[Free eBook] Exit Strategy by Martha Wells [Award-Nominated Science Fiction]

Exit Strategy by Martha Wells is the 4th novella in the The Murderbot Diaries series of science fiction robot adventures, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Tor Books.

This is their featured free eBook of the Month Club offer for for a 24-hour period from April 23rd to 24th. It was nominated for both the British Science Fiction and Prometheus Awards, and is being offered alongside the its 3 other series companion novellas over the course of the week at 1 per day for 24 hours each, to help promote the upcoming 1st full-length novel, Network Effect, which will be published in May.

The series is set in a spacefaring future where planetary exploration missions must be accompanied by security androids supplied by the Company, and stars one beginning to develop its own self-awareness as it hacks the modules which control its behaviour, unknown to and scornful of the humans around it.

This story apparently concludes the mystery of what really happened in the industrial incident that gave the “Murderbot” its name as well as its journey of self-discovery, as the renegade security android risks recapture, returning in an attempt to aid some human scientists of its former mission team against the obligatory sinister corporation which owns them all.

Offered through for a 24-hour period from April 23rd to 24th until just before until just before 6 AM on Friday morning, Eastern Time, available DRM-free to Canada & the US only directly from the publisher.

[Free eBook] Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells [Award-Nominated Science Fiction]

Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells is the 3rd novella in the The Murderbot Diaries series of science fiction robot adventures, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Tor Books.

This is part of their featured free eBook of the Month Club offer for a 24-hour period from April 22nd-23rd. It placed 3rd in the annual Locus Awards list in the Best Novella category, and is being offered alongside the its other series companion novellas over the course of the week at 1 per day for 24 hours each, to help promote the upcoming 1st full-length novel, Network Effect, which will be published in May.

The series is set in a spacefaring future where planetary exploration missions must be accompanied by security androids supplied by the Company, and stars one beginning to develop its own self-awareness as it hacks the modules which control its behaviour, unknown to and scornful of the humans around it.

This story continues the fallout of the Murderbot’s investigation into its suspicious namesake industrial incident, as more questions arise, this time from the authorities finally inquiring after the renegade security android’s whereabouts.

Offered through for a 24-hour period from April 22nd to 23rd until just before until just before 6 AM on Thursday morning, Eastern Time, available DRM-free to Canada & the US only directly from the publisher.

[Free eBook] Artificial Condition by Martha Wells [Award-Winning Science Fiction]

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells is the 2nd novella in the The Murderbot Diaries series of science fiction robot adventures, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Tor Books.

This is part of their featured Free eBook of the Month Club offer for April and also won the Hugo and Locus Awards for Best Novella, and is being offered alongside the its other series companion novellas over the course of the week at 1 per day for 24 hours each, to help promote the upcoming 1st full-length novel, Network Effect, which will be published in May.

The series is set in a spacefaring future where planetary exploration missions must be accompanied by security androids supplied by the Company, and stars one beginning to develop its own self-awareness as it hacks the modules which control its behaviour, unknown to and scornful of the humans around it.

This story has investigative mystery elements as the “Murderbot” begins exploring more of its newfound freedom on a journey of self-discovery while also looking into the hidden depths of its namesake past industrial incident and reluctantly becoming acquainted with other AIs.

Offered through for a 24-hour period from April 21st to 22nd until just before 6 AM morning Eastern Time, available DRM-free to Canada & the US only directly from the publisher.

[Free eBook] Rider Run by Raya Jones [Science Fiction Technothriller]

Rider Run by Welsh author Raya Jones, a Reader in Social Studies at the University of Cardiff who specializes in the psychology of social robotics, is a standalone science fiction technothriller novel, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press’ Venture imprint.

The story is set in a multi-species galactic future which blurs the boundaries between machines and humanity, as competing megacorps have established space stations run by intelligent machines known as “cybers”, or use a strange species known as “arks” which can jump through space-time, and are rumoured to be developing a game-changing new technology associated with the mysterious “psidroids”, and one man goes on a search to discover the truth behind them all.

Offered worldwide, available at Amazon.

[Free eBook] V. I.: Viral Intelligence by Don DeBrandt [Science Fiction Technothriller]

V. I.: Viral Intelligence by Canadian author Don DeBrandt is a standalone science fiction technothriller novel, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press’ Endeavour imprint.

This was originally published in 2000 by Penguin.

The story combines biological and technological threats, as invasive alien ticks with the ability to rearrange molecules hybridize themselves with an artificial intelligence, creating computer bugs which begin to take over not only inanimate systems, but flesh and blood as well.

Offered worldwide, available at Amazon.

[Free eBook] Blossom by Raya Jones [Science Fiction Technothriller]

Blossom by Welsh author Raya Jones, a Reader in Social Studies at the University of Cardiff who is also currently doing scholarly research into studying social robotics in the context of psychology, according to her bio-blurb, is the 2nd novel in the Rinzler series of science fiction mystery/crime technothrillers, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press’ Venture Press imprint.

The series is set in a post-apocalyptic dystopian future dominated by technology, where humanity sometimes comes into conflict with artificial intelligence in the form of androids, starring a freelance PI investigating crimes and conspiracies.

This story follows a journalist who becomes cut off from her technologically advanced world, where one’s identity and access to resources are controlled by a digital fingerprint, when hers becomes corrupted, leading to a virtual “death” which may be a symptom of deeper trouble within the Artificial Intelligence network suspected by the PI.

Offered worldwide, available at Amazon.

[Free eBook] Night of the Robots by Brian Ball [Science Fiction]

Night of the Robots by British author Brian Ball is a vintage standalone science fiction adventure novel, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press’ Venture Press imprint.

This was originally published in 1972 by Sidgwick & Jackson, credited as by Brian N. Ball, and was later reprinted by DAW Books under the title The Regiments of Night as #19 in their DAW Collectors line.

The story is set in the far future, where a tourist spaceship journeying to view the archaelogical wonders of Earth’s vanished civilization, destroyed by an ancient War Machine, is about to encounter two mutually hostile groups also making their way there, once more pitting humanity in a struggle for survival against the sapient robots which have come to dominate the galaxy.

Offered worldwide, available at Amazon.

[Free eBook] Follow Me: A Quest in Two Worlds by Ken Howard [Science Fiction]

Follow Me: A Quest in Two Worlds by English author Ken Howard, a filmmaker and composer who once co-wrote a hit song for Elvis Presley, is his standalone virtual reality science fiction adventure novel, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press’ Venture imprint.

The story is set in the present day, exploring themes of virtual reality and artificial intelligence, as a boy tries to uncover what has happened to his older brother, who mysteriously disappeared while secretly working upon pioneering computer research seeking the Singularity, and discovers a virtual reality headset that takes him on a dual quest to uncover answers in an immersive world which may also allow him to find his brother’s whereabouts in the real world.

Offered worldwide, available at Amazon.

[Free eBook] Rinzler by Raya Jones [Science Fiction Murder Mystery Technothriller]

Rinzler: A Noir Sci-Fi Thriller by Welsh author Raya Jones, a Reader in Social Studies at the University of Cardiff, is her standalone science fiction thriller with strong mystery/crime elements done in a noir style, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press’ Venture imprint.

This is one of their original publications from a newer author, who is also currently doing scholarly research into studying social robotics in the context of psychology, according to her bio-blurb.

The story takes place in a future post-apocalyptic world which uses androids, starring the titular freelance PI looking into the murder of a clerk working for a corporation which may or may not have assassinated her, and finding his investigation landing him in the midst of a potential conflict between artificial intelligence and humanity.

Offered worldwide, available at Amazon.

[Free eBook] Thaw by Stephen Bowkett [Young Adult Sci-Fantasy Adventure]

Thaw by Welsh author Stephen Bowkett is the 3rd novel in his The Wintering trilogy of YA science fiction with fantasy adventure elements, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press’ Venture imprint.

This was originally published in 2002 by Orion Children’s Books’s Dolphin imprint. The trilogy is set in a future world frozen over by an ice age, where the remaining humans live in a protected enclave which is watched over by an all-encompassing AI whose guardianship has dominated them for millenia.

This story brings the escaped human hero home after life-changing adventures in the frozen outside world bonding with intelligent mutant wolves and discovering astonishing powers, completing the obligatory coming of age tale by coming full circle to confront the stifling AI and presumably liberate his original people.

Offered worldwide, available at Amazon.