Month: July 2022

THE GREAT GALAXIES BUNDLE

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THE GREAT GALAXIES BUNDLE

The Great Galaxies Adventure SF Bundle – Curated by Kevin J. Anderson

“It’s that time of year to sit back on the beach, pick up a good book—or a whole bundle of them!—and travel across time and space.

I’ve curated 14 Adventure Science Fiction books for a mind-bending reading roller-coaster ride across the galaxy. Name your own price, and get them all.

Grab your copy here!

In this Great Galaxies StoryBundle, you’ll get a brand-new exclusive novel by legendary SF master Alan Dean Foster, Prodigals—not yet released to the general public! Nexus is the first novel featuring the cosmic superhero by comics master Mike Baron, and Dr. Alien by Rajnar Vajra pits a human psychologist against an incomprehensible alien mindset to avert a galactic war.

The beautiful anthology, Last Cities of Earth—created by fan-favorite artist Jeff Sturgeon—contains 14 stories set in a fabulous post-apocalyptic future, written by David Gerrold, Mike Resnick, Brenda Cooper, Jody Lynn Nye, Steven L. Sears, Cat Rambo, and others, each accompanied by a full-color painting by Sturgeon. And who doesn’t like cats? Space cats? Mary Turzillo has an entire collection of her Cosmic Cats and Fantastic Furballs. For more great stories, Writers of the Future, volume 31, contains the best short fiction from the winners and finalists of one of the most respected writing contests in the genre.

Zeroland by Ryan Winters features a deadly post-apocalyptic America, where a man has been murdered at a research facility in the Arctic Circle and a deadly alien creature is on the loose. And for something a little lighter, Winston Chase and the Alpha Machine by William Van Winkle, offers a YA SF adventure in which Winston realizes that the school bully isn’t the biggest thing he needs to worry about—waking up to being a half-alien freak is worse.

Revenge, the first book in the City of Kaus series by Dani Hoots, is a swashbuckling LGBTQ+ sci-fi Western you won’t want to miss. In Day 9 by Robert Jeschonek, a genius builds a machine to bring mankind closer to God, another genius builds a cathedral with a mind of its own, and three searchers race a serial killer to find the man with the key to salvation.

Starhelm Epsilon by David Viergutz follows a plucky crew consisting of a Han Solo-like mech pilot thrust into a galactic war between three competing factions. And John Wilker delivers in the same genre with Any Job Will Do, where the unification wars happened a while ago, and Jax’s parents fought for the losing side. Now he takes the jobs he can get—smuggling, bounty hunting, hauling cargo. If it pays, he’ll do it.

Wisecracking star-sailor Gus Johansson’s beach-bum retirement suddenly goes from boring to blazing when he pulls a 1400-year-old robot and a sentient spaceship from the sea in Corvus Ascending. Soon, Gus and his crew of misfits are in the fight of their lives against an old enemy.

And finally, rounding out the star-spanning 14 books, Debunked by Dito Abbott launches the Terravenum Chronicles, a wild adventure of explorers and curses, ancient prophecies, sarcastic swords of legend, and mutant slime beasts.

That should be enough to keep your imagination busy throughout the dullest vacation.” –Kevin J. Anderson

* * *

Grab your copy here!

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For StoryBundle, you decide what price you want to pay. For $5 (or more, if you’re feeling generous), you’ll get the basic bundle of four books in any ebook format—WORLDWIDE.

  • Corvus Ascending by Dale Sale
  • Any Job Will Do by John Wilker
  • Cosmic Cats & Fantastic Furballs by Mary A. Turzillo
  • Winston Chase and the Alpha Machine by William Van Winkle

Grab your copy here!

If you pay at least the bonus price of just $20, you get all four of the regular books, plus ten more books for a total of 14!

  • Day 9 by Robert Jeschonek
  • Debunked by Dito Abbott
  • Starhelm Epsilon by David Viergutz
  • City of Kaus #1: Revenge by Dani Hoots
  • Zeroland by Ryan Winters
  • Writers of the Future: Volume 31 edited by David Farland
  • Prodigals by Alan Dean Foster
  • Jeff Sturgeon’s Last Cities of Earth edited by Jennifer Brozek
  • Nexus by Mike Baron
  • Dr. Alien by Rajnar Vajra

This bundle is available only for a limited time via here. It allows easy reading on computers, smartphones, and tablets as well as Kindle and other ereaders via file transfer, email, and other methods. You get multiple DRM-free formats (.epub, .mobi) for all books!

It’s also super easy to give the gift of reading with StoryBundle, thanks to our gift cards – which allow you to send someone a code that they can redeem for any future StoryBundle bundle – and timed delivery, which allows you to control exactly when your recipient will get the gift of StoryBundle.

Grab your copy here!

Why StoryBundle? Here are just a few benefits StoryBundle provides.

  • Get quality reads: We’ve chosen works from excellent authors to bundle together in one convenient package.
  • Pay what you want (minimum $5): You decide how much these fantastic books are worth. If you can only spare a little, that’s fine! You’ll still get access to a batch of exceptional titles.
  • Support authors who support DRM-free books: StoryBundle is a platform for authors to get exposure for their works, both for the titles featured in the bundle and for the rest of their catalog. Supporting authors who let you read their books on any device you want—restriction free—will show everyone there’s nothing wrong with ditching DRM.
  • Give to worthy causes: Bundle buyers have a chance to donate a portion of their proceeds to the Challenge Center for Space Education!
  • Receive extra books: If you beat the bonus price, you’ll get the bonus books!

StoryBundle was created to give a platform for independent authors to showcase their work, and a source of quality titles for thirsty readers. StoryBundle works with authors to create bundles of ebooks that can be purchased by readers at their desired price. Before starting StoryBundle, Founder Jason Chen covered technology and software as an editor for Gizmodo.com and Lifehacker.com.

For more information, visit our website at storybundle.com, tweet us at @storybundle and like us on Facebook. For press inquiries, please email press@storybundle.com.

Grab your copy here!

*reposting this blog post from Kevin J Anderson’s post on Story Bundle*

Book Review of In Deeper Waters by FT Lukens

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Title: In Deeper Waters

Author: FT Lukens

Review by: Dani Hoots

Genre: YA Fantasy/LGBT+/Romance
 

Rating: 5/5

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Back cover:

Prince Tal has long awaited his coming-of-age tour. After spending most of his life cloistered behind palace walls as he learns to keep his forbidden magic secret, he can finally see his family’s kingdom for the first time. His first taste of adventure comes just two days into the journey, when their crew discovers a mysterious prisoner on a burning derelict vessel.

Tasked with watching over the prisoner, Tal is surprised to feel an intense connection with the roguish Athlen. So when Athlen leaps overboard and disappears, Tal feels responsible and heartbroken, knowing Athlen could not have survived in the open ocean.

That is, until Tal runs into Athlen days later on dry land, very much alive, and as charming—and secretive—as ever. But before they can pursue anything further, Tal is kidnapped by pirates and held ransom in a plot to reveal his rumored powers and instigate a war. Tal must escape if he hopes to save his family and the kingdom. And Athlen might just be his only hope…

This books was so cute and charming! Tal is sailing around the kingdom as his coming-of-age tour and saves a young man by the name of Athlen. Athlen jumped off the boat and Tal believes he is dead. Heartbroken, he tries to distract himself—until he runs into him on land.

Tal is a kind character who wants to help. He wants to listen to his people and do whatever he can to ease their suffering. There is one catch, however, and it is that Tal can use magic. Magic is very frowned upon in this world since Tal’s grandfather destroyed many other kingdoms with magic and killed a lot of different creatures. This puts a large target on Tal’s back—so much so that he is kidnapped.

Athlen is a complex and fun character as well and the two are so adorable together. This felt very much like a Little Mermaid retelling and I loved it for that. It was a quick read, which is also nice for me since I get distracted easily with all the stuff I juggle… If you love YA gay romances with princes and fantasy, then definitely check this story out!

~Dani

 

Book Review of Dustborn by Erin Bowm

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Title: Dustborn

Author: Erin Bowman

Review by: Dani Hoots

Genre: Sci-Fi Wester/Dystopian/YA
 

Rating: 5/5

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Back cover:

Delta of Dead River has always been told to hide her back, where a map is branded on her skin to a rumored paradise called the Verdant. In a wasteland plagued by dust squalls, geomagnetic storms, and solar flares, many would kill for it—even if no one can read it. So when raiders sent by a man known as the General attack her village, Delta suspects he is searching for her. 

Delta sets out to rescue her family but quickly learns that in the Wastes no one can be trusted—perhaps not even her childhood friend, Asher, who has been missing for nearly a decade. If Delta can trust Asher, she just might decode the map and trade evidence of the Verdant to the General for her family. What Delta doesn’t count on is what waits at the Verdant: a long-forgotten secret that will shake the foundation of her entire world.

My two favorite genres are dark academia and sci-fi western/dystopian, so I knew the moment I picked this up, I would be very happy! And I was! Delta was a great character who simply wanted to survive—and wanted her pack to survive. Although I felt some of her choices were selfish, with the setting, atmosphere, and world, it made sense and was not out of character.

From the gecko, we are thrown into a harsh, desert world where water is running out, supplies are dwindling, and it takes everything just to survive. At first the world felt a bit confusing and I was trying to map it in my mind (BTW it comes with a map!) but later in the book, everything was revealed and I did not see it coming! There are a lot of twists and turns in this book and I was surprised for each and every one of them!

I really liked Asher as well. He has gone through a lot but was still a sweetheart. All the characters were interesting, had a driving force, and made sense. I cannot wait to read more by Erin Bowman! If you love dystopian books, I recommend checking this one out!

~Dani

 

Book Review of How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao

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Title: How We Fall Apart

Author: Katie Zhao

Review by: Dani Hoots

Genre: YA Thriller/Mystery/Dark Academia
 

Rating: 5/5

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Back cover:

In a YA thriller that is Crazy Rich Asians meets One of Us is Lying, students at an elite prep school are forced to confront their secrets when their ex-best friend turns up dead.

Nancy Luo is shocked when her former best friend, Jamie Ruan, top-ranked junior at Sinclair Prep, goes missing, and then is found dead. Nancy is even more shocked when word starts to spread that she and her friends–Krystal, Akil, and Alexander–are the prime suspects, thanks to “the Proctor,” someone anonymously incriminating them via the school’s social media app.

They all used to be Jamie’s closest friends, and she knew each of their deepest, darkest secrets. Now, somehow the Proctor knows them, too. The four must uncover the true killer before The Proctor exposes more than they can bear and costs them more than they can afford, like Nancy’s full scholarship. Soon, Nancy suspects that her friends may be keeping secrets from her, too.

Katie Zhao’s YA debut is an edge-of-your-seat drama set in the pressure-cooker world of academics and image at Sinclair Prep, where the past threatens the future these teens have carefully crafted for themselves. How We Fall Apart is the irresistible, addicting, Asian-American recast of Gossip Girl that we’ve all been waiting for.

I am a big fan of dark academia, so Katie Zhao’s HOW WE FALL APART was a wonderful addition to my collection! I loved getting to learn more about the main character and her secrets as time passed in the book instead of it all being dumped on at once. It was suspenseful and such a great read.

Some people say they thought it was a lot like ONE OF US IS LYING by Karen McManus, but I didn’t feel that was the case. Although some stuff is similar, like the fact it’s at a high school and is a mystery, the twists and turns weren’t predictable at all. It was very well written and different compared to other dark academia due to the fact it deals with issues that some, if not many, Asian Americans face. I love that more diverse books are getting published and will always keep supporting those books.

All in all, if you love dark academia, be sure to check out this book! Katie Zhao has another book coming this year and I cannot wait to devour it like I did this one!

~Dani

 

Book Review of Go Hunt Me by Kelly DeVos

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Title: Go Hunt Me

Author: Kelly DeVos

Review by: Dani Hoots

Genre: YA Thriller/Mystery/Dark Academia
 

Rating: 5/5

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Back cover:

Alex Rush is ready for the trip of a lifetime.
 
She and her friends have made some creepily awesome films together throughout high school, so with only a few months left before they go their separate ways for college, they’re determined to make the best one yet: an epic short film that reimagines the story of Dracula, filmed on location at a remote castle in Romania.
 
But when they get there, it’s not quite the majestic setting they planned for. Menacing weapons line the walls, the twisted halls are easy to get lost in, and with no connection to the outside world, the group is unexpectedly off the grid. After just a few hours spent under its roof, Alex and her friends have no trouble imagining how this dark, terrifying castle inspired one of the most enduring horror novels of all time.
 
Only soon they no longer have to use their imaginations to understand the location’s terrifying history—just as they get the film’s first shot rolling, one of Alex’s friends disappears, and she’s nearly certain she saw a cloaked stranger lurking in the shadows. As more members of the group begin to meet an untimely demise, Alex is desperate to stop the bloodshed, even if it means facing a monster she never thought would be let loose.

GO HUNT ME by Kelly DeVos was one of those books that I read almost all in one sitting (and then couldn’t sleep after). It is eerie, scary, and will keep you on the edge of your seat. I loved the setting, which was partially in Phoenix (where I live) and Vlad Dracul’s castle in Romania. The stormy weather was also a great aspect, as I could feel the stress of the characters wanting to run by couldn’t.

 

The story is told by the main character as she is telling it to the police. The story is about a group of students who get to shoot their movie in a Romanian castle. As they get there, they notice something is off as a storm shuts off the power and there is something lurking in the shadows. I loved how it was all in one POV and you get to feel the storyteller’s reactions, along with the police officer after she tells a bit of each section of the story.

This story wasn’t exactly what I expected, as I was expecting more paranormal, but that is okay! I loved a lot and Kelly is a great storyteller. If you haven’t be sure to check out her books!

~Dani