Results tagged “free library”

hamilton-kiss.jpgNovember 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!

keyes-briar2.jpgThe 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
Ever wanted to try Perdido Street Station by China Mieville but heard it was a difficult read? Now is the time to try and find out yourself! Ever wanted to find out why so many reviewers complimented the series begun by The Briar King as George R. R. Martin-lite? Read it! Need a quick fix of great science fiction writing like that supplied by Stephen Baxter? Desire a foray into a new urban fantasy like that in Full Moon Rising? Get downloading now!


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!

Next week is going to be a fun week for me!

On Monday I am seeing Todd Lockwood for an online signing.

On Wednesday I am taking part in the Terry Brooks & Christopher Paolini Suvudu chat!

On Thursday I am meeting Joe Schreiber for an online signing for Star Wars: Death Troopers.

And as the finale on Friday at 7pm EDT / 4pm PDT, I am conducting a Suvudu Chat with bestselling writer R.A. Salvatore!

R.A. Salvatore has two new books out: The Dame and The Ghost King. We’ll be talking about anything and everything—whatever you want. He’ll be answering questions as well as talking about what he is planning on doing next.

Sign up for a chat reminder below!

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See in one week!

On October 1st, the Suvudu Free Library was updated with two new titles!

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

The PDFs for those books have now been added to the Free Library. That means all sci-fi and fantasy readers out there have no excuse to try these two great free books!

Read them on your laptop. Read them on your computer. Read them on your Kindle. Or your Sony Reader. Or whatever electronic means you enjoy reading!

You have no excuse!

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And it’s looking like we have two great books to place in our Free Library for November!

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:

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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!

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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!

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When I was manning the Suvudu table at the 2009 San Diego Comic Con, I was fortunate to hear some great questions given to editors from fans across the table.

Many of those questions were centered around George R. R. Martin, obviously, but the second huge group of questions surrounded Karen Marie Moning and her Fever series. She has a quickly growing fan base—those who love her gritty first person urban fantasy—and many of the questions at the convention swirled around the new and the fourth book in the series, Dreamfever.

That book is now out!

Karen took part in a Borders True Romance event today in support of Dreamfever. To read the Q&A and blog transcript, click HERE!

And be sure to leave a comment. Those who do will be entered into a contest to win a signed copy of Dreamfever as well as the official Fever soundtrack, Bloodrush.

And if you haven’t already, try out the first book in the Fever series, Darkfever, for FREE!

Happy Reading!

Tad WilliamsAll 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
I am a huge proponent of His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik. Director Peter Jackson is moving toward his next big-budget movie and right now it is adapting Ms. Novik’s debut book into a live-action movie! If you haven’t done it, download it for free—before it is gone for free!

One week remains for free downloads of those great books.

So what are you waiting for?

Get downloadin’!

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

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Almost two months ago, Suvudu updated its Free Library with Magic Kingdom For Sale–Sold! by Terry Brooks.

Ever since that time the book has been #1 on Amazon’s Terry Brooks rankings, with the second book, The Black Unicorn, suddenly fluctuating between #2-4. That means a lot of people are reading the first Landover novel and picking up The Black Unicorn!

On Monday I will be updating the Free Library with three new titles, one of which is easily one of my favorite novels. Until then, download Magic Kingdom For Sale–Sold! over the weekend—or whenever!—as a FREE eBook and try it out.

At the end of August, Terry will be doing a short tour for A Princess of Landover, Book Six in the Landover series. I will be posting that tour soon. In the meantime, get acquainted with Landover.

Because one of the books I will be posting for FREE on Monday is also one of Terry’s favorites.

Know the writer before you know the critic!

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It’s going to be a big week for Star Wars fans. Not only is Comic-Con about to kick off (featuring its Star Wars Friday and the loads of great Star Wars stuff on offer from Del Rey), but we’re giving you a new free e-book and it isn’t even the first of the month.

How ‘bout that, eh?

Today, you’ll find Lost Tribe of the Sith: Skyborn in the Suvudu Free Library. John Jackson Miller (writer of the Dark Horse Comics series Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic) returns with another tale of the lost Sith. And as if that isn’t enough, it also includes an excerpt from Troy Denning’s upcoming Fate of the Jedi novel Abyss which is due out on August 18.

So go on, head over to the Free Library and grab the latest and greatest of the Lost Tribe tales. You won’t be disappointed.

Want a small sampling before downloading the book? Follow along after the jump for a first look at the story, but SPOILERS BEWARE if you haven’t yet read the first story. You’ve been warned.

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…

foster-pip.jpgIt 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!

moorcock-stealer.jpgThat’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!

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!

Suvudu is now offering in the Free Library Star Wars Fate of the Jedi: Dramatis Personae!

Fate of the Jedi is the new Star Wars series set almost four decades after the events of Return of the Jedi, where the characters we know and love have become legends in their own right even as they struggle against the Dark Side of the Force. The Dramatis Personae, a free ebook in our Free Library, introduces new readers or readers who need a refresher to what has been going in the last 40 years in the Star Wars universe.

It is a fun read, making me want to pull out the movie trilogies and watch them back to back, but Dramatis Personae also has an excerpt from Book One in Fate of the Jedi, Star Wars: Outcast, written by Aaron Allston!

So, if you are a Star Wars fan, check out the newest book to our Free Library!

And get ready for next month! Got a few new additions coming!

PS: Get well, Aaron!

All of us at Suvudu hope you are spending your weekend downloading and reading the fantastic titles offered in Suvudu’s Free Library. As Read an Ebook Week comes to a close today, I thought I’d take a look at what others have to say or are offering up. Just a few favs…

Tor.com
Free e-book: Charles de Lint’s Spiritwalk

Suite101.com
Celebrate Read an Ebook Week: Two Small Presses Give Away Free Ebook

i09.com
Baen’s Free Library Offers Fast Elves, Squatting Ladies


After reading that post, how can I not mention the Baen Free Library.

I know how I will be spending my weekend.

novik-dragon.jpgWhen I began web design in 1996, publicity and marketing were purely print entities for publishers.

Few authors had email. Fewer still had websites. Publishers were just starting to realize the power of the internet(s). They relied on bookstores to spread the word about forthcoming books while releasing hundreds of advanced reader copies into the wild to generate knowledge and discussion among the booksellers—and among the fans.

It is truly amazing how far technology and our use of it has come.

Suvudu.com has been evolving as well since we launched at the San Diego Comic Con last year, slowly upgrading into the initial idea we had for this site. It has been really exciting to be a part of. We started with the blog, moved into a forum and today sees another step in that evolution.

A few more steps remain. But as a reader and fan, today’s step is one I am truly excited about!

Welcome to the Free Library!

Here is the official press release:

NEW YORK, NY - March 4, 2009 - Random House, Inc. today unveiled the first five titles in its new Suvudu Free First Book Library. Designed to introduce new readers to popular and acclaimed science fiction and fantasy series, the Suvudu Free First Book Library allows readers to access free digital copies of the first book in each series.

The program launches with access to the following novels:

  • 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

The books will be made available through Random House’s science fiction/fantasy portal, Suvudu.com (http://www.suvudu.com), as well as on other content services, including Scribd.com and the Stanza ebook reader application for the iPhone.

Says Christine Cabello, Random House Publishing Group Deputy Director of Marketing: “The Suvudu Free First Book promotion provides us with a new digital vehicle to build an author’s fan base and is an ideal way to bring new readers to these series.”

New titles are scheduled to be added to the Suvudu Free First Book Library on a regular basis. Coming soon are Terry Brooks’s Magic Kingdom for Sale—Sold!, Elizabeth Moon’s Trading in Danger, and many more.

The Free Library will allow readers to try these new books. And perhaps more importantly I think, if you’ve read any of these books already and call yourself a true sci-fi/fantasy aficionado, you can now point your friends and family to these books to either find a new favorite author or understand your obsession a bit better. The books are free—spread word around!

This is a section of the site we will be growing into every month. So be sure to check back and see what other books we feature!

But right now, try our new Free Library!

365 Days of Manga
Are you a manga connoisseur looking to complete your collection? New to the world of manga and want to explore a little more? Here’s your chance to win up to 5 FREE manga volumes from Jason’s collection! Just sign up below--entries are accepted daily!*






State
Preferred type of manga
shonen (boys')
shojo (girls') & josei (women's)
yaoi
seinen (adult men's)
no preference
I certify that I am 18 years of age or older (optional, but you won't get any yaoi or seinen manga if you're under 18)
*Previous winners are ineligible for future drawings.
Official rules
The Ghost King by R.A. Salvatore
Jonathan Rosenberg's GOATS graphic novels
Bookseller Roundtable Discussion
Star Wars - Millennium Falcon
Pantheon Graphic Novels