Many of us may not be reading on our commutes anymore, but there is still plenty of time for reading! (We hope so, anyway!) We thought we should take this opportunity to highlight a handful of client eBooks that are currently on sale…

Aliette de Bodard‘s acclaimed and award-winning THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS, the first novel in the Dominion of the Fallen series, is currently a UK Kindle Monthly Deal. Here’s the synopsis…

Paris in the aftermath of the Great Magicians War. Its streets are lined with haunted ruins, Notre-Dame is a burnt-out shell, and the Seine runs black, thick with ashes and rubble. Yet life continues among the wreckage. The citizens retain their irrepressible appetite for novelty and distraction, and The Great Houses still vie for dominion over France’s once grand capital.

House Silverspires, previously the leader of those power games, now lies in disarray. Its magic is ailing; its founder, Morningstar, has been missing for decades; and now something from the shadows stalks its people inside their very own walls.

Within the House, three very different people must come together: a naive but powerful Fallen, an alchemist with a self-destructive addiction, and a resentful young man wielding spells from the Far East.

They may be Silverspires’ salvation; or the architects of its last, irreversible fall…

Aliette’s THE CITADEL OF WEEPING PEARLS is also an Early Bird Books deal, in North America, today only. Part of the author’s award-nominated and critically-acclaimed Xuya universe, it is published via JABberwocky. Here’s the synopsis…

The Citadel of Weeping Pearls was a great wonder; a perfect meld between cutting edge technology and esoteric sciences—its inhabitants capable of teleporting themselves anywhere, its weapons small and undetectable and deadly.

Thirty years ago, threatened by an invading fleet from the Dai Viet Empire, the Citadel disappeared and was never seen again.

But now the Dai Viet Empire itself is under siege, on the verge of a war against an enemy that turns their own mindships against them; and the Empress, who once gave the order to raze the Citadel, is in desperate needs of its weapons. Meanwhile, on a small isolated space station, an engineer obsessed with the past works on a machine that will send her thirty years back, to the height of the Citadel’s power.

But the Citadel’s disappearance still extends chains of grief and regrets all the way into the fraught atmosphere of the Imperial Court; and this casual summoning of the past might have world-shattering consequences…

Andrew Cartmel‘s third Vinyl Detective novel, VICTORY DISC, is also a Kindle Monthly Deal in the UK. Published by Titan Books, here’s the synopsis…

When one of his cats accidentally discovers a rare Victory Disc, the Vinyl Detective and his girlfriend Nevada are whisked into the world of big band swing music, and a mystery that began during the Second World War.

Hired to track down the rest of the highly sought-after recordings of the Flare Path Orchestra, our hero will discover that the battles of the last world war aren’t over yet. And if all this sounds simple, it’s only because we haven’t mentioned drive-by shootings, murderous neo-Nazis, or that slight case of being buried alive…

Jack Campbell‘s TRIUMPHANT, the third novel in the author’s Genesis Fleet series, is currently a Kindle Monthly Deal in the UK. This novel, as well as a number of Campbell’s other books, are published in the UK by Titan Books. Here’s the synopsis…

A young fleet officer and a Marine must stand together to defend their neighbors and their colony in this thrilling finale to the powerful and action-packed Genesis Fleet saga from New York Times bestselling author Jack Campbell.

The recently colonized world of Glenlyon has learned that they’re stronger when they stand with other star systems than they are on their own. But after helping their neighbor Kosatka against an invasion, Glenlyon has become a target. The aggressive star systems plan to neutralize Glenlyon before striking again.

An attack is launched against Glenlyon’s orbital facility with forces too powerful for fleet officer Rob Geary to counter using their sole remaining destroyer, Saber. Mele Darcy’s Marines must repel repeated assaults while their hacker tries to get into the enemy systems to give Saber a fighting chance.

To survive, Glenlyon needs more firepower, and the only source for that is their neighbor Kosatka or other star systems that have so far remained neutral. But Kosatka is still battling the remnants of the invasion forces on its own world, and if it sends its only remaining warship to help will be left undefended against another invasion. While Carmen Ochoa fights for the freedom of Kosatka, Lochan Nakamura must survive assassins as he tries to convince other worlds to join a seemingly hopeless struggle.

As star systems founded by people seeking freedom and autonomy, will Kosatka, Glenlyon and others be able to overcome deep suspicions of surrendering any authority to others? Will the free star systems stand together in a new Alliance, or fall alone?

For fans of classic fantasy, James P. Blaylock‘s THE DISAPPEARING DWARF is only $1.99 this month in the US and Canada, from major eBook retailers. The second novel in the author’s beloved Balumnia trilogy, it is published in eBook by JABberwocky — who also publish the first and third novels, THE ELFIN SHIP and THE STONE GIANT. Here’s the synopsis…

Jonathan Bing, Master Cheeser, has been growing a bit bored in Twombly Town. So it’s no surprise that when Professor Wurzle suggests a trip downriver, Jonathan jumps at the chance. A visit to the Evil Dwarf Selznak’s abandoned castle leads to a treasure hunt, but also to the discovery that Jonathan’s old friend the Squire has vanished, and that Selznak may be involved. Jonathan–accompanied by his wonderpooch Ahab, the Professor, and Miles the Magician–will have to set off to darkest Balumnia, to the city of Landsend, to find the treasure, and the Squire. And to make matters worse, Selznak will be there, too…

For non-fiction fans, John McHugo‘s A CONCISE HISTORY OF THE ARABS is also a Kindle Monthly Deal in the UK. Published by Saqi Books, here’s the synopsis…

The key to understanding the Arab world today is unlocking its past.

In this authoritative account, John McHugo takes the reader through the political, social and intellectual history of the Arabs from the Roman Empire right up to the present day. Going beyond the headlines, he describes in vivid detail a series of key turning points in Arab history – from the mission of the Prophet Muhammad and the expansion of Islam to the region’s interaction with Western ideas and the rise of Islamism.

Now fully updated to cover the tumultuous years since the Arab Spring, this lucidly told history reveals how the Arab world came to have its present form and illuminates the choices that lie ahead.

We hope you are all keeping well and safe, and are finding plenty of time to make progress on your TBR piles! Happy reading!