FREE/BARGAIN — Science Fiction & Fantasy

[salty-horse]

Originally Posted by Quoth

It's brilliant. There are sequels. Great Japanese animated version, which led me to buy the book.

And there's an omnibus with the sequels - better to wait for it to be on sale again.

[salty-horse]

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman is $1 in the US (Amazon)
This is the beginning of a self-published LitRPG series. The audiobooks and Kickstartered special editions are also self-published. It's grown popular enough that Ace is publishing hardcover editions, but they only have rights for those. So I think this makes it traditionally-published enough to mention here.
They are extremely popular at the moment, but I know the genre can put off people - I've never read one myself, but the sample chapter of this one and the price makes me willing to try it.

The apocalypse will be televised!

You know what’s worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat. And you know what’s worse than that? An alien invasion, the destruction of all man-made structures on Earth, and the systematic exploitation of all the survivors for a sadistic intergalactic game show. That’s what.

Join Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they try to survive the end of the world—or just get to the next level—in a video game–like, trap-filled fantasy dungeon. A dungeon that’s actually the set of a reality television show with countless viewers across the galaxy. Exploding goblins. Magical potions. Deadly, drug-dealing llamas. This ain’t your ordinary game show.

Welcome, Crawler. Welcome to the Dungeon. Survival is optional. Keeping the viewers entertained is not.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by salty-horse

And there's an omnibus with the sequels - better to wait for it to be on sale again.

I have that on a wish list. I do have it all on paper, so the omnibus (Ingary) needs to be cheap. It was cheap enough in the USA, but "travelling" is complicated. Last time it sort of "worked" but my bank account was frozen! Fortunately one click in app to reset it.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Quoth

It's brilliant. There are sequels. Great Japanese animated version, which led me to buy the book.

I've read the book and seen the movie. Both are great!

[Manabi]

Originally Posted by Quoth

I'll try John Scalzi's Redshirts. Strangely I've not yet ready any of his.
(I suspected from title: In Star Trek everyone knows the unnamed redshirt on the away team will die)

It's related to that concept, but goes in directions you will not be expecting. It's quite good and a lot of fun.

[ZodWallop]

The Atrocity Archives (Laundry Files Book 1) by Charles Stross is $2 at Amazon, B&N and Kobo. I almost put this in horror, but I think it is tagged more as science fiction.

The first novel in Hugo Award-winning author Charles Stross's witty Laundry Files series

Bob Howard is a low-level techie working for a super-secret government agency. While his colleagues are out saving the world, Bob's under a desk restoring lost data. His world was dull and safe—but then he went and got Noticed.

Now, Bob is up to his neck in spycraft, parallel universes, dimension-hopping terrorists, monstrous elder gods and the end of the world. Only one thing is certain: it will take more than a full system reboot to sort this mess out...

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Manabi

It's related to that concept, but goes in directions you will not be expecting. It's quite good and a lot of fun.

Agreed.

Wil Wheaton narrates the audiobook and John Scalzi (I say Scalzi when he was doing a book tour for Redshirts) said it's a lot of fun to listen to. I may try to get the audiobook ad have a listen.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

The Atrocity Archives (Laundry Files Book 1) by Charles Stross is $2 at Amazon, B&N and Kobo. I almost put this in horror, but I think it is tagged more as science fiction.

I've read this. I would not call it horror.