March #WhispersyncDeal roundup: Kate Reading reading Marie Brennan, Simon Vance reading Brian Staveley and James Maxwell, and more

March #WhispersyncDeal roundup: Kate Reading reading Marie Brennan, Simon Vance reading Brian Staveley and James Maxwell, and more

Posted on 2017-03-31 at 03:56 by Sam

I’m getting this roundup just, barely, under the wire, as the main roundup expires at midnight on March 31. So… without further adieu, here’s what most catches my #WhispersyncDeal-attuned eyes and ears among the 218 eBooks with Audible Narration in the March Monthly Deals in Kindle Books:

A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent by Marie Brennan, read by Kate Reading for $2.99+$3.99 NOTE: it looks like the Audible add-on portion of this price changed to $12.99? or? I somehow had the wrong number yesterday? — A fantastic book and audiobook, highly recommended: “All the world, from Scirland to the farthest reaches of Eriga, know Isabella, Lady Trent, to be the world’s preeminent dragon naturalist. She is the remarkable woman who brought the study of dragons out of the misty shadows of myth and misunderstanding into the clear light of modern science. But before she became the illustrious figure we know today, there was a bookish young woman whose passion for learning, natural history, and, yes, dragons defied the stifling conventions of her day. Here at last, in her own words, is the true story of a pioneering spirit who risked her reputation, her prospects, and her fragile flesh and bone to satisfy her scientific curiosity; of how she sought true love and happiness despite her lamentable eccentricities; and of her thrilling expedition to the perilous mountains of Vystrana, where she made the first of many historic discoveries that would change the world forever.”

The Emperor’s Blades by Brian Staveley, read by Simon Vance for $2.9+$3.99 — Book 1 of the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, fantastic epic fantasy under one of the best narrators in the business: “The emperor of Annur is dead, slain by enemies unknown. His daughter and two sons, scattered across the world, do what they must to stay alive and unmask the assassins. But each of them also has a life-path on which their father set them, destinies entangled with both ancient enemies and inscrutable gods.”

Golden Age (The Shifting Tides, Book 1) by James Maxwell, read by Simon Vance for $1.99+$1.99 — Speaking of the great Simon Vance, the entire Shifting Tides trilogy is on sale this month: “The discovery of a strange and superior warship sends Dion, youngest son of the king of Xanthos, and Chloe, a Phalesian princess, on a journey across the sea, where they are confronted by a kingdom far more powerful than they could ever have imagined. But they also find a place in turmoil, for the ruthless sun king, Solon, is dying. In order to gain entrance to heaven, Solon is building a tomb - a pyramid clad in gold - and has scoured his own empire for gold until there’s no more to be found.”

Mockingbird by Walter Tevis, read by Robert Fass and Nicole Poole for Tantor for $1.99+$3.99 — Tevis is best known for his books which were adapted to film: The Hustler, The Color of Money and The Man Who Fell to Earth. This elegiac dystopia of mankind coming to terms with its own imminent extinction was nominated for the Nebula Award: “In a world where the human population has suffered devastating losses, a handful of survivors cling to what passes for life in a postapocalyptic, dying landscape. A world where humans wander, drugged and lulled by electronic bliss. A dying world of no children and no art, where reading is forbidden. And a strange love triangle: Spofforth, who runs the world, the most perfect machine ever created, whose only wish is to die; and Paul and Mary Lou, a man and a woman whose passion for each other is the only hope for the future of human beings on Earth.” Note: Publisher RosettaBooks has quite a few more books on sale this month that we’ve seen quite a few times before, but just in case, in brief: Harry Harrison’s Make Room! Make Room! (the basis of the film Soylent Green), Arthur C. Clarke’s The Fountains of Paradise, John Wyndham’s The Day of the Triffids, Kurt Vonnegut’s Hocus Pocus, and Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend.

Speaking of books we’ve seen quite a few times before in these roundups, the best of that bunch is The Atlantis Gene by A.G. Riddle, read by Stephen Bel Davies for $1.99+$1.99 — “70,000 years ago, the human race almost went extinct. We survived, but no one knows how. Until now. The countdown to the next stage of human evolution is about to begin, and humanity might not survive this time.” More books we’ve seen a few times? Here’s a few more which are the most worth checking out: Marcus Sakey’s Brilliance trilogy, Jeff Wheeler’s Fireblood and the rest of the Whispers from Mirrowen Trilogy), and Rewinder and Destroyer by Brett Battles.

Looking for something a little more YOUNG ADULT leaning? Here you go:

Under Different Stars by Amy A. Bartol, read by Kate Rudd for $1.00+$1.99 — The remainder of the “Kricket” series is also on sale: “Kricket Hollowell never wished upon stars. She was too busy hiding in plain sight, eluding Chicago’s foster care system. As her eighteenth birthday approaches, she now eagerly anticipates the day she’ll stop running and finally find her place in the world. That day comes when she meets a young Etharian soldier named Trey Allairis, who has been charged with coming to Earth to find Kricket and transport her to her true home. As danger draws close, he must protect her until she can wield the powers she cannot use on Earth…and he soon realizes that counting a galaxy of stars would be easier than losing this extraordinary girl.”

The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest by Melanie Dickerson, read by Jay O’Shea for $1.99+$3.99 — “Swan Lake meets Robin Hood when the beautiful daughter of a wealthy merchant by day becomes the region’s most notorious poacher by night and falls in love with the forester.”

Waterfall and Cascade by Lisa T. Bergren, read by Pam Turlow for $0.99+$3.49 each — The first two books of Bergren’s River of Time series: “Most American teenagers want a vacation in Italy, but the Bentarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives with their parents, famed Etruscan scholars, among the romantic hills. In Book One of the River of Time series, Gabi and Lia are stuck among the rubble of medieval castles in rural Tuscany on yet another hot, boring, and dusty archeological site … until Gabi places her hand atop a handprint in an ancient tomb and finds herself in fourteenth-century Italy. And worse yet, in the middle of a fierce battle between knights of two opposing forces.”

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa, read by Khristine Hvam for $1.99+$2.99 — Book One of The Iron Fey series: “Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan’s life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home. When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she’s known is about to change. But she could never have guessed the truth. For Meghan is the daughter of a mythical faery king…and a pawn in a deadly war.”

How about some books for YOUNG READERS then?

Airborn by Kenneth Oppel, read by David Kelly for Full Cast Audio for $1.99+$3.49 — “Enter a past in which airplanes have never been invented, giant airships rule the skies and the glittering skyscrapers of Lionsgate City, Canada’s greatest metropolis, rise near the Pacificus Ocean. When Matt Cruse, cabin boy on the luxury airship Aurora, fearlessly performs a dramatic rescue to save an old man from his damaged hot air balloon, he doesn’t know what events he’s setting in motion. Will he and the balloonist’s fiery granddaughter, Kate de Vries, be able to solve the mystery of impossible flying creatures seen among the clouds? And will they figure it out before pirates and shipwreck end their voyage forever?”

Knight Kyle and the Magic Silver Lance by Oliver Potzsch, translated by Lee Chadeayne, read by Michael Page for $1.99+$3.49 — Potzsch is best known for his Hangman’s Daughter series of fairly grim historical fiction, here he does storytelling for young readers in style, performed by the always magnificent Michael Page: “Beyond the great forest and towering Dragon Mountain lies Fairyland, a land of elves and trolls, dragons and giants, magicians and fairies. And in one corner, Fairyland East, lives Knight Kyle. Kyle’s great-grandfather once possessed a silver lance that, according to legend, gave its owner invincible power. The lance is now missing, and Kyle is always looking for it, but so are his worst enemies: the robber Rasputin and the evil magician Balduin.”

All right, that’s far enough into the usual monthly roundup. Also as usual, here are some other deals I noticed this month, still good as of this writing:

The Grendel Affair: A SPI Files Novel by Lisa Shearin, read by Johanna Parker for $1.99+$3.49 — “We’re Supernatural Protection & Investigations, known as SPI. Things that go bump in the night, the monsters you thought didn’t exist? We battle them and keep you safe. But some supernatural baddies are just too big to contain, even for us…”

Age of Myth: Book One of The Legends of the First Empire by Michael Sullivan, read by Tim Gerard Reynolds for $1.99+$4.49 — “Since time immemorial, humans have worshipped the gods they call Fhrey, truly a race apart: invincible in battle, masters of magic, and seemingly immortal. But when a god falls to a human blade, the balance of power between humans and those they thought were gods changes forever. Now only a few stand between humankind and annihilation: Raithe, reluctant to embrace his destiny as the God Killer. Suri, a young seer burdened by signs of impending doom. And Persephone, who must overcome personal tragedy to lead her people. The Age of Myth is over; the time of rebellion has begun.”

Silver Birch, Blood Moon edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, read by Jo Howarth for $1.99+$3.49 — World Fantasy Award winning 1999 anthology: “The four previous volumes in Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling’s anthology series of fairly tales retold with a distinctively modern edge have been hailded by reviewers as “brilliant”, “provocative”, and “disturbing”. In this triumphant new collection of original fiction, 21 of today’s leading writers spin the cherished fables of childhood into glittering gold - offering magical tales for adults, as seductive as they are sophisticated.”

City by Clifford D. Simak, read by Peter Ganim for $1.99+$3.49 — “Jenkins was a robot. He was built to be the perfect worker, tireless and uncomplaining. But, quite unexpectedly, he also became a close companion to generation after generation of his owners as the human race matured, moved beyond the confines of its once tiny planet, and eventually changed beyond all recognition. And then, because he was a good and dutiful servant, Jenkins went on to serve Earth’s inheritors.”

Blood Music by Greg Bear, read by George Guidall for $1.99+$3.49 — “This Hugo and Nebula Award finalist follows present-day events in which the fears concerning the nuclear annihilation of the world subsided after the Cold War and the fear of chemical warfare spilled over into the empty void it left behind. An amazing breakthrough in genetic engineering made by Vergil Ulam is considered too dangerous for further research, but rather than destroy his work, he injects himself with his creation and walks out of his lab, unaware of just how his actions will change the world. Author Greg Bear’s treatment of the traditional tale of scientific hubris is both suspenseful and a compelling portrait of a new intelligence emerging amongst us, irrevocably changing our world.”

All right, that’s it for this month. Happy #WhispersyncDeal hunting!

Posted in Whispersync Deals