[Kindle] Daily e-book deals of note

Chaz · Post by **Chaz** » Fri Mar 01, 2013 9:52 am

Heart Shaped Box is a really excellent read.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Fri Mar 01, 2013 10:40 am

I find a $1.99 price point for eBooks irresistible, and having a gift card balance on Amazon works out quite nicely. I've purchased more books than games since January. Crazy talk.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Fri Mar 01, 2013 12:01 pm

So yay or nay to Wizard's First Rule? If there is already a thread for it, I will slog through it (sounds in depth), but if you could just give a thumbs up/thumbs down, would be much appreciated.

Crap ton of reviews with 4 stars has me slightly wary ONLY because I have a pretty big backlog of reading.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Fri Mar 01, 2013 12:07 pm

I hate Terry Goodkind's writing with the passion of a thousand angry suns, but YMMV.

Freezer-TPF- · Post by **Freezer-TPF-** » Fri Mar 01, 2013 12:07 pm

Smoove_B wrote:I find a $1.99 price point for eBooks irresistible, and having a gift card balance on Amazon works out quite nicely. I've purchased more books than games since January. Crazy talk.

Same here. Every new electronic gadget is a wonderful new opportunity . . . to develop a backlog.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Fri Mar 01, 2013 12:07 pm

Strike one!

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Fri Mar 01, 2013 12:13 pm

Carpet_pissr wrote:Strike one!

I've considered picking it up (we liked Legend of the Seeker for what it was), but Goodkind's raging asshole syndrome has me avoiding his work until I find myself with no backlog.

So sometime around my 111th birthday I may end up picking up Sword of Truth.

IceBear · Post by **IceBear** » Fri Mar 01, 2013 12:21 pm

Yeah, it's weird to me how he hasn't been sued by Robert Jordon's estate. I read Wizard's First Rule (think I was at some sci-fi convention and it was cheap) and the next couple of books and at first I liked it because it seemed like it was a more concise version of Wheel of Time with less characters, but it got repetitive and his ego turned me off. I think I read the Wheel of Time novel where they were invaded and there were collars that controlled magic users and the next Sword of Truth novel, there was an Empire invading and collars that controlled magic users

Sort of like Sword of Shannara and Lord of the Rings

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Fri Mar 01, 2013 12:23 pm

I really enjoyed the TV show so I figured I should try the book. I enjoyed probably 80% or so, but towards the end it got...weird. S&M themes that were more or less implied in the TV show were rather explicitly detailed in the book. I still consider it a worthwhile read (particularly if you liked the show) if for no other reason you get to see the source material. It's also probably much easier to carry around on a Kindle than the monster paperback I own. Goodkind definitely comes off like a giant wanker in numerous interviews so I consider purchasing his book for $1.99 a way to tell him what you think he's worth.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Mar 01, 2013 3:10 pm

When I finished the book back in the day, I threw it across the room. I even wrote a 1-star review on Amazon. Last I checked, 1/7th of the reviews on Amazon were 1-stars.

I did read a short story in an anthology in the same world that was actually decent, but I couldn't stand the nonsense that was WFR.

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Fri Mar 01, 2013 3:30 pm

I enjoyed Wizards First Rule when I first read it almost 20 years ago. Read the series for about 5 books where it just kept going on and ending every book with a conclusion and then new cliffhanger, and then dropped it like a stone, before he was outed as a serious jerk.

The first book had some interesting twists (to me at the time) on the heroic fantasy hero's journey, but many varied in that opinion. I'd probably read it again, but stop after a book or two - the whole dream army guy was tiresome to me...

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Fri Mar 01, 2013 9:30 pm

I don't know if it's a promotion, but The Sword of Truth Book #2 (Stone of Tears) is $0.00 for Kindle. Or...at least for me.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Fri Mar 01, 2013 10:54 pm

Smoove_B wrote:I don't know if it's a promotion, but The Sword of Truth Book #2 (Stone of Tears) is $0.00 for Kindle. Or...at least for me.

For me, as well. 'Purchased', along with book 1 after the wife expressed interest.

Note also that if you're an audiobook person, you can add the narration for $1.99.

Freezer-TPF- · Post by **Freezer-TPF-** » Sat Mar 02, 2013 8:58 am

There are a handful of Arthur C. Clarke titles currently on sale for $2.99 each.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Sat Mar 02, 2013 10:20 am

I'm not really into these alternate history books, but one of the $1.99 deals for today is Deck Z: The Titanic: Unsinkable. Undead. Not really sure what the rules are for double colon, but the idea of zombies chasing after Leonardo DiCaprio seems interesting enough::

Imagine being trapped aboard the doomed Titanic on an icy Atlantic. . . with the walking dead. This fast-paced thriller reimagines the historical events of the fateful Titanic voyage through the lens of zombie mayhem. Captain Edward Smith and his inner circle desperately try to contain a weaponized zombie virus smuggled on board with the 2,200 passengers sailing to New York. Faced with an exploding population of lumbering, flesh-hungry undead, Smith's team is forced into bloody hand-to-hand combat down the narrow halls of the huge steamer. In its few short days at sea, the majestic Titanic turns into a Victorian bloodbath, steaming at top speed toward a cold, blue iceberg. A creepy, tense page-turner, Deck Z will thrill zombie fans and Titanic buffs alike.

I don't get the impression we're looking at anything serious, but it seems to have decent reviews. I guess if you were looking cheap entertainment...

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Sun Mar 10, 2013 10:10 am

The whole Narnia set is on sale for Kindle today @ $1.99 ea. Any recommendations? I read the first book back in grade school but never the rest, and I don't know how they hold up for adults.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Sun Mar 10, 2013 12:39 pm

Zaxxon wrote:The whole Narnia set is on sale for Kindle today @ $1.99 ea. Any recommendations? I read the first book back in grade school but never the rest, and I don't know how they hold up for adults.

In reply to that, let's hear what the author himself has to say:

"...a book worth reading ONLY in childhood is not worth reading even then." ~C.S. Lewis

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Sun Mar 10, 2013 12:52 pm

Hopefully you are echoing that sentiment in this case rather than simply pointing out a biased source.

Little Raven · Post by **Little Raven** » Sun Mar 10, 2013 2:47 pm

Zaxxon wrote:The whole Narnia set is on sale for Kindle today @ $1.99 ea. Any recommendations? I read the first book back in grade school but never the rest, and I don't know how they hold up for adults.

They'll go very quickly for an adult, but they're perfectly good reads. Well, all except the last one, anyway.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Sun Mar 10, 2013 2:59 pm

Chronological order in the Universe is as follows:

6. The Magician's Nephew
1. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
5. The Horse and His Boy
2. Prince Caspian
3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
4. The Silver Chair
7. The Last Battle

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Mon Mar 11, 2013 10:34 am

Isgrimnur wrote:Chronological order in the Universe is as follows:

6. The Magician's Nephew
1. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
5. The Horse and His Boy
2. Prince Caspian
3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
4. The Silver Chair
7. The Last Battle

I read them both ways and I think the publication order (1-7) is better than in-universe chronological order for a first-time read. The world is presented gradually in the publication order. Chronologically, there are a lot of assumptions of lore made in MN that a reader new to the universe would be lacking. Plus events in books like MN have easter eggs that you can't appreciate without reading previous books.

I think after you've read them in published order, a re-read in chronological order is fine.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Mon Mar 11, 2013 10:40 am

Good to know.

Freezer-TPF- · Post by **Freezer-TPF-** » Mon Mar 11, 2013 3:57 pm

/agrees with LawBeef

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Tue Mar 12, 2013 4:46 am

FYI, to celebrate Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 40th anniversary, Amazon is selling the full 5 book bundle for $11.49 paperback hardcopy, or $12.99 Kindle edition.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/034545 ... adtmobs-20" target="_blank

Lordnine · Post by **Lordnine** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 3:22 pm

The Wool Omnibus is on sale for $4.

I loved this series.

This is the story of mankind clawing for survival, of mankind on the edge. The world outside has grown unkind, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden. But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they profess to want: They are allowed outside.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 10:52 am

Amazon Local (at least in Boston) has a deal for select e-books for $2, including Apocalypse Z:

http://local.amazon.com/boston/B00BSEXC2K" target="_blank

Also, the Da Vinci Code is free on Amazon right now:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Da-Vinci-Code ... ode+kindle" target="_blank

Chaz · Post by **Chaz** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 11:55 am

El Guapo wrote: Also, the Da Vinci Code is free on Amazon right now:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Da-Vinci-Code ... ode+kindle" target="_blank

Still over priced.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 5:44 pm

Heh. I picked it up, though the odds that I'll ever actually read it are vanishingly small.

But Apocalypse Z is good, right?

Canuck · Post by **Canuck** » Mon Mar 18, 2013 8:31 pm

Kasey Chang wrote:FYI, to celebrate Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 40th anniversary, Amazon is selling the full 5 book bundle for $11.49 paperback hardcopy, or $12.99 Kindle edition.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/034545 ... adtmobs-20" target="_blank

So the copy that you actually own and can resell is cheaper than the Kindle version? Bullshit!

Chaz · Post by **Chaz** » Tue Mar 19, 2013 8:32 am

Looks like Amazon's price for the Kindle version is $13, the paper version is $13.60. There's another seller listing the paper version for less, but that's not direct from Amazon.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Tue Mar 19, 2013 4:10 pm

You should be able to find a copy for much less in a used bookstore -- maybe $5.

EddieA · Post by **EddieA** » Sun Apr 07, 2013 1:49 am

Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings is currently on sale for Nook and Kindle for $2.99.

Freezer-TPF- · Post by **Freezer-TPF-** » Sun Apr 07, 2013 9:26 am

The Kindle Daily Deal for today has Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle for $1.99. Great book. If you haven't read this classic, grab it.

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Sun Apr 07, 2013 6:47 pm

Zarathud wrote:You should be able to find a copy for much less in a used bookstore -- maybe $5.

Plus $4 in gas trying to find a used bookstore, $1 in parking and another $2 to get home plus the cost of shelf space and the time it took to go to the bookstore (let's say 90 minutes at $20/hour...)

tapatalkin'

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue Apr 09, 2013 8:15 am

Today, one of the books featured for $1.99 is Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon.

With this extraordinary first volume in what promises to be an epoch-making masterpiece, Neal Stephenson hacks into the secret histories of nations and the private obsessions of men, decrypting with dazzling virtuosity the forces that shaped this century.

In 1942, Lawrence Pritchard Waterhouse—mathematical genius and young Captain in the U.S. Navy—is assigned to detachment 2702. It is an outfit so secret that only a handful of people know it exists, and some of those people have names like Churchill and Roosevelt. The mission of Waterhouse and Detachment 2702—commanded by Marine Raider Bobby Shaftoe-is to keep the Nazis ignorant of the fact that Allied Intelligence has cracked the enemy's fabled Enigma code. It is a game, a cryptographic chess match between Waterhouse and his German counterpart, translated into action by the gung-ho Shaftoe and his forces.

Fast-forward to the present, where Waterhouse's crypto-hacker grandson, Randy, is attempting to create a "data haven" in Southeast Asia—a place where encrypted data can be stored and exchanged free of repression and scrutiny. As governments and multinationals attack the endeavor, Randy joins forces with Shaftoe's tough-as-nails granddaughter, Amy, to secretly salvage a sunken Nazi submarine that holds the key to keeping the dream of a data haven afloat. But soon their scheme brings to light a massive conspiracy with its roots in Detachment 2702 linked to an unbreakable Nazi code called Arethusa. And it will represent the path to unimaginable riches and a future of personal and digital liberty...or to universal totalitarianism reborn.

The print book is just over 900 pages, so if you're looking to free up some shelf space...

Chaz · Post by **Chaz** » Tue Apr 09, 2013 8:59 am

And the audiobook is almost 50 hours long. Unrelated, but fun, fact.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Tue Apr 09, 2013 9:53 am

Long, yes, but any good?

Chaz · Post by **Chaz** » Tue Apr 09, 2013 9:58 am

Dunno. I'm working my way through the Song of Ice and Fire audio books first, which are 30-40 hours each.

Anonymous Bosch · Post by **Anonymous Bosch** » Tue Apr 09, 2013 10:05 am

Carpet_pissr wrote:Long, yes, but any good?

It's definitely a fantastic read, though I originally read the print version. I do recall there were quite a few symbols and diagrams used in the print version, so I wonder how well they are maintained in the electronic version or if they are simply omitted.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Tue Apr 09, 2013 10:11 am

I'm tempted, but my Kindle backlog is up to 35 items plus half of the WoT that I haven't yet gotten around to buying (which worked out since McMillan just stopped forcing MSRP on Amazon last week). I sound like Kraken or Jeff V, but if I buy it today I'm realistically looking at reading it in 2015.