Thursday, November 3, 2011

Reid Picks: The Best Website for Free Quality Science Fiction E-books

You can find free science fiction e-books on many websites, but if you want some top-quality e-books, I recommend the Baen Free Library located at www.baen.com/library. Baen Books is a leading science fiction book publisher known for it's military science fiction novels. It also provides dozens of e-book versions of its published novels.
Image from Wikipedia.
So why does the publisher offer free e-books? One of the reasons is that if you read the first book of a series and like it, you may want to buy the other books. It's also compared to reading books for free at a library. If you like what you read, you may tell your friends and buy the books.

There are many Baen authors who participate, so I've narrowed the list to ten authors who are among the best. They are in alphabetical order, and I've included quotes about the authors from the site (click on their names in large print to go to their page with free books).

Catherine Asaro
"Catherine Asaro is a Nebula Award winner for her novel The Quantum Rose, part of her popular Skolian Empire series. Her novels have three times been named the best science fiction novel of the year by Romantic Times Book Club. She has also won numerous other awards, including the Analog Readers Poll award, the Homer, and the Sapphire. ... She has written eleven novels in the popular Skolian Saga, the latest being Schism: Triad, Book I (Tor, 2004), several fantasies, including The Charmed Sphere The Charmed Sphere, as well as two near-future technothrillers, The Veiled Web and The Phoenix Code."

Lois McMaster Bujold
"Lois McMaster Bujold burst upon the science fiction world in 1986 with the first of the Vorkosigan Saga novels, Shards of Honor, closely followed by The Warrior's Apprentice, which introduced Miles Vorkosigan, the hyperkinetic military genius with bones of glass. She has won an unprecedented four Hugo Awards for works in the Vorkosigan Saga. Bujold has published sixteen novels to date, all but one with Baen Books."

Eric Flint
"Eric Flint is the author of the New York Times best seller 1634: The Galileo Affair (with Andrew Dennis) — a novel in his top-selling 'Ring of Fire' alternate history series. His first novel for Baen, Mother of Demons, was picked by Science Fiction Chronicle as a best novel of the year. His 1632, which launched the ring of Fire series, won widespread critical praise, as from Publishers Weekly, which called him 'an SF author of particular note, one who can entertain and edify in equal, and major measure.'"

James P. Hogan
"James P. Hogan is a science fiction writer in the grand tradition, combining informed and accurate speculation from the cutting edge of science and technology with suspenseful story-telling and living, breathing characters. ... His first novel was greeted by Isaac Asimov with the rave, 'Pure science fiction ... Arthur Clarke, move over!' and his subsequent work quickly consolidated his reputation as a major SF author. He has written over a dozen novels including Paths to Otherwhere and Bug Park (both Baen), the 'Giants' series (coming soon from Baen), the New York Times bestsellers The Proteus Operation and Endgame Enigma and the Prometheus Award Winner The Multiplex Man (all available from Baen)."

Larry Niven
"New York Times bestselling author and multiple award-winner Larry Niven is author of the Hugo and Nebula Award winning Ringworld, a novel recognized as a milestone in modern science fiction. Like Ringworld and its sequels, The Ringworld Engineers and The Ringworld Throne, the Man-Kzin books are part of the Known Space series, possibly the most popular SF series of all time."

Andre Norton
"Called 'a superb talent' by The New York Times, Andre Norton is a living legend in science fiction, and one of our greatest storytellers. She has been writing science fiction novels of very high quality for nearly five decades, beginning with the now-classic novel Star Man's Son in 1952. Many of today's top writers, including C.J. Cherryh and Joan D. Vinge, have cited her as a primary influence on their own work. She was Guest of Honor at the 1989 World Science Fiction Convention, and has received the Grand Master award from the Science Fiction Writers of America and the Lifetime Achievement Award of the World Fantasy Convention."

Jerry Pournelle
"Jerry Pournelle is a reigning master of military science fiction, author of the series of novels about John Christian Falkenberg and his legion of interstellar mercenaries, and many other works, such as Janissaries, Exiles to Glory, High Justice, King David's Spaceship, Starswarm, and others. With Larry Niven he has collaborated on a string of bestselling novels, including Lucifer's Hammer, The Mote in God's Eye, Footfall, and many more."

John Ringo
"John Ringo is author of the New York Times best-selling Posleen War series which so far includes A Hymn Before Battle, Gust Front, When the Devil Dances (New York Times best seller), and Hell's Faire (New York Times best seller), and is the hottest new science fiction writer since David Weber. Among his other novels for Baen are Into the Looking Glass, the fantasy adventure Princess of Wands, the Council Wars series, which began with There Will Be Dragons, and the Kildar techno-thriller series, which began with Ghost."

Harry Turtledove
"Harry Turtledove is known for his historical fantasy and alternate history. His novels include The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump, Sentry Peak, Marching Through Peachtree, The Guns of the South, and the Great War and World at War series. A Hugo winner and Nebula finalist, he lives in Los Angeles."

David Weber
"A lifetime military history buff, David Weber has carried his interest in history into his fiction.  In the New York Times best selling Honor Harrington series, the spirit of both C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower and history's Admiral Nelson are evident. With over five million copies of his books in print, David Weber is the fastest rising star in the Science Fiction universe. His Honor Harrington series boasts over 3 million copies in print, and Weber has had over thirteen of his titles on The New York Times Best Seller List. War of Honor, book 10 in the series appeared on over twelve Best Seller lists, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and USA TODAY."

5 comments:

  1. That's so funny. I was just Googling for free ebooks yesterday! Great find. Any recommendations?

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  2. Oh, I had no idea they offered free SF ebooks. Thanks--I'll have to check it out.

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  3. Oh neat. I'll have to check that out. Thanks!

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  4. Maurice, I didn't read your mind -- I swear! I suggest starting with David Weber's Honor Harrington series. The first book he wrote for it was "On Basilisk Station."

    CNHolmberg and M Pax, I hope you two find some good reads!

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  5. My sister will be very glad when I will share with her this information. Its really good informative post.

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