August WhispersyncDeal roundup: Ken Liu, Chuck Wendig, Joyce Carol Oates, Max Brooks, and more; read by Michael Kramer, Luke Daniels, Kate Rudd, Grover Gardner, Mary Robinette Kowal, and more!
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August WhispersyncDeal roundup: Ken Liu, Chuck Wendig, Joyce Carol Oates, Max Brooks, and more; read by Michael Kramer, Luke Daniels, Kate Rudd, Grover Gardner, Mary Robinette Kowal, and more!
Posted on 2015-08-27 at 17:33 by Sam
I keep getting later and later in the month with these… so this time, once more, with feeling, don’t wait too long. The first two sections of deals all expire on August 31. Tick-tock.
First, a rough pass through the 156 Whispersync-enabled Monthly Deals for $3.99 or Less which, let me tell you, is a lot of titles. Here’s what most caught my eye, and there are some really good ones:
The Grace of Kings (The Dandelion Dynasty) by Ken Liu, read by Michael Kramer for Simon & Schuster Audio for $1.99+$3.99 — Liu’s debut novel in a “silkpunk” subgenre of Chinese-influenced epic fantasy. Battles. Big characters. Friends. Betrayals. War. Empire. Easily the strongest debut fantasy I’ve read this year. “Wily, charming Kuni Garu, a bandit, and stern, fearless Mata Zyndu, the son of a deposed duke, seem like polar opposites. Yet, in the uprising against the emperor, the two quickly become the best of friends after a series of adventures fighting against vast conscripted armies, silk-draped airships, and shapeshifting gods. Once the emperor has been overthrown, however, they each find themselves the leader of separate factions—two sides with very different ideas about how the world should be run and the meaning of justice.”
The Accursed by Joyce Carol Oates, read by Grover Gardner for Harper Audio for $1.99+$3.99 — Warren Wilson, Grover Cleveland, Upton Sinclair, and Jack London feature in a wonderful historically-set horror? fantasy? from which Oates brilliantly distances herself via the wonderful authorial device of having the book itself be a book in the story: “Princeton, New Jersey, at the turn of the twentieth century: a tranquil place to raise a family, a genteel town for genteel souls. But something dark and dangerous lurks at the edges of the town, corrupting and infecting its residents. Vampires and ghosts haunt the dreams of the innocent. A powerful curse besets the elite families of Princeton; their daughters begin disappearing. A young bride on the verge of the altar is seduced and abducted by a dangerously compelling man–a shape-shifting, vaguely European prince who might just be the devil, and who spreads his curse upon a richly deserving community of white Anglo-Saxon privilege. And in the Pine Barrens that border the town, a lush and terrifying underworld opens up.”
Mockingbird (Miriam Black Book 2) by Chuck Wendig, read by Emily Beresford for Angry Robot on Brilliance Audio for $1.99+$3.49 — First, read book one, Blackbirds, introducing Miriam Black, and then onto the aftermath where: “Miriam is trying. Really, she is. But this whole “settling down thing” that Louis has going for her just isn’t working out. She lives on Long Beach Island all year round. Her home is a run-down double-wide trailer. She works at a grocery store as a check-out girl. And her relationship with Louis - who’s on the road half the time in his truck - is subject to the piss and vinegar Miriam brings to everything she does. Still, she’s keeping her psychic ability - to see when and how someone is going to die just by touching them - in check. But even that feels wrong, somehow. Like she’s keeping a tornado stoppered up in a tiny bottle. Then comes one bad day that turns it all on her ear.”
Lord of All Things by for $1.99+$1.99 — Winner of the 2012 Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis: “They are just children when they first meet: Charlotte, daughter of the French ambassador, and Hiroshi, a laundress’s son. One day in the playground, Hiroshi declares that he has an idea that will change the world. An idea that will sweep away all differences between rich and poor. When Hiroshi runs into Charlotte several years later, he is trying to build a brighter future through robotics. Determined to win Charlotte’s love, he resurrects his childhood dream, convinced that he can eradicate world poverty by pushing the limits of technology beyond imagination. But as Hiroshi circles ever closer to realizing his vision, he discovers that his utopian dream may contain the seeds of a nightmare - one that could obliterate life as we know it. Crisscrossing the globe, from Tokyo to the hallowed halls of MIT to desolate Arctic islands and Buenos Aires and beyond - far beyond - Lord of All Things explores not only technology’s dizzying potential, but also its formidable dangers.”
2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke (Author), Dick Hill (Narrator) for $1.99+$1.99 — “It has been [more than] 40 years since the publication of this classic science-fiction novel that changed the way we look at the stars and ourselves. From the savannas of Africa at the dawn of mankind to the rings of Saturn as man adventures to the outer rim of our solar system, 2001: A Space Odyssey is a journey unlike any other.”
The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead by Max Brooks, read by Marc Cashman for $1.99+$3.99 — “From the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller, World War Z, The Zombie Survival Guide is your key to survival against the hordes of undead who may be stalking you right now. Fully illustrated and exhaustively comprehensive, this book covers everything you need to know, including how to understand zombie physiology and behavior, the most effective defense tactics and weaponry, ways to outfit your home for a long siege, and how to survive and adapt in any territory or terrain.”
State of Fear by Michael Chrichton, read by George Wilson for $0.99+$3.99 — “Crichton gives us his trademark combination of page-turning suspense, cutting-edge technology, and extraordinary research. State of Fear is a superb blend of edge-of-your-seat suspense and thought provoking commentary on how information is manipulated in the modern world. From the streets of Paris, to the glaciers of Antarctica, to the exotic and dangerous Solomon Islands, State of Fear takes the reader on a rollercoaster thrill ride, all the while keeping the brain in high gear.”
Celebromancy (Ree Reyes Series Book 2) by Michael R. Underwood, read by Mary Robinette Kowal for $1.99+$2.99 — “Fame has a magic all its own in the no-gossip-barred follow-up to Geekomancy. Ree Reyes gets her big screenwriting break, only to discover just how broken Hollywood actually is. Things are looking up for urban fantasista Ree Reyes. She’s using her love of pop culture to fight monsters and protect her hometown as a Geekomancer, and now a real-live production company is shooting her television pilot script. But nothing is easy in show business. When an invisible figure attacks the leading lady of the show, former child-star-turned-current-hot-mess Jane Konrad, Ree begins a school-of-hard-knocks education in the power of Celebromancy. Attempting to help Jane Geekomancy-style with Jedi mind tricks and X-Men infiltration techniques, Ree learns more about movie magic than she ever intended. She also learns that real life has the craziest plots: not only must she lift a Hollywood-strength curse, but she needs to save her pilot, negotiate a bizarre love rhombus, and fight monsters straight out of the silver screen. All this without anyone getting killed or, worse, banished to the D-List.”
Teen: From a Distant Star by Karen McQuestion (Author), Kate Rudd (Narrator) for $1.99+$1.99 — “Seventeen-year-old Emma was the only one who hadn’t given up on her boyfriend, Lucas. Everyone else - his family, his friends, his doctors - was convinced that any moment could be his last. So when Lucas miraculously returns from the brink of death, Emma thinks her prayers have been answered. As the surprised town rejoices, Emma begins to question whether Lucas is the same boy she’s always known. When she finds an unidentifiable object on his family’s farm - and government agents come to claim it - she begins to suspect that nothing is what it seems.”
Note: There are also thrillers (The Boy in the Suitcase (Nina Borg Book 1), The Intern’s Handbook: A Thriller (A John Lago Thriller Series Book 1), The Righteous (Righteous Series)) and fiction (Trail of Broken Wings, The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie: A Novel, Wynne’s War) and even teen fiction (Love Letters to the Dead: A Novel) to check out.
Second, a handful of titles from the Whispersync-enabled 50 Kindle Books for $2 Each
The Last Passenger by Reporter Kate Kilroy accepts an assignment to travel on the Valkyrie, a German ship veiled in secrecy for decades after it was discovered adrift in 1939 with only one passenger aboard, a baby boy named Isaac Feldman. Obsessed with understanding his origins, Feldman has spent a small fortune restoring the Valkyrie to try to solve the mystery. Assembling a team of experts and sparing no expense, he aims to precisely recreate the circumstances of the Valkyrie’s doomed final voyage. Little does Feldman or his team know that the ship has an agenda of its own. As the Valkyrie begins to weave its deadly web, Kate realizes that she must not only save herself, but the world as she knows it.
The Curse Keepers (Curse Keepers Series, Book 1), The Curse Breakers (Curse Keepers Series, Book 2), and The Curse Defiers (Curse Keepers Series, Book 3) by Denise Grover Swank (Author), Shannon McManus (Narrator) for $2+$1.99 each — “The wall between our world and that of vengeful spirits has protected humanity for more than 400 years. It’s about to come crashing down. Ellie Lancaster has lived her whole life by the site of the mysterious Lost Colony of Roanoke, the Virginia settlement that vanished without a trace around 1590. Ellie is a Curse Keeper, the direct descendant of one of the two men who banished the spirits of a warring tribe from the material realm. The story goes that if the two Curse Keepers ever meet again, the countdown to the death of the curse will begin, the gate will open, and the raging Native American spirits will be unleashed to seek their revenge. Ellie has always taken the legend for a harmless fairy tale. Until she meets the darkly handsome, but downright infuriating, Collin Dailey and realizes that he is the other Curse Keeper. The prophecy is coming true. Now Ellie and Collin must battle supernatural forces and their loathing - and passion - for each other to set things right.”
Teen: Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days Book 1), World After (Penryn & the End of Days Book 2), and End of Days (Penryn & the End of Days Series Book 3) by Susan Ee (Author), Caitlin Davies (Narrator) for $2+$1.99 each — “It’s been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her 17-year-old sister, Penryn, will do anything to get her back. Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.”
Looking for a good thriller/mystery at this price? Alan Russell’s Gideon and Sirius books Burning Man (A Gideon and Sirius Novel) and Guardians of the Night (A Gideon and Sirius Novel Book 2) are also in the sale, read by Jeff Cummings: “LAPD cop Michael Gideon and his police dog partner Sirius became reluctant celebrities after capturing a notorious serial killer in the midst of an inferno. For their heroism, they were chosen to head up the newly formed Special Cases Unit. Now the duo tackles out-of-the-ordinary cases, anything deemed unusual or bizarre even by Hollyweird standards.”
Lastly, on sale through September 20, from the Whispersync-enabled 225 Kindle Books for $1.99 or Less
Shield and Crocus by Michael R. Underwood (Author), Luke Daniels (Narrator) for $1.99+$1.99 — “In a city built among the bones of a fallen giant, a small group of heroes looks to reclaim their home from the five criminal tyrants who control it. The city of Audec-Hal sits among the bones of a Titan. For decades it has suffered under the dominance of five tyrants, all with their own agendas. Their infighting is nothing, though, compared to the mysterious “Spark-storms” that alternate between razing the land and bestowing the citizens with wild, unpredictable abilities. It was one of these storms that gave First Sentinel, leader of the revolutionaries known as the Shields of Audec-Hal, power to control the emotional connections between people - a power that cost him the love of his life. Now, with nothing left to lose, First Sentinel and the Shields are the only resistance against the city’s overlords as they strive to free themselves from the clutches of evil. The only thing they have going for them is that the crime lords are fighting each other as well - that is, until the tyrants agree to a summit that will permanently divide the city and cement their rule of Audec-Hal.”
The Immortalists by Kyle Mills (Author), Benjamin L. Darcie (Narrator) for $1.99+$1.99 — “It’s a question microbiologist Richard Draman thought he’d answered when he walked away from his career to focus on curing a genetic defect that is causing his daughter to age at a wildly accelerated rate. But now he and his wife Carly are being forced to come to terms with the fact that eight-year-old Susie’s time is running out. Then they receive an unexpected gift: startling new research into the fundamental secrets of life that could be the miracle they’ve been looking for. When Richard is arrested on a trumped-up charge of having stolen the data, he takes his family and runs, seeking out a retired special-forces operative and old friend to help dig up the truth behind the controversial experiments. Determined to either save Susie’s life or die trying, the Dramans plunge into a bloody conflict between two powerful factions vying for control of a discovery that could change the face of humanity.”
Teen: Not Your Ordinary Wolf Girl by Emily Pohl-Weary (Author), Kate Rudd (Narrator) for $1.99+$1.99 — “Sometimes living in the Big Apple really bites! Eighteen-year-old rock star Sam Lee isn’t like other girls. She’s the super-talented bass player and songwriter for an all-girl indie band and an incurable loner. Then one night after a concert in Central Park, she’s attacked by a “wild dog.” Suddenly, this long-time vegetarian is craving meat - the bloodier, the better. Sam finds herself with an unbelievable secret and no one she trusts to share it. And so begin the endless lies to cover up the hairy truth…When a new girl gang appears in the city - with claws and paws - Sam suspects there’s a connection to her own inner beast. Trapped in a tug-of-war between her animal and human selves, forced to choose between the guy who sparks her carnal appetite and the one who makes her feel like a normal teenage girl, Sam has to unravel the mysteries of the werewolf world before her bandmates, the media, and her mother catch up to her.”
And there are also some thrillers here, too: Leslie Charteris’ Enter the Saint (The Saint Series), John Rector’s Out of the Black, and more. Enjoy! And don’t forget to follow @AudioBookaneers on Twitter or Facebook for daily #WhispersyncDeal updates!