come down, I wonder if he’s actually looked at the Kindle store. Most books are $10 or less, and I’d make a safe bet that nearly all are cheaper than their print versions. And yet I didn’t see him complaining about the price of books.
• Speaking of the Kindle store, you can also get subscriptions to both Asimov’s and Analog on the Kindle (which works out great for me, as I’d let Asimov’s run out and I hate it when I miss a James Patrick Kelly or Connie Willis story). I pay $2.99 per issue.

We geeks are a lot who like instant gratification, and the Kindle feeds that quite well. One morning this summer I was at a remote beach house with no Internet and I was suffering from insomnia. I got up at 5 in the morning and decided to browse the Kindle store. I was reading a new book within a minute.

People like to talk about how the Kindle isn’t the “iPod of eReaders yet” and they mention the high price and the problems, and yes, I don’t deny a lot of those are true. Still, it’s been out a year now, and people are still talking about it. That’s a good sign - if it was really not a factor, people wouldn’t still be talking about it. I’m looking forward to seeing what Amazon does with future versions of the Kindle, and eager to see if they drop DRM.

Right now I feel super powerful with mine, carrying around a library, with access to more books at any moment. Kinda like a tricorder. Now all I need is to be able to read life forms with the thing and I’ll be set.

(On the topic of the free books and Creative Commons, I’ll pontificate on that at a later date.)