The Best Monthly Science Fiction and Fantasy Ebook Deals for April 2020

Nebula and World Fantasy Award Finalist: A fantastic tale of intrigue, love, war, magic, and swashbuckling adventure set in an alternate universe where fairies mingle freely with Englishmen and all of Shakespeare’s fictional characters are real.

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The national bestselling detective novel set in a futuristic Los Angeles by the legendary actor who played the original Captain Kirk on Star Trek!

Not satisfied with the thrills of being one of Greater Los Angeles’ toughest cops, Jake Cardigan turns to Tek, a computerized brain stimulant which transports the user to any reality he can imagine. He’s soon addicted to this fantasy-enabler—and it isn’t long before Cardigan is accused of dealing. 

When he fails to convince the mechanized jury of his innocence, the state strips his badge and sentences him to fifteen years in suspended animation. Four years later he’s awakened. His sentence has been changed, but no one will tell him why. Cardigan’s search for answers takes him to Mexico, where a rogue scientist is attempting to rid the world of Tek.

In this unique blend of suspense, satire, and science fiction, Sir Edward Leithen settles in for a holiday weekend at Lady Flambard’s stately home in the Cotswolds. But the house party turns strange when one of the guests, the enigmatic physicist and mathematician Professor Moe, enlists the help of Leithen and his companions in a bizarre experiment meant to give them a glimpse of the future.

For those who take part, the consequences will be dramatic—and test Leithen’s formidable powers of reasoning—making for a “confident, assured” novel (The Spectator) from John Buchan, author of The Thirty-Nine Steps and a recipient of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize.
 

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On the planet Shanji, a ruthless emperor rules a subjugated people. Kati, raised by the lower caste Tumatsin, is taken captive by the emperor’s troops, and then saved by the Searchers, who see her as the promised Empress of Light, whose psychic powers can control the hot light of creation. But those powers can destroy a planet or star, and could be beyond everyone’s control. 

Kati must decide how to use her abilities when there is a planetary invasion from afar, led by a mighty empress whom she thought of as a friend and teacher. Kati must take charge of her own destiny, not only for herself, but also for Shanji and its neighboring worlds. Born with the heritage of two races, she must rise to rule them both.

Two thousand years ago, as the Roman Empire beat back the rise of Christianity, the saviors of mankind arrived. And they weren’t Jesus of Nazareth or his Disciples.

They were the Benefactors.

They appeared as heavenly beings on a mission of hope, convincing the people of Earth to accept their kindly dominion by hijacking the insurgent Christian Movement and turning it into an instrument of control. When the mighty Roman Empire refused to bow down, it was destroyed.

Ever since, the Benefactors have guided and led, and humankind has followed and prospered — but at a price.

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The distance between your cell and freedom is a hell of a journey.

As Jonesbridge descends into chaos, Myron seizes an opportunity as a member of a mobile recovery squad, sent to salvage metal. He wanders the Nethers, where he meets a nomad who seeks out people for delivery to a mysterious place called Mesa Gap in exchange for fresh water and supplies. On their journey, they encounter dangerous groups of cultists and fanatics, as well as refugees, as desperate as Myron for a way out.

Myron’s love, Sindra, was banished for giving birth, and is now holed up in a village by the sea. Myron’s mission is to get Sindra and flee through the ancient highway that promises freedom. His journey will test every limit, and force Myron to make decisions that could ultimately alter the future of what is left of the human race.

When the world is threatened by an alien force, a Florida gator wrestler is all that stands between survival and total annihilation.

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Unable to return to the twenty-sixth century, historian and time traveler Noel Kedran struggles to repair the sabotage that keeps him ensnared in time’s web. His evil twin Leon, created by the anomaly, works just as hard to prevent Noel from escaping the trap. Each attempt to go home lands Noel and Leon in a different era. Now, they’re in the New Mexico territory in the year 1887—a harsh desert land plagued by lawless bandit raids, border wars, and fierce Apaches.

Although determined to preserve the fabric of history, Noel soon finds himself involved with the perils facing a ranching family. The ranch has been burned and a young girl abducted. If Noel can’t find a way to rescue her, the altered time stream will change the future forever. That’s exactly what Leon is hoping for. Which means that sooner or later, the two of them must have a showdown.

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An alternate eighteenth-century England sets the stage for a lyrical novel by the author of the Tears of Artamon trilogy, “an innovative fantasist” (Asimov’s).

Young rebel composer Amaru Khassian flees from religious persecution to peaceful Tourmalise. Crippled by horrible burns, he can no longer write down his stirring, seditious music—until he meets Orial, a girl with a unique gift that enables her to “hear” the sounds in other people’s minds.

Khassian’s music could inspire his countrymen to overthrow their oppressors. But there is a price on the young composer’s head, and it’s not long before Acir Korentan, an agent of the brutal regime in Allegonde that has tried to repress Khassian’s music, tracks him down.

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A fantastical tale of a boy who finds something amazing in the forest—and then finds the courage to stop hiding . . .

At school, Brennon Trapper does whatever he must do to be liked, but at home inside his trailer, he crawls back inside himself, wishing he could disappear. His father likely wouldn’t even notice if he did.

Then, something too incredible to believe happens on his family’s wooded property, and Brennon and his younger brother vow to keep it from their parents rather than risk ridicule again. Seriously, who would believe that a beaver gave them a tesserapod that could develop into a lodge of sorts in two hundred days if grounded correctly?

But when an epic blizzard destroys the roof of their trailer, Brennon finally comes clean about the woods and what he thinks may be a place of shelter.

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