Name your own price for the Humble sci-fi e-book bundle
As little as a penny nets you five solid reads. Anything over $12 adds some sci-fi legends to the mix, including Bear, Ellison, and Zahn.
I love me a good sci-fi yarn, whether it's Andy Weir's "'Gravity' on Mars" epic "The Martian" or Hugh Howey's engrossing dystopia series "Wool," which I'm reading now -- no spoilers, please!
If you feel the same way, today's deal should have you scrambling for your credit card. The Humble Sci-Fi E-Book Bundle lets you name your own price for an impressive collection of fiction. And the price you name dictates exactly how many books you'll get.
Minimum buy-in: a penny. That's good for five complete novels -- and insulting to writers everywhere. Take it from me: Writing a book is an arduous, exhausting labor of love and a tough way to make a living. These folks deserve more. Let your conscience be your guide.
If you pay at least the average (currently $11.36, I'm happy to report), you get four additional books -- and the promise of at least one more. ("More books coming soon," notes the promo page.) Within this group you may recognize some of the names: Greg Bear, Alan Dean Foster, and no less than sci-fi legend Harlan Ellison.
Of course, at that point you might as well make it an even $12, which unlocks the final tier of bonus books: Buzz Aldrin's "Encounter with Tiber" and Timothy Zahn's "Blackcollar." Your total cost at that point is a buck per book. Make it two apiece and feel extra good about yourself. (As usual, the Humble folks let you steer some of that money toward charities, so you get to feel double-extra good.)
The books are all DRM-free and available in multiple formats (ePub, Mobi, PDF), meaning you can read them on pretty much any device. Plus, I checked out the lesser-known titles on Amazon, and without exception they've earned from four to five stars from readers. In other words, this isn't just junky clearance schlock; it's sci-fi gold. (Maybe silver in a few cases.)
With a total value of $86 on the line, what will you pay for enough reading material to last you the summer -- if not the fall?
Bonus deal: Looking for something to hold all those new e-books? For a limited time, and while supplies last, Newegg (via eBay) has the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7-inch tablet (16GB, with Special Offers) for $149.99, shipped. It's new, not refurbished, and $50 off the current sale price at Amazon. At the risk of gushing, this is my favorite 7-inch tablet ever. Gorgeous screen, awesome origami cover (sold separately), and with an Amazon Prime subscription, movies and TV shows you can download for offline viewing.