Spontaneous ∂erivation

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Charles de Lint is in my “’nuff said” category. A supernatural love story that crosses the realm of the living and the dead, and oh heck, it’s Charles de Lint.¹

A few more of his works have been making it into the Kindle store.

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31 stories from one of the masters of SF/F! Gene Wolfe is also in my “’nuff said” bin. Problem though: the table of contents is not marked as such, so it doesn’t show up in the Kindle menu; and also no chapter navigation. Sigh.

The stories include: “The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories”² , “The Toy Theater”, “The Fifth Head of Cerberus”³, “Beech Hill”, “The Recording”, “Hour of Trust”, “The Death of Dr. Island”, “La Befana”, “Forlesen”, “Westwind”, “The Hero as Werwolf”, “The Marvelous Brass Chessplaying Automaton”, “Straw”, “The Eyeflash Miracles”, “Seven American Nights”, “The Detective of Dreams”, “Kevin Malone”, “The God and His Man”, “On the Train”, “From the Desk of Gilmer C. Merton”, “Death of the Island Doctor”⁴, “Redbeard”, “The Boy Who Hooked the Sun”, “Parkroads—a Review”, “Game in the Pope’s Head”, “And When They Appear”, “Bed and Breakfast”, “Petting Zoo”, “The Tree is My Hat”, “Has Anybody Seen Junie Moon?”, “A Cabin on the Coast”.

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A pathologist accidentally reanimates the corpose of Baron Rudolfo Vladimir Zginski, and is killed for her trouble. He’s not just a vampire, he’s also a racist vampire. In Memphis.

He has adventures.

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Publisher’s Weekly says: “Bova’s cautionary medical thriller, the uncut version of his 1996 novel Brothers, explores the political, social and religious ramifications of what could be humankind’s greatest medical breakthrough—organ regeneration.”

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The sequel to An Unexpected Apprentice (not yet available for Kindle), Tildi Summerbee begins to understand how powerful the Great Book she now possesses is, and also how badly some people want it.

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The final book in the YA high fantasy Stoneways Trilogy, which began with Reiffen’s Choice and Queen Ferris (both available in the Kindle store as well).

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Intergalactic space drama done by the master of intergalactic space drama, and the second book of the very loosely connected Galactic Empires series. The Stars, Like Dust is also available on the Kindle, while Pebble in the Sky is not.

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“Mortal peril is a total turn-on.”

I declare Buffyversification here.

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Forced into a demon-killing job by the bureaucracy of Heaven, Evangeline must survive in her new world. And her lovers are Cain and Abel, because obviously there is not enough drama in her life already.

The first book in the new urban fantasy Marked series.

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The sequel to Postsingular (not yet available for the Kindle), it’s Rudy Rucker so it’s goofy SF with a whirlwind of ideas, which is a nice change of pace from the usual Wasteland of the Future scenario. Even Publisher’s Weekly calls it “giddy”, but in a good way.

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The blurb on the back says: “What lies beneath the millions of orbiting nanotech satellites that shroud the world called Haze? Major Keir Roget’s mission is to make planetfall in secret, find out, and report back to his superiors in the Federation, the Chinese-dominated government that rules Earth and the colonized planets.”

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Cory Doctorow (!) wrote an Amazon review and, among other things, says, “The early jacket copy for Julian Comstock reads, in part, ‘If Jules Verne had read Karl Marx, then sat down to write The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, he still wouldn’t have matched the invention and exuberance of Robert Charles Wilson’s Julian Comstock.’ Damn right.”

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The third book in the Zoe Martinique series. Zoe can walk the dimensional planes, which is very useful, except that she’s lost it—and her mother’s soul is trapped on the Abysmal plane.

The first two books, Wraith and Spectre, are also available for the Kindle.

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The second and most recent book in the Hunter Kiss series featuring Maxine Kiss, whose living demonic tattoos give her the power to fight the demonic army that would take humankind.

The prequel novella to the series, Hunter Kiss, and the first book, Iron Hunt, are also available in the Kindle store.

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The third book in the Hidden Worlds trilogy, where machine A.I.s destroyed the Earth, leaving humanity as refugees scattered across multiple worlds.

The first book, Hidden Worlds, and the second, The Cold Minds, are also available in the Kindle store.

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The sequel to Gordath Wood, continuing the adventures of Lynn Romano and Kate Mossland after they were pulled from the real world into that of a medieval fantasy land in turmoil. Horses are so involved.

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A story of intrigue spread across the galactic level, in the world of “Thousandth Night” (a novella available in One Million, A.D., not yet available for the Kindle).

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From the writer of The Mists of Avalon comes a retelling of the fall of Troy through the eyes of unfortunate Kassandra, daughter of King Priam, and whose prophecies no one, unfortunately, believes.

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Another volume in the awesome Dresden Files series, all of which are available in the Kindle store.

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In an alternate Portland, OR, Allison Beckstrom is a Hound—someone who tracks illegal magic back to their casters. You can imagine how the casters feel about that.

This is the second book in the series; the first, Magic to the Bone, is also available in the Kindle store.

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Seattle investigator Harper Blaine becomes a walker of the grey between reality and the supernatural world, and sees an interesting change in her usual clientele.

This is the first book in the Greywalker series, finally available on the Kindle. The second (Poltergeist) isn’t, but the third (Underground) is, and the fourth (Vanished) is available for pre-order.

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From the writer whose debut novel was the excellent and unexpected Whitechapel Gods, comes another, entirely different story—this time Te, a paranormal investigator in training, is the only one who can stop her father’s murderer from releasing the monsters imprisoned across the town of St. Ives.

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Paleontology. The Great Old Ones. Their paths cross here.

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Part of the Noble Dead series, which has gradually been migrating to the Kindle.

The current status:

Series 1:

1. Dhampir, available July 7th
2. Thief of Lives, available July 7th
3. Sister of the Dead, not yet available
4. Traitor to the Blood, available now
5. Rebel Fay, available now
6. Child of a Dead God, available now

Series 2:

1. In Shadow and Shadow, available now
2. Through Stone and Sea, not yet available

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The first in a trilogy, revolving around the intrigue between two factions in a cursed city: the Darkborn, blind and who can’t survive in the light, and the Lightborn, who can’t survive without light.

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The third book involving paranormal secret agent Eddie Drood, in case you’re tired of the paranormal P.I’s. The other two books in the Secret Mysteries series, The Man with the Golden Torc and Daemons are Forever, are also available for the Kindle.

Green is also famous for his Nightside series, almost all of which are also in the Kindle store.

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The third book in the Crosspointe series, which can be summed up as: everyone is at war now, and it’s all your fault, Ryland.

The first two books, The Cipher and The Black Ship, are also available on the Kindle.

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The second book in the Landover series.

The first book in the series, Magic Kingdom for Sale—Sold! is currently available for free in the Kindle store.

The third book, Wizard at Large, is also available for the Kindle.

If you’re a fan of the Many Things of Shannara multi-series, you can find just about all of them in the Kindle store.

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The tragic history of the very short-lived Starshield series is here, and of the two only ever released, this is the second one.

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The most recent book in the science fiction series centered around the Well World. Its previous successor, The Sea is Full of Stars, is also available on the Kindle. The older books, however, are not.

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The first book in the Web Warriors series, a reprint from the early aughts. Think Netrunner.

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One of the classic Heinlein juveniles, gradually trekking their way into the Kindle store.

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An omnibus consisting of four novellas from the supernatural private investigator genre¹, it’s a wonderful introduction to each of their worlds if you’re looking to expand beyond $favorite_author.

For fans of the Harry Dresden series, starring the only wizard P.I. in Chicago, there’s The Warrior. It’s especially necessary to read for those of us who were worried as hell after Michael got shot up on the helicopter ladder.

For fans of John Taylor, who hails from the city of London, is The Difference a Day Makes, which begins with a case about a man who wasn’t there, but the meat of the story is undoubtedly about the disappearance of a day from a woman’s personal timeline.

Harper Blaine is a Seattle P.I. who suddenly gained the ability to move through “the Grey”: the supernatural world, a parallel that exists and overlays reality. At the moment she’s given up on a normal life and investigating the paranormal oddness that is The Third Death of the Little Clay Dog.

And we have a new man in the field: supernatural P.I. Remy Chandler—otherwise known as Remiel, an angel who hasn’t so much fallen as taken to Earth to attempt to find himself². His series is brand new—beginning with A Kiss Before the Apocalypse—and here we see him grieving in its aftermath (although what, exactly, was the aftermath, and what it was after, isn’t spoiled in this story). Fortunately… or something… trouble rolls his way in Noah’s Orphans.

If you’ve run out of all the books in your current urban fantasy P.I. series, isn’t it nice to know that you can find at least three more from one book?

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Second in the Age of Unreason series, the first book, Newton’s Canon, is not yet available on the Kindle. I’ve always wanted to read this series (and yes, the cover art is a big part of the draw), and it’s very much in the science-fiction-as-fantasy 18th century vein, when Newton discovers Philospher’s Mercury instead of gravity.

Is it steampunk? I don’t know. I always thought that had more to do with engines.

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Don’t you want another volume in the Dune series? Of course you do. The story covers the MuadDib jihad between Frank Herbert’s Dune and Dune Messiah (e.g., Paul Takes Over the World).

You can also watch a video interview with the authors.

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In a near future world, artificial intelligence developed for controlling prosthetic limbs and otherwise controlling human/machine interactions, evolves consciousness. This is almost always a bad thing.

Lerner also has another book available on the Kindle, Fleet of Worlds, a prequel to Larry Niven’s classic Ringworld.

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The third volume of the Crown of the Isles series, which began with The Fortress of Glass.

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The latest volume of the fantasy series The Corean Chronicles, which is almost entirely on the Kindle as of this writing. The previous books in order:

• Legacies
• Darknesses (not yet on the Kindle)
• Scepters
• Alector’s Choice
• Cadmian’s Choice
• Soarer’s Choice

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Covering the first days of the Human-Covenent War in the world of your very favorite first-person-shooter science fiction space opera video game, from the viewpoint of one Lieutenant Jacob Keyes.

Please give Mr. Buckell your good wishes, as he is at this time in the hospital with a pulmonary embolism, second in the Surprising Secrets of Tobias S. Buckell’s Heart series.

Also by Tobias S. Buckell: Crystal Rain and Sly Mongoose.

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This is an early surprise: the fifth book in Jim Butcher’s Codex Alera series, has come out on the Kindle and in press.

Other books in this series:

• Book 1: Furies of Calderon
• Book 2: Academ’s Fury
• Book 3: Cursor’s Fury
• Book 4: Captain’s Fury

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A continuation of The Ruby Throne series, featuring the story of Lea, sister to Emperor Caelan Light Bringer. The first half of this story is available on the Kindle: The Pearls.

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The second book in the first cycle of the Deryni series, which includes Deryni Rising (previous) and High Deryni (next).

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The third book in the Dragonmaster trilogy, the second being Knighthood of the Dragon.

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Second in the Rogue Mage series, now completing the Kindle set of Bloodring (book 1) and Host (book 3).

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It’s Elric. It’s Michael Moorcock. It’s a new edition of a classic tale of the Eternal Champion. With extras.

Other Elric books available on the Kindle:

• Elric: The Stealer of Souls
• Elric: To Rescue Tanelorn
• The Dreamthief’s Daughter

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According to Meredith Schwartz in Library Journal: “Her lush prose and dark fantasy cityscape will appeal to fans of China Mieville’s Perdido Street Station and Sarah Monette’s Melusine, but her manipulative, scarred, sexual, unapologetic antiheroine recalls Elizabeth Bear or Melissa Scott.”

Phillips has also been compared to Jeff VanderMeer. All this tends to spell WIN for me. How about you?

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It’s a werewolf romance—and the protagonist here is the werewolf. Her perfect life begins to fall apart when she suspects her boyfriend of philandering¹, a Texas millionaire client begins to exude a strange hold over her, and the Houston wolf pack shows up on her doorstep demanding union dues.

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Military colonial science fiction, the most recent book in the second cycle of the successful Starfist series, preceded by Backshot and Pointblank.

The very first two Starfist books are available as one bundle:
First to Fight/School of Fire.

Many more Starfist books are available on the Kindle.

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The conclusion to Adair’s paranormal romance trilogy, which started with Night Fall and continued with Night Secrets.

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Sex in the City. With demons—in particular, a succubus who works for Satan and is searching for true love to free her. The sequel to Succubus in the City.

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The conclusion to the fantasy Heartstone trilogy, wherein the Heir of Autumn must stop a ruthless enchantress from destroying the world. The trilogy started with Heir of Autumn and continued with Mistress of Winter.

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The latest in the third mini-series of the highly successful Young Adult fantasy books that follow the adventures of four clans of wild cats.

The entire series has been released on Kindle, with six books per mini-series. The first mini-series begins with Into the Wild; the second, The New Prophecy, begins with Midnight; the third, Power of Three, started with Sight.

A brand new series in the same vein, but this time covering three bears, has started with Seekers.

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A humorous, light romantic fantasy that recasts the tale of Beauty and the Beast with an imperfect heroine (irreverent and overweight) and a dragon (wounded and gentlemanly).

She has another book below….

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A humorous, light romantic comedy that recasts the tale of Sleeping Beauty in a more complex mold, with a man as the sleeping beauty (but not how you think), a woman who wishes vengeance upon him, and a woman who loves him. And the last two are the same woman.

I think this technically isn’t fantasy, because there appears to be no magic or fantastic beasts involved. But I included it anyways, because it seems fun and it’s a reprint of an otherwise unavailable book.

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Military science fiction, and the sequel to The Sagittarius Command.

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Soldiers of Armageddon who lay waste to worlds in their passage, unstoppable save for actions unthinkable to Starfleet captains. Or are they so unthinkable? See Captains Picard, Riker, and Dax struggle with their choices.

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Through a fair amount of Googling, I’ve determined that Lexi is YA fantasy-but-it-might-not-be-fantasy-kind-of-fantasy. A girl wakes up in the woods, remembering nothing before that, with a silver key. She finds shelter, and rediscovers a life she never knew bit by bit.

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Third in a series featuring a cranky mermaid named Fred, a hidden civilization of mer-people, a mer-prince, and her marine biologist friend Thomas.

The second book, Swimming Without a Net, is also available for the Kindle.

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The first of the 42 Magic Treehouse books to make it onto the Kindle, and part of the “Merlin’s Missions” second cycle.

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A geologist is hired by a corrupt company to discover secrets beneath a rain forest, which turn out to be a miracle that might save the planet from the ecological crisis it’s currently headed down the maw of. But the company is corrupt, you know.

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The third book in the Tamír Triad, where the main character is a woman who’s been hidden with a man’s body in the person of Prince Tobin for years. The second book, Hidden Warrior, is also available on the Kindle.

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The third book in the The Second Sons Trilogy. The first two books, The Lion of Senet and Eye of the Labyrinth, are both available in the Kindle store.

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A malevolent spirit in the forest brings supernatural mayhem and horror to the home of a family on the edge of its woods.

Feist is more famous for his fantasy, in particular the Riftwar Cycle. The earliest available in the series on the Kindle is the first half of a duology, Prince of the Blood.

Every trilogy after this duology is complete on the Kindle, however, starting with The Serpentwar Saga:

• Shadow of a Dark Queen
• Rise of a Merchant Prince
• Rage of a Demon King
• Shards of a Broken Crown

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From Subterranean Press; two novellas set in the world of Noreela:

• Vale of Blood Roses
• The Bajuman

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The best short stories of Jack McDevitt, who writes the popular far-future Alex Benedict detective series.

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Here are sample chapters. I can’t describe it well enough to do it justice.

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Science fiction horror stories and novella (think Weird Science or Weird Fantasy magazines) by Brian Lumley.

Sample chapters includes the first story, “Snarker’s Son”.

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His award-winning short stories, covering the last quarter-century from “The Feast of Saint Janis” all the way to “The Dog Said Bow-Wow” and “From Babel’s Fall’n Glory…”.

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The best columns of John Scalzi’s Whatever blog from the last ten years, starting with a wonderful and short treatise on hate mail. Hilarious and sharp, there’s a reason Whatever pulls hundreds of thousands of hits every week.

His famous earlier book, collecting the writing-orientated posts of Whatever, is also available via Webscriptions: You’re Not Fooling Anyone When You Take Your Laptop to a Coffee Shop. I actually reviewed it back in 2007, and favorably so.

Scalzi is also famous for the Old Man’s War series.

Academ’s Fury by Jim Butcher

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For fans of the Codex Alera series, by Jim Butcher (of Dresden Files fame), with the introduction of book 2 to the Kindle store, all the volumes are now up to date in the Kindle store:

• Book 1: Furies of Calderon
• Book 2: Academ’s Fury
• Book 3: Cursor’s Fury
• Book 4: Captain’s Fury

We await the December 2008 release of Book 5, Princeps’ Fury, with great interest.

Small Favor by Jim Butcher

Buy: 9.99

You’ll also find the entire Dresden Files series up to now in the Kindle store.

I find this a pleasingly pick-up-able series.¹ I started with the 8th book, Proven Guilty, and then picked up volumes back and forth. The most recently available book, in print or Kindle, is Small Favor.

We await the April 2009 release of the 11th book, Turn Coat, also with great interest.

Extras by Scott Westerfeld

Buy: 9.59

The third book remains missing from the Uglies series, though doubtless that situation will be remedied soon. In the meantime, the first two books and the most recent volume (Extras, featured here) are in the Kindle store:

• Book 1: Uglies
• Book 2: Pretties
• Set in the world but post Book 3 (Specials): Extras

We await the appearance of Specials with great interest. Also, if Scott Westerfield would like to write more books set in the world of Uglies, we would be extremely interested.