Spontaneous ∂erivation

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There is nothing like a girl and her bat-winged black steed of night. Really; it sounds like an enjoyable and down-to-earth version of Dragonriders without the SF elements. Third in the Horsemistress saga, and the sequel to Airs and Graces.

The first book in the series, Airs Beneath the Moon, is not yet available on the Kindle.

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I know Greg Keyes from his tie-in novel trilogy, Babylon 5: The Psi Corps Trilogy. If, like me, you have fond memories of his storytelling, try his Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone series, all of which are now on the Kindle:

1. The Briar King (there’s also another version from Ballantine for $3.99; I don’t know what the difference between the two are, but the other one lists the 105 reviews and a 4.5 star cumulative rating)
2. The Charnel Prince
3. The Blood Knight
4. The Born Queen

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As mentioned in the previous New on Kindle, the Frog and Toad series is mostly available now on the Kindle for the nostalgic among us.

Frog and Toad:

1. Frog and Toad are Friends (December 30th)
2. Frog and Toad Together (not yet available)
3. Frog and Toad All Year
4. Days with Frog and Toad (December 30th)

Small Pig is also available now.

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Not just a curious urban fantasy featuring a pair of witches (Ophelia, librarian and psychic, and her grandmother Abby) who solve small town cozy mysteries, but also a series where the first book, Witch Way to Murder, won the Agatha Award for best first novel.

The series, now available on the Kindle, save for one book:

1. Witch Way to Murder
2. Charmed to Death
3. The Trouble with Witches
4. Witch Hunt
5. The Witch is Dead (not yet on Kindle)
6. The Witch’s Grave

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Book 3 in the Night Huntress urban fantasy series, featuring a half-vampire hired by the government to hunt down other undead, which is probably not winning her friends from the vampire side. The rest of the series is also available on the Kindle:

1. Halfway to the Grave
2. One Foot in the Grave
3. At Grave’s End

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The beginning of another epic fantasy series by the writer of the Quickening and Percheron trilogies, featuring a prince who must reclaim the throne of his family after a merciless warlord destroys them.

Her other books available on the Kindle:

Quickening Trilogy

1. Myrren’s Gift
2. Blood and Memory
3. Bridge of Souls

Percheron Trilogy

1. Odalisque
2. Emissary
3. Goddess

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The movie adaptation of Beowulf left quite a few people going what., but at the same time it was quite an interesting retelling of the story. Here’s the initial draft and the final shooting script.

By the way, if you’re looking for a translation of the original Beowulf, there are many. Here’s a rundown of the differences between each. As always, the first footsteps of translation (and available for free on the internet) are stilted, but more recent translations read (and, in the important case of Beowulf, sound) more smoothly.

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Also mentioned in the previous New on Kindle, the Death Gate far-future SF/fantasy series is arriving on the Kindle; the first book, Dragon Wing, is now here.

The series as currently available on the Kindle:

• 1. Dragon Wing
• 2. Elven Star
• 3. Fire Sea
• 4. Serpent Mage (not yet on the Kindle)
• 5. The Hand of Chaos (not yet on the Kindle)
• 6. Into the Labyrinth
• 7. The Seventh Gate

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The third book in the Errand of Fury trilogy, the war between the Federation and the Klingons is reaching the boiling point. Ever wonder why the Klingons and the Federation decided not to kill each other?

Kevin Ryan is famous for showing other perspectives in Star Trek apart from the obvious stars, in this case including the Klingon side. The other books in this trilogy, Seeds of Rage and Demands of Honor, are also available on the Kindle.

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The first book in the Godless World series that debuted in 2007 with much success, its sequel Bloodheir is also on the Kindle.

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If you’ve played The Witcher you’re probably familiar with the lead character, but what you probably won’t be familiar with is the twisted way he works in the Grimm fairy tales into the story of Last Wish.

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The Death Gate Cycle is a post-nuclear war fantasy that takes place in the far future; think of it as Tolkien’s Middle Earth taken into another direction and on another plane. This series is seven books long, and started with Dragon Wing which is… not yet on the Kindle.

The full series:

• 1. Dragon Wing (not yet on the Kindle)
• 2. Elven Star
• 3. Fire Sea
• 4. Serpent Mage (not yet on the Kindle)
• 5. The Hand of Chaos (not yet on the Kindle)
• 6. Into the Labyrinth
• 7. The Seventh Gate

Presumably the others will show up at some point.

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I know Williams from her distinctive Inspector Chen series; truth is, her writing has always had the distinct touch of fantasy wrought with science fiction, coupled with wonderful writing. Think Ursula K. Le Guin.

The Poison Master predates Inspector Chen by a few years, wherein Alivet Dee (descendent of alchemist John Dee) tries to save her twin from slavery in the hands of the Lords of Night, visiting multiple planets during her quest.

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Illustrated by Mike Mignola, whom you may know from the gothic horror comic Hellboy. Christopher Golden has written Hellboy novels before (such as The Dragon Pool), but this isn’t one of them. Instead, it’s an original novel with more than a little bit of Hellboy flavor, with the mix of 20th century warfare (WWI in this case, WWII in that of Mignola’s world) and the supernatural—specifically, vampires.

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In this sequel to Maximum Ice, Bailey Shaw needs recover the genetic diversity of an entire world ecosystem after most of it was killed by a global disaster. The world? It happens to be Earth. The solution lies on another Earth-like planet, but with a rather un-human like species….

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A disillusioned priest, a foolish beauty, and an abused prophet (who happens to be a human dwarf) make their way across an elegantly drawn fantasy world, carrying The Eye of Night, which may end the world or save it.

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Part of a long (over 14 books and counting) series that occurs in the kingdom of Deverry, the Dragon Mage series is but a later subset. Currently only this and the latest in the series, The Shadow Isle, are available on the Kindle.

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The second part of the duology Eliana’s Song, which began with Fires of the Faithful (not yet available on the Kindle) and ends with Turning the Storm: sixteen-year-old musician Eliana becomes the unlikely leader of a revolt against the Circle, mysterious and powerful mages who control the land.

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In a post-apocalyptic world where the population has been reduced to small and remote communities, it’s not a good idea to have a mental mutation not understood to be anything other than a danger that must be kept under strict control. For one thing, they can communicate with animals, as if beasts were intelligent. Elspeth is such an unfortunate—and she is sent to Obernewtyn, a mountain ward and prison.

All of the Obernewtyn chronicles are available on the Kindle:

• 1. Obernewtyn
• 2. The Farseekers
• 3. Ashling
• 4. The Keeping Place
• 5. Wavesong
• 6. The Stone Key

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The second book in the Promises of Dr. Sigmundus trilogy. In the future, every person over the age of 14 is regularly dosed with a mind-altering substance that removes all violent tendencies and, as these things tend to do, hollows them out personality-wise as well. Dante and Bea find themselves immune to the effect—and you know that’s just going to get them into trouble.

The previous book, The Hollow People, is also available on the Kindle.

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A series of children’s books involving a feisty and rambunctious 80-year-old grampa who gets involved in phenomenon at once supernatural and also somehow over-the-top normal. Also in this series:

• Grampa’s Zombie BBQ
• Monster Fish Frenzy
• Super Soccer Freak Show
• Night of the Living Eggnog
• Curse of the Kitty Litter

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Vasco is a rat—just a regular rat. When his entire family dies, he discovers a conspiracy by the city humans to eliminate rats entirely, and decides to come up with a plan to save his people. Translated from the French series, Le peuple des rats.

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Part of the Keisha’ra series, five books that detail a saga involving the intrigue and conflict between races of animal shape-shifting peoples, such as the serpiente (snakes), the shm’Ahnmik (falcons), and others.

All of the books are now available on the Kindle:

1. Hawksong
2. Snakecharm
3. Falcondance
4. Wolfcry
5. Wyvernhail