The Free E-Book Experiment

[Arphahat]

Google Play has a number of free classic books. You will need to download the epub files, but you should be able to read them on your Kindle.

[muddi900]

The same book are free on every Ebook store, among other places.

[Chris_D]

Yeah, I guess we are looking for newer releases, indy authors and the like.

[Ink Asylum]

I'm taking a break from the short story book. I've read four of them so far, and they're pretty good. The author provides an afterword for each tale describing where it came from and any interesting facts about the story. He definitely has a fondness for ideas that involve transhumanism, and I hope more of the stories center around that. He writes well from the perspective of characters who operate differently than most people.

For now, I'm moving on to a new book:

Turing Evolved

When Ex-DEMON pilot Jon Carlson meets beautiful humanitarian Rachel, it's a match made in HEAVEN. Literally, because Rachel's an ANGEL. She's also an AI controlled android of immense power and capability. As Jon finds himself drawn into the world of these enigmatic creations of mankind, he unknowingly becomes involved in a program to create autonomous superweapons intended to fight the next war.

Skimming the reviews, I'm seeing the same complaint that often comes up with indy titles: "Needs editing." The reviews are pretty positive despite this, so I'm going in with interest, but I'm prepared to skim sections that drag on.

[Spectre-7]

Originally Posted by Ink Asylum

Dude, I read your book. :P

Hmmm. I find this fact inconvenient, so I shall ignore it. Why, Ink? Why dost thou despise me so? Oh, woe is unto me. Terrible woe. Ultimate woe. Like... hella woe.

And now, I weep.

[/scene]

But seriously, don't know where I got the impression you were uninterested. Seems to have clawed into the back of my brain at some point, and being somewhat tipsy at the time, it came out. :|

[Ink Asylum]

I only really got into e-books this last Christmas when I got a Kindle.

[Hawkzombie]

Well, even at 3 bucks it still feels like a deal. I just need to 'buy' these all when I'm in America visiting my folks so I can get them for free!



EDIT: And so far I want to read all listed in this thread. Think I might get myself a nice e-reader and start reading a lot more.

[Chris_D]

This might be interesting:

The Plan [Kindle Edition]
by Bernard Jacobs

The Plan is a political thriller based on actual current historical events that suggest the near future. The writer offers a unique approach to a likely confrontation between the state driven forces of Western Christianity and Islam.

The U.S. economy of 2015 remains mired in a cycle of debt and decline. President Winters sets out to acquire the financial resources necessary to restore.

In a radicalized world of the President's making, taunted Islamic expatriates demonstrate violently against their European hosts. A threatened Iran seeks untraditional alliances. A nuclear-armed Pakistan encourages Israel to consider a multiple first strike. Traditional political alliances crumble, new leaders emerge. Outgoing rulers follow their personal wealth to the safety of the United States. Foreign investment swells America's coffers - all in reaction to the President's nefarious intrusions.

[Ink Asylum]

I've never really gotten into the political thriller genre, but for the price of free I'll give that a few chapters to see if it grabs me.

[muddi900]

The premise more or less explains that it might be the worst book you ever read.

[Chris_D]

25 five star reviews can't be wrong! Maybe...

[muddi900]

Reviews such as these definitely make me want to read it!

Riveting and a little scary. The writer certainly knows the Middle East and its people. This is a powerfully written, fictional account of how a future U.S. president deals with Islamic terrorists and restores American hegemony. I found the characters to be well devised. There are interesting back stories, intriguing female characters and love affairs enough to engage the woman reader. But basically it's a fast moving, macho tale full of military planning, diplomatic scheming (ours and theirs) and lots of special ops action. It will keep you wide awake and guessing till the end.

EDIT:

This one is also brilliant:

Drawing fom today's international headlines, Professor Jacobs has fashioned a vivid
tale of political intrigue in his novel, The Plan.
Written in terse sentences guaranteed to keep you turning the pages (and up all
night!), with considerable insight Jacobs explores one of the 21st century's greatest moral dilemmas - how best to respond to the threat of radical ideologies in modern society?
He takes us from the charismatic President of the U.S. and his conflicted confidant,
through the daily lives of some truly scary terrorists, then spices it up with
various sultry women - all of which rockets (literally!)to a highly provocative
ending.
It's sure to inspire much debate - here's hoping for a sequel!

[Ink Asylum]

Ooo...is this packed with right wing paranoia? I might have to read it just for that. At least a few chapters.

[muddi900]

I always think I am being a snob for not checking any of these out and then I go to amazon check out the reviews and slowly walk away.

[Ink Asylum]

Originally Posted by muddi900

I always think I am being a snob for not checking any of these out and then I go to amazon check out the reviews and slowly walk away.

Are you talking about free e-books in general?

[Chris_D]

You obviously don't read many amazon reviews if you think those are particularly bad . Mmm, dig me some right wing paranoia!

[Chris_D]

I must admit I'm batting about one in three for free eBooks that I've tried to read. There have been some good ones though.

[Ink Asylum]

I certainly keep my expectations low. It's not like I'm risking much, just the time I spend on the subway.

I'm on the edge about the current book I'm reading: Turing Evolved. So far it's a by-the-numbers Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence near future. I'm about 20% through and hoping it gets more interesting or I'll probably move on to something else.

[muddi900]

Originally Posted by Ink Asylum

Are you talking about free e-books in general?

Yes.

shorty shport shport

[Ink Asylum]

Originally Posted by Ink Asylum

ITuring Evolved

Finished reading this earlier in the week.

It was a pretty decent exploration of the rights and relationships of Artificial Intelligence, although I think it could have gone deeper than it did. The author also goes overboard on the acronyms. Practically every important piece of technology has a clever acronym for a name.

It's apparently going to be the first in a series, and sets up the sequel pretty well. I'm interested enough in where it's going to follow along.