We have another Big, Beautiful Based Books Bargain going on. So, while we’ve already linked to said sale on Thursday, here it is again. Please remember, all the books in the sale are either free, or $0.99.
You can’t get cheaper than free
To celebrate that—and to help you pick out some works from the greater crowd—Upstream reviewers have dug through the sale to pick out the books we’ve already reviewed. It helps you, the reader, narrow down books, and maybe even authors.
Now, there is no order to these reviews, unless they are several reviews in a series. I have grouped these by reviewer, so we can avoid column inches of just one book review. Originally, I was going to sort these by fewest reviews to most reviews. That fell apart.
What I have done is excerpted quotes from the reviews to give you a sense of the book, and you can pick and choose from there.
Happy hunting.
Reviewed by Michael Gallagher
Review: Chalk by N.R. LaPoint
“All I can say is buckle up. Because Chalk is a strange, fantastic trip indeed, and it’s a long way down.”
Reviewed by Graham Bradley
Review: CYBERPUB by Michael Gallagher
“Sometimes you wanna go…where everyBODY knows your naaaaame…[and they keep quiet about it!]”
“If you like McAnally from Dresden, or you want a cluster of overlapping stories that would feel right at home in Cyberpunk 2077, check out CYBERPUB: TALES OF THE CROSSROADS TAVERN REGULARS.”
Review: Caterpillar by Travis J. Corcoran
“When the Killdozer becomes the Livedozer.”
The most popular zombie stories are full of idiot characters who would actually be dead inside of twelve hours under those circumstances (yet somehow The Walking Dead is on course to have more seasons than a soap opera.) The best zombie stories show competent characters working their way through the problem and, preferably, meeting it with a superlative…
Hacking Galileo, by Fenton Wood: “It’s like if Forrest Gump wasn’t just about a guy who happened to be around every big thing happening in the 60s and 70s, but instead crossed lines with major political, technological, commercial, and scientific figures in the 80s, all so they could save the Earth from an extinction-level-event fired out of the Silent Galaxy.”
Reviewed by JE Tabor
Review: White Ops, by Declan Finn
Read White Ops for the unapologetic heroism in the face of cynical politician villains that are all too familiar, and the rich descriptions of alien races and worlds. Also, the action. Lots of action.
Humanity and its allies are attacked by an upstart alien race called the Pharmakoi wielding unbelievably advanced weapons. And that's just the beginning of the threats they will face in this new space opera by Declan Finn.
Reviewed by Ginger Man
Galen's Way by Richard Paolinelli
In the distant future, humanity is still full of terrible people and courage is still found in the most unlikely places.
“It's one man willing to take on an empire for the woman he loves and winning. All wrapped up in political intrigue and hints of far more dangerous enemies to come.”
Review: White Ops, by Declan Finn
Finn takes his penchant for larger than life characters who have no problems taking out the bad guys and puts it in space. What follows is not just action but a healthy dose of political intrigue and a hint of mystery that demonstrate that the author can do a lot more than just write a solid fight scene.
Review: Politics Kills, by Declan Finn
“Because in this day and age I think we don’t need another reminder of how messed up the world is. What need is to be reminded that it is possible to push back, to go forth with a strong moral vision in your heart and mind, a sword in your hand, and a song on your lips.”
“If you liked Reacher but wish the guy had more personality and stood for something other than his own interests, this is definitely your book. Or you can think of it as Flash Gordon meets Die Hard 2. Or maybe Die Hard 4, the one where John McLane beats up an F-35 and kills a helicopter with a car. It’s that level of insane kick-assery.”
Review: Main Street, DOA, by Declan Finn
What do you do after you stopped an alien invasion, ended a civil war, deposed a dictator, helped unite most of the galaxy? You take a vacation, right? That's what you and I would do.
Reviewed by Caroline Furlong
Review: Prospero Lost (Prospero’s Children, Book 1) by L. Jagi Lamplighter
“Prospero Lost is an homage to all the great classics, from Shakespeare’s plays to Medieval romances, especially the Italian ones. It also pays court to C.S. Lewis’s Narnia while being a fun romp all on its own.”
Review: The Princess Seeks Her Fortune by Mary Catelli
“It is a good story that pays homage to the fairy tales of old while creating its own world. There is mystery as well as good triumphing over evil, true love, princes and princesses rescuing each other, and all the good things Disney no longer gives us.”
Review: Galen’s Way by Richard Paolinelli
“When was the last time you read something fun that made you feel like you had been to the movies and wanted to go again? [’s] Galen’s Way will give you all the hope of a summer blockbuster in the palm of your hand.”
Review: Sword’s Edge by L. S. King
“It’s The Lord of the Rings in space. The book will keep a reader seated all day or awake all night. A novel that will do this is rare, so why not buy it?”
Review: Dungeon Samurai Vol. 1: Kamikaze (An Anti-LitRPG Dungeon Crawl) by Kit Sun Cheah
“It’s a good book that pits the heroes against overwhelming odds and the despair that naturally entails. The characters are challenged to build up their faith at the same time they must fight for their lives. A rollicking adventure novel, Dungeon Samurai Vol. 1: Kamikaze has something for everyone.”
Reviewed by JR Handley
Book Review: White Ops (#1), by Declan Finn
“This book is for anyone who loves an overarching space opera told through the eyes of one main character with a large cast of supporting points of view. This is a broad-scope story with compelling themes of finding family and friends who remain at your side when life sucks the most.”
Reviewed by robkroese
Book Review: The Powers of the Earth
“Who doesn't love a story about plucky underdogs (heh) standing up to tyrannical overlords? Judging by the sales of YA fiction, pretty much everybody. But instead of a cartoonish future drawn in broad strokes, a la The Hunger Games, gives us a world that feels almost too real. This is hard sci-fi done right.”
Reviewed by Daniel M. Bensen
Review: Space Pirates of Andromeda by John C. Wright
“It’s not often you get to read a real homage, one in which the writer loves the source material and extends it. Here, John C. Wright asks “what if the Star Wars sequels were good?” Space Pirates of Andromeda gives us a very satisfying answer.”
Book Review: Secret Agents of the Galaxy by John C. Wright
“A better way to spend your money than any Star Wars of the past decade. Larger-than-life pulp space opera at its best, by one of the greatest masters of science fiction alive today.”
Reviewed by Declan Finn
Review: The Lost War, by Karl Gallagher
“Having topped David Weber, Karl has apparently decided to top John Ringo.”
Book Review: Body and Blood, by Michael Gallagher
“If you like the horror of Tim Powers, the action of Larry Correia or the world building of Jim Butcher, you’re going to love this.”
Book Review: Schooled in Magic, by Christopher G. Nuttall
“Some people get an owl or Gandalf at the front door—Emily got a necromancer.”
Review: Chalk, by NR LaPoint
“Think of any version of Alice in Wonderland where things became well and truly weird... then add chainsaws, shotguns, lightsaber, and a velociraptor with miniguns.”
“A Rabbit hole that goes straight to Dante’s Inferno.”
Review: The Unexpected Enlightenment of Rachel Griffin
The Unexpected Enlightenment of Rachel Griffin by author L. Jagi Lamplighter Wright has been described as Fringe meets Narnia in Hogwarts. The Narnia is easy to see. And it is set at a magical school. But the rest?
Book Review: John C Wright's Iron Chamber of Memory
“This book is for anyone who misses a sense of the fantastic in their fantasy, and who wants to make Arthuriana great again. If you enjoyed Mary Stewart and Stephen R Lawhead, or even Murphy and Cochran’s The Forever King, you should be reading this.”
Book Review: Starquest: Space Pirates of Andromeda, by John C. Wright
When I first encountered the David Weber’s Honor Harrington series, it was described as “Horatio Hornblower meets Star Wars.” If David Weber is the CS Forester of of science fiction, then that makes John C. Wright sci-fi’s Patrick O’Brian.
Book Review: Starquest #2: Secret Agents Of The Galaxy
“John C Wright brings us back space opera as we have longed for, with action, smarts, and a sense of wonder … and laser swords.”
Book Review: The Big Sheep, by Rob Kroese
“In a world where everyone is trying to be the next fascimile of yesteryear’s bestseller, Erasmus Keane is unique, operating in a well constructed, vivid world.”
Reviewed by Jim McCoy
That’s probably more than enough for you to glom through. Of course, there are at least a hundred more novels over at the sale.
We do hope you find something fun.