This shouldn’t come across as much of a surprise to anybody, given my admitted love of high tech reading and the tools associated with it, but I’m a fan of the SF genre. Yeah, I know, I’m playing to a stereotype by implying you can make the assumption there, but I don’t care. Now, having made that declaration, on to the Kindle-related stuff. That’s what we’re here for, right? Here are a few things I’ve picked up recently on my Kindle that I can honestly suggest you also grab when you get a chance.
Snow Crash – Neal Stephenson
This one won’t come as a surprise for many people. From what I know, it’s one of the most popular Science Fiction titles ever written. I finally picked it up, with high hopes after having loved Cryptonomicon for years, and I was not disappointed.
Without giving too much away, it’s an adventure in a dystopic America in the near future after the collapse of the dollar, and the government with it. You’ve got sword fights, social commentary, impressively nuts religious leaders, an intriguing early view of the potential embodied by the internet as a stage for social interaction, and much more. Most of all, it’s one of those books that you have so much fun reading that you lose track of time. To me, that’s the best mark of a great title. Did I mention that it’s got a main character named “Hiro Protagonist”?
The Kindle Edition is $8.10
Dune – Frank Herbert
You’ve heard of Dune. Ok, I can’t be 100% sure of that, but let’s face it…you’re heard of Dune. Between the movie of the same name, the mini-series, and the countless sequels (both those made by the original Herbert and the many horrible new ones his son keeps coming up with), it would be more than a little surprising for somebody to have never at least heard the name.
How many people have read it recently, though, if they ever have at all? This is a genuinely great SF novel that has held up perfectly. Besides the story being genuinely interesting in its own right, it’s good food for thought. On the one hand, I can’t really think of much I could say that isn’t right on the Amazon page without giving away details. On the other hand, I couldn’t describe it in ten times as much space as I have to work with. Really, if you like good serious SF reads, grab it. Heck, even if you’ve read it before, I’ll bet it’s been a while! Give it another go.
The Kindle Edition is $15.99
You know, I have more that I want to recommend here that I don’t have anything I can usefully say beyond “Here, check these out!” For the most part they’re so enmeshed in the genre that there’s nothing I could add productively to the discussion anyway.
Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card Kindle Edition: $5.99
The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams Kindle Edition: $9.99
Hyperion – Dan Simmons Kindle Edition: $6.39
Really, that’s just the tip of the iceberg, of course. I hope you all enjoy as much as I do and have. As always, feel free to send me suggestions for future recommendations. That’s where this idea came from and it’s always a good time. It’s times like these, going through what I consider some of the basic components of my library that I most love having made the move to the Kindle. Never have to worry about finding that paperback you put down ten years ago and haven’t seen since!
Just as a heads up to anybody who might be considering, I’ve been informed that Hyperion is not available from Amazon.UK at the moment. Surprised, to say the least, but I’ll try to watch for that in future posts and at least warn ahead of time.
Just as a heads up to anybody who might be considering, I’ve been informed that Hyperion is not available from Amazon.co.uk at the moment. Surprised, to say the least, but I’ll try to watch for that in future posts and at least warn ahead of time.
And I’ve immediately been corrected again by another reader!
Hyperion is £4.99 at Amazon.co.uk
Head to this page to grab it.
Over $15 for the kindle version of as old a book as Dune is is outrageous. Lost: one sale.
The Kindle price for Dune is ludicrous. You can find a paperback copy for less than five bucks at any used bookstore/library book sale.
Why is Dune $16? This is ridiculous for a book that has been out 40 years. It should be cheaper than the mass market paperback! Should be in the $5-6 range at most. I hate it when publishers try to rip off readers like this. I don’t like to support these publishers regardless of how good the book is.
$15.99 for an ebook of a 40-year-old book that can be purchased for $8 new as a MMPB is outrageous. They are practically begging people to pirate it. I’m reading Dune for a book club and even though I prefer Kindle books, I bought a used copy of this one for $2 on principle.
I picked up Snow Crash since it’s now finally under $10.00 (I’ve been watching it for months), but Dune will have to wait. Whatever the publishers are making by charging more, their losing in volume. You just can’t convince me that it took $16.00 to turn Dune into a digital format and distribute it. This is simply profiteering.
I’ve read all of these except “Hyperion” and I can say that they are all excellent. My favorite of the bunch is “Ender’s Game.”
After seeing typo complaints about the Kindle edition of Dune, I decided to look at the free initial chapters before plunking down that much $$. It didn’t take me long: “…he was bom on Caladan…” in the 5th sentence of Book One! Obviously the OCR scans need some post-scan editing. Come on Penguin (and Amazon), either significantly reduce the price or pay some proofreaders to get it right (and do the 40th Anniversary proud). Or, give the first reporter of each typo $1 credit and then fix them. I was hoping to reread the entire Dune saga (this time on my Kindle). Now I think I’ll just dig out my original hardcovers instead. Very disappointed!
For anyone considering Dune, I highly recommend purchasing Hyperion instead. Dune is good but for $16 I’d expect some sort of nice hardcover showpiece to go in your library. $16 for an old classic that you can find for .50c in most used book stores or even garage sales is OUTRAGEOUS.