June #WhispersyncDeal Roundup: James Bond, Max Gladstone, Pierre Grimbert, Mary Robinette Kowal, Arthur C. Clarke, Chuck Wendig, Richard Matheson, Cassandra Clare, and much more
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June #WhispersyncDeal Roundup: James Bond, Max Gladstone, Pierre Grimbert, Mary Robinette Kowal, Arthur C. Clarke, Chuck Wendig, Richard Matheson, Cassandra Clare, and much more
Posted on 2015-06-21 at 03:26 by Sam
Well, June’s over half over, so it’s again past time to have the monthly #WhispersyncDeal roundup posted. I’m going to start with highlighting a few of the 13 James Bond titles that are on sale for $1.99+$3.99 this month, as the sale ends June 22. So, if you like 007, don’t wait too long:
Casino Royale (James Bond - Extended Series Book 1) for $1.99+$3.99 by Ian Fleming (Author), Simon Vance (Narrator) — “Introducing James Bond: charming, sophisticated, handsome, chillingly ruthless, and licensed to kill. This, the first of Ian Fleming’s tales of secret agent 007, finds Bond on a mission to neutralize a lethal, high-rolling Russian operative called “Le Chiffre” by ruining him at the Baccarat table, forcing his Soviet spymasters to “retire” him. It seems that lady luck has sided with 007 when Le Chiffre hits a losing streak. But some people just refuse to play by the rules, and Bond’s attraction to a beautiful female agent leads him to disaster…and to an unexpected savior.” Also on sale: Live and Let Die (James Bond - Extended Series Book 2), Moonraker (James Bond - Extended Series Book 3), and all the rest through book 13.
Next, a big crop of titles at up to 85% off as part of The Big Deal
Two Serpents Rise (Craft Sequence Book 2) by Max Gladstone (Author), Chris Andrew Ciulla (Narrator) for $2.99+$4.49 — “A novel set in the addictive and compelling fantasy world of Three Parts Dead. Shadow demons plague the city reservoir, and Red King Consolidated has sent in Caleb Altemoc - casual gambler and professional risk manager - to cleanse the water for the sixteen million people of Dresediel Lex. At the scene of the crime, Caleb finds an alluring and clever cliff runner, crazy Mal, who easily outpaces him. But Caleb has more to worry about than the demonvinfestation, Mal, or job security when he discovers that his father - the last priest of the old gods and leader of the True Quechal terrorists - has broken into his home and is wanted in connection with the attacks on the water supply.”
Six Heirs (The Secret of Ji Book 1), The Orphans’ Promise (The Secret of Ji Book 2), and Shadow of the Ancients (Secret of Ji Book 3) by Pierre Grimbert (Author), Matt Ross and Eric Lamb (Translators), and Michael Page (Narrator) for $1.99+$1.99 each — A quite enjoyable French-infused epic fantasy series: “The Known World is a sprawling realm ruled by mortals, protected by gods, and plied by magicians and warriors, merchants and beggars, royals and scoundrels. In Kaul, the Council of Mothers upholds the great Ancestress; Odrel, the god of Sadness, unites the suffering of the Upper Kingdoms; and everywhere the lethal minions of Zuïa, the cold-blooded judiciary goddess, do her fearsome bidding. But for all the Known World’s wonders and terrors, what has endured most powerfully is the legacy of Ji. Emissaries from every nation - the grand Goranese Empire; desolate, frozen Arkary; cosmopolitan Lorelia; and beyond - followed an enigmatic summons. Some never returned; others were never the same. Blessed and burdened with a staggering secret, the survivors passed their newfound knowledge down through the generations. But now the last of their heirs - and the surpassing wisdom they possess - face a deadly threat. The time has come to fight for ultimate enlightenment…or fall to infinite darkness.”
The Far Time Incident (The Incident Series Book 1) and The Runestone Incident (The Incident Series Book 2) by Neve Maslakovic (Author), Mary Robinette Kowal (Narrator) for $1.99+$1.99 each — “Thanks to the time travel lab at St. Sunniva University, history is no longer a mystery. But when the beloved co-inventor of the university’s time machine is inexplicably smeared across time, academic exploration and the future of St. Sunniva is thrown into doubt. As assistant to the dean of science, Julia Olsen is tasked with helping Campus Security Chief Nate Kirkland quietly examine this rare mishap…then, just as quietly, make it go away. But when the investigation indicates that the professor’s disappearance may have been a murder, those inspecting the incident unwittingly find themselves caught in a deadly coverup - one in which history itself is the weapon.”
The City and the Stars (Arthur C. Clarke Collection: Vanamonde) by Sir Arthur C. Clarke (Author), Geoffrey T. Williams (Narrator) for $1.99+$3.49 — “A journey of discovery that will shake the foundations of everything the people of Earth have ever believed… Diaspar is Earth’s last city - surrounded by deserts, on a world where the oceans have long-since dried up. It is a domed, isolated, technological marvel, run by the Central Computer. Diaspar has conquered death. People are called forth from the Hall of Creation; they live for a thousand years and then are recalled, stored in the Central Computer’s memory, to be born thousands of years later, over and over again, with memories of earlier lives intact. No one has entered or left Diaspar since anyone can remember. Its people have an unreasoning dread of the unknown, of the world outside the city. And no child has been born for at least 10 million years. Until Alvin. He is unique. He has no past lives, no past memories. He also has no fear of the outside world. In fact, he has an overwhelming curiosity, a drive to explore, to see what lies beyond the sterile boundaries of the city.”
Earthlight (Space Tirlogy Book 3) by Arthur C. Clarke (Author), Brian Holsopple (Narrator) for $1.99+$1.99 — “The time: 200 years after man’s first landing on the Moon. There are permanent populations established on the Moon, Venus, and Mars. Outer space inhabitants have formed a new political entity, the Federation, and between the Federation and Earth a growing rivalry has developed. Earthlight is the story of this emerging conflict.”
Under the Empyrean Sky (The Heartland Trilogy Book 1) and Blightborn (The Heartland Trilogy Book 2) by Chuck Wendig (Author), Nick Podehl (Narrator) for $1.99+$1.99 each — “Corn is king in the Heartland, and Cael McAvoy has had enough of it. It’s the only crop the Empyrean government allows the people of the Heartland to grow - and the genetically modified strain is so aggressive that it takes everything the Heartlanders have just to control it. As captain of the Big Sky Scavengers, Cael and his crew sail their rickety ship over the corn day after day, scavenging for valuables, trying to earn much-needed ace notes for their families. But Cael’s tired of surviving life on the ground while the Empyrean elite drift by above in their extravagant sky flotillas. He’s sick of the mayor’s son besting Cael’s crew in the scavenging game. And he’s worried about losing Gwennie - his first mate and the love of his life - forever when their government-chosen spouses are revealed. But most of all, Cael is angry - angry that their lot in life will never get better and that his father doesn’t seem upset about any of it.” The Harvest (The Heartland Trilogy Book 3) is due out July 10.
The Shrinking Man (RosettaBooks into Film) by Richard Matheson (Author), Yuri Rasovsky (Narrator) for $1.99+$3.49 — “This is the terrifying novel that inspired the classic motion picture. Inch by inch, day by day, Scott Carey is getting smaller. Once an unremarkable husband and father, Scott finds himself shrinking with no end in sight. His wife and family turn into unreachable giants, the family cat becomes a predatory menace, and Scott must struggle to survive in a world that seems to be growing ever larger and more perilous, until he faces the ultimate limits of fear and existence.”
Shadowhunters and Downworlders: A Mortal Instruments Reader by Cassandra Clare (Editor), Emily Beresford (Narrator), Luke Daniels (Narrator), and Tanya Eby (Narrator) for $1.99+$3.99 — “Join Cassandra Clare and a Circle of more than a dozen top YA writers, including New York Times bestsellers Holly Black, Rachel Caine, and Kami Garcia, as they write about the Mortal Instruments series, its characters, and its world.”
The Witch and the Gentleman (The Witches Series Book 1) by J.R. Rain (Author), Francesca Townes (Narrator) for $0+$1.99 — “Allison Lopez is not your everyday Psychic Hotline operator. She’s a real psychic with real abilities that seem to grow daily, thanks to her close association with an immortal friend. Now, as her abilities continue to grow, Allison meets a very strange woman who reveals a starling secret to her. Life, for Allison Lopez, is about to get even stranger… and more fantastic. And when she gets a phone call from a distraught father seeking answers to his daughter’s murder, Allison finds herself in unfamiliar territory: looking for a cold-blooded killer. It will take all of Allison’s abilities, both old and new, to catch an animal who preys on the innocent. And as the case unfolds, Allison is about to discover that not all is as it seems and life still has a few tricks up its sleeve.”
Fiction: White Tiger on Snow Mountain: Stories by David Gordon (Author), David de Vries (Narrator) for $1.99+$1.99 — “Thirteen hilarious, moving, and beautifully brutal stories by David Gordon, the award-winning author of Mystery Girl and The Serialist.”
Fiction: The Girl From Nowhere (An Alex Novalis Novel) by Christopher Finch (Author), Peter Berkrot (Narrator) for $1.99+$1.99 — “When a panicked young woman slips her hand into his in 1960s Chinatown, just before a knife-wielding stalker attacks, private eye Alex Novalis finds his cherished hard-boiled persona threatened by a romantic streak that has a habit of getting him into trouble. Sandy Smollett is triple trouble - a stripper who comes on like the girl next door and has a way of bending the truth to suit any occasion. Novalis finds her irresistible.”
Fiction: Jacob The Liar by
Fiction: Adé: A Love Story by Rebecca Walker (Author), Janina Edwards (Narrator) for $1.99+$1.99 — “When Farida, a sophisticated college student, falls in love with Adé, a young Swahili man living on an idyllic island off the coast of Kenya, the two plan to marry and envision a simple life together - free of worldly possessions and concerns. But when Farida contracts malaria and finds herself caught in the middle of a civil war, reality crashes in around them. The lovers¿ solitude is interrupted by a world in the throes of massive upheaval that threatens to tear them apart, along with all they cherish.”
Brief Space Between Color and Shade by
Fiction: Chase Us: Stories by Sean Ennis (Author), Nick Podehl (Narrator) for $1.99+$1.99 — “In this beautifully imaginative collection, young people attempt to negotiate the often surreal terrain of childhood and adolescence where family, friends, clergy, and teachers often pose a threat instead of providing safe harbor. At the heart of the collection is the relationship between the meek narrator, his best friend alpha-male Clip, and the near-feral Roger - but there are also agoraphobic mothers, gorgeous babysitters from New Zealand, paranoid stoned veterans, and deeply sad older sisters.” [Note: the MP3-CD edition is $1.96.]
Next, some titles from the 35 Whispersync enabled among the monthly 50 $2 and under listings, on sale through the end of the month:
Timebound (The Chronos Files Book 1) and Time’s Edge (The Chronos Files Book 2) by Rysa Walker (Author), Kate Rudd (Narrator) for $2+$1.99 each — “When Kate Pierce-Keller’s grandmother gives her a strange blue medallion and speaks of time travel, sixteen-year-old Kate assumes the old woman is delusional. But it all becomes horrifyingly real when a murder in the past destroys the foundation of Kate’s present-day life. Suddenly, that medallion is the only thing protecting Kate from blinking out of existence. Kate learns that the 1893 killing is part of something much more sinister, and her genetic ability to time travel makes Kate the only one who can fix the future. Risking everything, she travels back in time to the Chicago World’s Fair to try to prevent the murder and the chain of events that follows. Changing the timeline comes with a personal cost - if Kate succeeds, the boy she loves will have no memory of her existence. And regardless of her motives, does Kate have the right to manipulate the fate of the entire world?”
Fireblood (Whispers from Mirrowen Book 1), Dryad-Born (Whispers from Mirrowen Book 2), and Poisonwell (Whispers from Mirrowen Book 3) by Jeff Wheeler (Author), Michael Page (Narrator), and Sue Pitkin (Narrator) for $2+$1.99 each — “In a world beset by plagues, Tyrus of Kenatos has made it his life’s work to end the devastation. Yet when he first ventures into the Scourgelands to uncover the secret of the plagues’ origin, he barely makes it out alive after being ambushed by a mysterious, unseen enemy. Tyrus knows the plagues will rise again - more powerful than ever before - and he is determined to complete his mission. To aid in his new quest, he summons his nephew Annon and his niece Hettie - both of whom possess an innate magic called the fireblood - and a pack of unlikely allies.”
Repeat by Neal Pollack (Author), Jeff Cummings (Narrator) for $2+$1.99 — “Through strange metaphysical circumstances, failed screenwriter Brad Cohen finds himself caught in an infinite time loop, forced to relive the first forty years of his life again and again. Each “repeat,” Brad wakes up in the womb on what was supposed to be his fortieth birthday, with full knowledge of what’s come before. In various timelines, he becomes a successful political pundit, a game-show champion, a playboy, and a master manipulator of the stock market, but none of them seems to lead him out of his predicament.”
Containment (Children of Occam Book 1) by Christian Cantrell (Author), William Dufris (Narrator) for $2+$2.99 — “As Earth’s ability to support human life begins to diminish at an alarming rate, the Global Space Agency is formed with a single mandate: protect humanity from extinction by colonizing the solar system as quickly as possible. Venus, being almost the same mass as Earth, is chosen over Mars as humanity’s first permanent steppingstone into the universe.”
Fiction: The Shepherdess of Siena: A Novel of Renaissance Tuscany by Linda Lafferty (Author), Mary Robinette Kowal (Narrator) for $2+$1.99 — “Raised by her aunt and uncle amidst the rolling hills of the Tuscan countryside, young orphan Virginia Tacci has always harbored a deep love for horses - though she knows she may never have the chance to ride. As a shepherdess in sixteenth-century Italy, Virginia’s possibilities are doubly limited by her peasant class and her gender. Yet while she tends her flock, Virginia is captivated by the daring equestrian feats of the high-spirited Isabella De’ Medici, who rides with the strength and courage of any man, much to the horror of her brother, the tyrannical Gran Duca Francesco De’ Medici.”
Fiction: The Thief Taker by C. S. Quinn (Author), Napoleon Ryan (Narrator) for $2+$1.99 — “The year is 1665. Black Death ravages London. A killer stalks the streets in a plague doctor’s hood and mask… When a girl is gruesomely murdered, thief taker Charlie Tuesday reluctantly agrees to take on the case. But the horrific remains tell him this is no isolated death. The killer’s mad appetites are part of a master plan that could destroy London - and reveal the dark secrets of Charlie’s own past. Now the thief taker must find this murderous mastermind before the plague obliterates the evidence street by street.”
Another crop of deals comes from the Whispersync-enabled $1.99 or Less listings, through July 10:
Against the Light by Dave Duncan (Author), Ralph Lister (Narrator) for $1.99+$1.99 — “The Hierarchy, high priests of the religious order the Light, rules both the magical kingdom of Albi and its religion. Worshippers in the old ways of the Earth Mother, clandestinely scattered throughout the land, are persecuted as heretics. And when missionary student Rollo Woodbridge returns to his home in Albi, he is arrested for heresy and treason, setting off a chain of events that puts everyone’s life in jeopardy and plunges the kingdom into chaos.”
Anthology: Oz Reimagined: New Tales from the Emerald City and Beyond by Douglas Cohen (Editor), John Joseph Adams (Editor), Orson Scott Card (Author), Jane Yolen (Author), Seanan McGuire (Author), Jonathan Maberry(Author), Simon R. Green (Author), Tad Williams (Author), Nick Podehl (Narrator), and Tanya Eby (Narrator) for $1.99+$1.99 — “When L. Frank Baum introduced Dorothy and friends to the American public in 1900, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz became an instant, best-selling hit. Today the whimsical tale remains a cultural phenomenon that continues to spawn wildly popular books, movies, and musicals. Now, editors John Joseph Adams and Douglas Cohen have brought together leading fantasy writers such as Orson Scott Card and Jane Yolen to create the ultimate anthology for Oz fans.”
Starship Grifters (A Rex Nihilo Adventure) by Robert Kroese (Author), Kate Rudd (Narrator) for $1.99+$1.99 — “A space-faring ne’er-do-well with more bravado than brains, Rex Nihilo plies the known universe in a tireless quest for his own personal gain. But when he fleeces a wealthy weapons dealer in a high-stakes poker game, he ends up winning a worthless planet - and owing an outstanding debt more vast than space itself!”
The Sentinel (A Jane Harper Horror Novel) and The Raven (A Jane Harper Horror Novel Book 2) by Jeremy Bishop (Author), Emily Beresford (Narrator) for $1.99+$1.99 each — “In the frigid waters off the Arctic Ocean, north of Greenland, the anti-whaling ship The Sentinel, and her crew face off against a harpoon ship in search of Humpback whales. When the two ships collide and a suspicious explosion sends both ships to the bottom, the crews take refuge on what they think is a peninsula attached to the mainland, but is actually an island, recently freed from a glacial ice bridge. Seeking shelter, the two opposing crews scour the island for resources. Instead, they find Viking artifacts, the preserved remains of an ancient structure and a stone totem warning of horrible creatures buried in the island’s caves. Facing violent, frigid storms, a hungry polar bear and the very real possibility that they are stranded without hope of rescue, Jane Harper leads the two crews, who must work together to defend themselves against an ancient evil upon which the modern stories of both zombies and vampires are based. The original undead are awake and hungry. Beware the Draugar.”
Covenant by John Everson (Author), Randy Capes (Narrator) for $1.99+$2.99 — “Terrel’s Cliff has become the official site of a coincidental string of suicides. Each year, on May 22nd, a child jumps to his or her death. The townspeople try to pretend otherwise, but for five women it’s an event that haunts their every waking moment. A pact, a twisted covenant is revealed, that was entered into over a hundred years ago as the only means of survival. But not survival for the children.”
McFall by Scott Nicholson (Author), Jeff Cummings (Narrator) for $1.99+$1.99 — “When wealthy developer Larkin McFall moves to the small Appalachian Mountain community of Barkersville, generations-old tales of supernatural phenomena, sudden deaths, and odd disappearances resurface. Larkin laughs off the stories as superstition, while promising to bring a bright new future to the dying town. Sheriff Frank Littlefield senses a diabolical motive in McFall’s good intentions.”
Nosferatu (An Area 51 Novel) by Bob Mayer (Author), Eric G. Dove (Narrator) for $1.99+$1.99 — “The half-breed known only as Nosferatu has existed since ancient Egyptian times as part of a group of bioengineered beings that served the old gods. But those gods are no more - eradicated by human efforts - so now Nosferatu schemes to thrust himself into the resulting power vacuum. In order to achieve this, he requires a piece of leftover alien technology known as the Holy Grail. With it, he can grasp true immortality, be freed of his need for human blood, and reunite with the lover the gods took from him so many years ago.”
Nightfall (Nightingale Book 1), Midnight (Nightingale Book 2), and Nightmare (Nightingale Book 3) by Stephen Leather (Author), Paul Thornley (Narrator) for $1.99+$1.99 each — “Ex-cop and struggling private detective Jack Nightingale’s life is turned upside down the day that he inherits a mansion from a man who claims to be his father. It comes with a warning that Nightingale’s soul was sold at birth and a devil will come to claim it on his 33rd birthday - just three weeks away.”
Short: The Curious Case of Miss Amelia Vernet (A Fangborn Story) by Dana Cameron (Author), Heather Wilds (Narrator) for $0.99+$1.99 — “From the award-winning author of Seven Kinds of Hell comes an intriguing new tale that brings the supernatural thrills of the Fangborn world to Sherlock Holmes’s nineteenth-century London.”
Finally, three fairly new #FreeKindle deals which are (at least as of this posting) still ongoing:
The Last Survivors: A Dystopian Society in a Post Apocalyptic World by Bobby Adair (Author), T.W. Piperbrook (Author), Sean Runnette (Narrator) — “Three hundred years after the fall of society, the last fragments of civilization are clinging to life, living in the ruins of the ancient cities in nearly-medieval conditions. Technology has been reduced to legend, monsters roam the forests, and fear reigns supreme. But that is just the beginning…”
Dinosaur Lake by Kathryn Meyer Griffith (Author), Johnnie C. Hayes (Narrator) for $0+$1.99 — “Ex-cop Henry Shore has been Chief Park Ranger at Crater Lake National Park for eight years and he likes his park and his life the way it’s been. Safe. Tranquil. Predictable. But he’s about to be tested in so many ways. First the earthquakes begin, people begin to go missing, then there’s some mysterious water creature that’s taken up residence in the caves below Crater Lake and it’s not only growing in size, it’s aggressive and cunning and very hungry. And it’s decided it likes human beings. To eat. And it can come up onto land.”
The Legend of the Firewalker by Steve Bevil (Author), Tristan Wright (Narrator) for $0+$1.99 — “Nineteen-year-old Nathan Urye is supposed to be having a relaxing summer as a camp counselor but ever since he started having nightmares about a beautiful girl being hunted by flesh-clawing monsters, his life has been anything but normal. Soon, Nathan discovers that the sleepy college town of Cahokia Falls is far from ordinary when two unexplained deaths rock the town and campus. Who or what is behind the murders? Does it have anything to do with the newly-discovered cave symbol? And what about the spine-chilling campfire stories about ancient tribal beliefs and mystical legends.”
Happy bargain-hunting!