[Free Audiobooks] Stalking the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco & Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe [YA Historical Horror Thriller & 19th C German Classic Play]

AudioFile’s SYNC Summer of Listening 2020 promotion for young adults offers 2 free audiobooks per week—1 classic or non-fiction, 1 modern—available worldwide for a limited time courtesy of participating major publishers, and you can see the planned release schedule here.

This week’s two selected titles, which have a theme of dubious partnerships with morally suspect entities, will be available to claim until 11:59 PM Eastern Time on May 20th.

• Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco, read by Nicola Barber, from Hachette Audio. A Victorian-era YA historical thriller with horror elements and f/m romantic elements, starring an a high society lord’s daughter who secretly studies forensic medicine in her uncle’s laboratory alongside his apprentice, and finds herself on the trail of a serial killer.

• Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, performed by a full cast including veteran actor Derek Jacobi, from Naxos Audiobooks. T he 19th century German classic play based on the even older legend of a man who is tempted to sell his soul to a devil for power and pleasure, which he begins to regret upon falling in love.

This year, they’ve switched over to requiring the Overdrive Sora app available for iOS and Android (previously, these were available as DRM-free MP3s with a time-limited download period to your computer/device), but once added to your in-app library, these will remain permanent titles that you can re-download at any time at your leisure.

You’ll need to signup with a valid email address on AudioFile’s front page for the promotion, and then enter the setup code audiobooksync in the Sora app when asked, and then claim each week’s featured title using the Borrow function on its page in the app, more details available on their FAQ page for the promotion.

Offered until just before midnight Eastern Time on Wednesday, May 20th, available worldwide.

[Free eBook] Midnight Dancer by Annie Ayre [Historical Drama Novel with Romance]

Midnight Dancer by Annie Ayre, a pseudonym for author Rosemary Kingsland, is her standalone historical literary drama novel with strong f/m romantic suspense elements, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press’ The Odyssey Press imprint.

This was originally published in 1980 by Sphere under the title Hussy using the Rosemary Kingsland name and is a novelization of the eponymous film starring Helen Mirren. The story is set during the 1960s in London, and stars a hostess at an exotic club where drugs and prostitution are on the menu, who strives for a better life for herself and her young son, and falls in love with a co-worker who wants to take her away from it all, but may not be able to do so as both their shady pasts catch up with them.

Offered worldwide, available at Amazon.

[Free eBook] A Small Death in Berlin by Annie Ayre [Literary Satire Historical Novel]

A Small Death in Berlin by Annie Ayre, a pseudonym for author Rosemary Kingsland, is her standalone satirical literary historical fiction novel, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press’ The Odyssey Press imprint.

This was originally published in 1979 by Corgi under the title Just a Gigolo using the Rosemary Kingsland name, and is a loose novelization of the eponymous film starring the late rock star David Bowie and also featuring classic Hollywood actress Marlene Dietrich. This is a darkly comedic novel about the effects of war which has been likened to Evelyn Waugh’s classic Sword of Honour trilogy. The story takes place in the aftermath of WWI, when a Prussian officer returning home to Berlin finds everything seemingly changed for the worse, and also that he has no prospects for employment besides the local brothel, and begins embarking on a surprising and increasingly strange lifestyle path.

Offered worldwide, available at Amazon.

[Free eBook] Captives of Time by Malcolm Bosse [YA Medieval Historical Novel]

Captives of Time by the late author Malcolm Bosse, a recipient of the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis for young adult literature in translation, is his standalone YA historical drama novel, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press.

This was originally published in 1987 by Delacorte Press and was one of my favourites growing up, though I lost track of it when the library got rid of their old copy, so I’m pleased to see it available as an e-book now. The story is set in 14th century Europe and stars two abruptly-orphaned children who undertake a perilous journey in search of their clockmaker uncle, and find their supposed place of refuge becoming decidedly unsafe as they get caught up in plague and politics during the older sister’s apprenticeship. NB: This probably falls on the mature themes side of YA, due to depictions of violence and other potentially disturbing content. YMMV.

Offered worldwide, available at Amazon.

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Free for a limited time, available worldwide @ Amazon

Description
Late 14th century Europe.

The lives of sixteen-year old Anne and her mute younger brother Niklas are shattered when they witness the senseless murder of their parents by a band of marauding soldiers.

Now alone, Anne and Niklas begin the perilous journey north in the hopes of finding their uncle Albrecht, a clockmaker – and their only chance for survival.

But medieval Europe is a violent place, and as they forge onwards, Anne and Niklas must beware of the dangers that lurk ahead…

Upon finding refuge with their uncle, Anne soon learns the art of clockmaking – and of her uncle’s revolutionary plans to invent a clock. But these plans soon attract the attention of rival forces who also seek to control the power of time.

With dangerous foes lurking on every corner, as well as the ever-present threat of the Plague, will Anne and Niklas ever find safety?

A gripping tale of survival and bravery, Captives of Time features a colourful cast of characters whilst capturing the harsh realities of life in 14th century Europe.

[Free eBook] dozens of freebies during Smashwords Read an Ebook Week sale [Fiction & Non-Fiction]

Today is the last day of the annual Smashwords Read an Ebook Week Sale, and dozens of previously-published free ebooks are being given away (alongside thousands more by indie authors). These are all DRM-free, available worldwide, and will require signing up for an account with them (no payment info needed), ending midnight tonight (March 11th), probably Eastern Time (possibly Pacific).

For free, Canadian backlist publisher BevEditions has an excellent selection of Canadian fiction and non-fiction in many genres, including history, biography, true crime, mysteries, historical and literary fiction, mostly previously published during the 1980s and 1990s by major publishers such as Doubleday and HarperCollins, including works by historian Marian Fowler, Arthur Ellis Award-winning mystery author Lyn Hamilton, Jewish-Canadian Order of Canada recipient Morley Torgov (whose works have been adapted into film), and many more. I’ve read several of these in the past, and highly recommend picking up the lot if you can get it.

I apologize for the very short notice on this. My internet has been down, and I’m posting this from the library. NB: Smashwords’ site is currently buggy, so to get the freebies (or purchase discounted books), you’ll have to add the book to your cart by choosing to ignore the expired coupon warning, then manually apply the coupon code (e.g. SFREE) from the book’s product page, to see the discount price appear before checking out. For the most efficient “shopping”, add a bunch of stuff to your cart first, and then copy-paste the coupon code into their respective boxes, and hit “Apply Coupon” at the bottom to have them all discount at once.

To browse the other freebies offered, start here at the Smashwords Read an EBook Week Sale dedicated promo page, then you can pick a genre category from the sidebar, and use the price/coupon categories to refine your results. I advise checking the SFREE 100% off category first, as the regular Free page will pull up things which are not necessarily part of the limited-time promo, but offered free as their usual price.

Also, if you are interested in reprints of 1980s/1990s science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mystery, the following imprints are offering 50% off previously-published works by authors such as Craig Shaw Gardner (humorous light fantasy formerly out from Ace Books), Elizabeth Ann Scarborough (Nebula-nominated, and one of my favourite fantasy authors), Bill Pronzini, Melissa Scott (John W. Campbell Best New Writer winner, and also a Lambda Literary Award-nominee), World Fantasy Award winner Robert Holdstock, and many more: Crossroad Press, Untreed Reads, Infinity Plus, Gypsy Shadow Publishing

If you happen to miss something, many of these publishers also participate in the Smashwords July sale, and will probably also do Read an Ebook Week next year as well.

[Free eBook] Over the Wine-Dark Sea by Harry Turtledove [Ancient Greek Historical Adventure Novel]

Over the Wine-Dark Sea by Harry Turtledove, a recipient of the Hugo, Sidewise, and Prometheus Awards, is the 1st novel in his Menedemos and Sostratos quartet of historical sea-going adventure, free for a limited time courtesy publisher Phoenix Pick Press.

This was originally published in 2001 by Tor’s Forge imprint using the H. N. Turtletaub pseudonym. Although the author (who himself has a Ph.D. in Byzantine history, and is one of my personal favourite authors) is best known for his award-winning alternate history works, this is a purely historical non-science fiction adventure series set in the ancient Hellenic world shortly after the death of Alexander the Great circa 300 BCE, starring two cousins, a sea-captain and a scholar, who go on trading journeys across the Mediterranean Sea and wind up having encounters which embroil them with local miscreants and politics. This installment sets them up as a partnership, and embarks on their first set of adventures.

Offered DRM-free worldwide, available through December.

[Free eBook] The Letter That Doomed Nosferatu by Steve Berman [LGBT Historical Horror]

The Letter That Doomed Nosferatu by Steve Berman, who has been nominated for both the Shirley Jackson and Lambda Literary awards, is his historical horror short story with m/m romantic elements, free for a limited time courtesy of LGBT specialty publisher Lethe Press.

The story is set in Germany’s Weimar Republic during the golden age of German Impressionist silent film, and centres upon two young men who become embroiled with an odd stranger as the titular classic Murnau film is about to be released. NB: the publisher categorizes this as an LGBT horror story, not a paranormal romance.

Offered DRM-free worldwide, available at Amazon.

[Free eBook] Survivor by Andrew Frediani [Historical Fiction]

Survivor by Italian author Andrew Frediani, a finalist for the longstanding Premio Selezione Bancarella literary prize, is the 1st novel in his Rome’s Invincibles series of historical action adventure novels with military and political elements, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Head of Zeus’ Aria imprint.

This is the English-language translation of Gli invincibili. Alla conquista del potere published under the author’s non-Anglicized original name of Andrea Frediani by Italian small press Newton Compton Editori. The series is set in ancient Rome, and this installment takes place during the late Roman Republic. The story revolves around Julius Caesar’s nephew Octavian, who seeks to take revenge and consolidate his own position, in the wake of the turmoil surrounding his uncle’s assassination.

Offered worldwide, available at multiple retailers.