Kindle Genre Watch: Sci-Fi, Romance and Western Fiction (28 Mar 10)

Genre fiction - as opposed to nonfiction, graphic novels and picture books - lends itself to enjoyable Kindle reading because when you pick up a book of fiction you don't necessarily expect it to be illustrated. Authors of mysteries, science fiction, fantasy, romance novels and westerns paint word pictures and their readers use their own imagination to picture the scene of the crime or the stare of a vampire or the track of an alien space craft hurtling towards earth.

Book jacket. Spend less time searching for new genre fiction and more time reading it as I watch for newly-released genre fiction in the Kindle Store so you don't have to. Recent genre fiction releases in sci-fi, romance and western fiction include:

SCIENCE FICTION

Dream of Perpetual Motion by Dexter Palmer. St. Martin's Press. Print Length: 352 p. Kindle edition $9.99. Text-to-Speech: Enabled.
"Imprisoned for life aboard a zeppelin that floats high above a fantastic metropolis, the greeting-card writer Harold Winslow pens his memoirs. His only companions are the disembodied voice of Miranda Taligent, the only woman he has ever loved, and the cryogenically frozen body of her father Prospero, the genius and industrial magnate who drove her insane. The tale of Harold's life is also one of an alternate reality, a lucid waking dream in which the well-heeled have mechanical men for servants, where the realms of fairy tales can be built from scratch, where replicas of deserted islands exist within skyscrapers. As Harold?s childhood infatuation with Miranda changes over twenty years to love and then to obsession, the visionary inventions of her father also change Harold's entire world, transforming it from a place of music and miracles to one of machines and noise. And as Harold heads toward a last desperate confrontation with Prospero to save Miranda's life, he finds himself an unwitting participant in the creation of the greatest invention of them all: the perpetual motion machine." - Amazon.

A Enemy of the State by F. Paul Wilson. Wilsongs. Print Length: 300 p. Kindle edition $2.99. Text-to-Speech: Enabled.
The core book of the LaNague Federation series, An Enemy of the State was first published in 1980. It is newly-available in a Kindle edition, along with subsequent volumes Wheels Within Wheels, Healer, Dydeetown World, and The Tery - each at the reasonable price of $2.99.
"Peter LaNague's unique revolution sets out to topple the entrenched Outworld Imperium as well as fundamentally altering every Outworlder's concept of government. To accomplish this he must ally himself with a madman, trust the word of the last of Sol System's robber barons, make incisive use of the consummate warriors from the planet Flint (without allowing them to run amok), confound at every turn the omnipresent forces of the Imperium, and, every now and then, make it rain money. And those are the easy parts." - http://repairmanjack.com/

Portal by Imogen Rose. Self-published first novel. Print Length: 350 p. Kindle edition $0.99. Text-to-Speech: Enabled.
"Come find me two years ago. Six words that propelled ice hockey playing tomboy, Arizona, into an alternate dimension. In one moment, she went from being a varsity hockey player in New Jersey to a glamorous cheerleader in California. She found herself with a new dad. She found herself in a new life. One that she had apparently lived in always. Everyone knew her as Arizona Darley, but she wasn't. She was Arizona Stevens. She knew she had to find her way back to her real life. Then she met Kellan..." - Amazon.

Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Backlash by Aaron Allston. LucasBooks. Print Length: 352 p. Kindle edition $9.99. Text-to-Speech: Disabled.
"Repercussions from the dark side’s fatal seduction of Jacen Solo and the mysterious plague of madness afflicting young Jedi continue to wreak havoc galaxy-wide. Having narrowly escaped the deranged Force worshippers known as the Mind Walkers and a deadly Sith hit squad, Luke and Ben Skywalker are in pursuit of the now Masterless Sith apprentice. It is a chase that leads to the forbidding planet Dathomir, where an enclave of powerful dark side Force-wielders will give Vestara the edge she needs to escape - and where the Skywalkers will be forced into combat for their quarry and their lives. Meanwhile, Han and Leia have completed their own desperate mission..." - from the hardcover edition.

ROMANCE

In Serena's Web by Kay Hooper. Bantam. Print Length: 416 p. Kindle edition $6.39. Text-to-Speech: Disabled.
"At twenty-six, Serena Jameson is a handful - brilliant, manipulative, and passionate, at least when it comes to righting the wrongs of the world. Her father, a renowned computer magnate, is worried about Serena’s impetuous nature - as well as a far more tangible threat - and entrusts a colleague, handsome Brian Ashford, to ferry her on a trip across the country. But as usual, Serena has ideas of her own. A novice in affairs of the heart, Serena asks Brian to give her a crash course in seduction so that she can tame the notorious womanizer Joshua Long. But what starts as a simple lesson in love becomes a complex erotic dance, as both men find themselves caught in the snares of Serena’s undeniable wiles. Is Serena trying to attract her declared target or her teacher? Who is really ensnaring whom? And can she finish weaving her web before the mysterious cabal eager to kill Serena’s father manages to succeed - over her dead body?" - from the paperback edition.

Second Chance by Christy Reece. Ballantine Books. This is book five in the Last Chance Rescue series. All five volumes are available in Kindle editions, beginning with Rescue Me. Print Length: 416 p. Kindle edition $6.39. Text-to-Speech: Disabled.
"Working for Last Chance Rescue, Cole Mathison has been to hell and back. But being responsible for the death of an innocent man is a hell like no other. Longing for redemption, Cole finds himself embroiled in the mysterious disappearance of Keeley Fairchild’s young children. Rescuing the children is his mission - but falling in love with the widow of the man he inadvertently killed was never in the plans. When Keeley’s life is threatened, Cole’s demons must take a backseat to the most important mission of his life. He might never know the heaven of Keeley’s arms, but he’ll never survive the hell of failing to save her." - www.christyreece.com.

The Chesapeake Diaries: Coming Home by Mariah Stewart. Ballantine Books. Print Length: 400 p. Kindle edition $6.39. Text-to-Speech: Disabled.
"In the wake of his wife’s murder, agent Grady Shields turned his back on the FBI - and everything else - to retreat into the vast solitude of Montana, grieve for his lost love, and forget the world. But after years in seclusion, his sister’s wedding draws him to St. Dennis, a peaceful town on the Chesapeake Bay. Though he swears he isn’t interested in finding love again, Grady can’t ignore the mutual sparks that fly when he meets Vanessa Keaton. Although her past was marked by bad choices, Vanessa has found that coming to St. Dennis is the best decision she’s ever made. Bling, her trendy boutique, is a success with tourists as well as with the townspeople. She’s made friends, has a home she loves, and has established a life for herself far from the nightmare she left behind. The last thing she’s looking for is romance, but the hot new man in town is hard to resist. And when Vanessa’s past catches up with her, Grady finds that he’s unwilling to let her become a victim again..." - from the paperback edition.

Shattered by Karen Robards. Putnam. Print Length: 400 p. Kindle edition $13.65. Text-to-Speech: Disabled.
"While growing up on a prestigious horse farm, Lisa Grant took her exalted position in life for granted, growing close to her mother after her parents divorced. So she doesn’t hesitate to leave her law practice in Boston to take care of her mother, who is suffering from ALS and impending financial ruin. Lisa is lucky to get a job as a research assistant for District Attorney Scott Buchanan, her former lowly neighbor who made good. As a teen, Lisa tortured Scott with sexual innuendos, while he did odd jobs for her mother, and now it is Scott’s turn to lord it over Lisa. Sexual tension crackles between the two, but when Lisa is late for court, Scott orders her to work on cold-case files. On her first foray, she finds a picture of a missing family, and the mother looks just like her. Suddenly, her life becomes harrowing. With no one else to turn to, she confides in Scott, who, surprisingly, agrees to help, knowing that Lisa won’t like what they discover..." - Patty Engelmann for Booklist.

The Vampire and the Virgin by Kerrelyn Sparks. Book 8 in the Love at Stake series that began with How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire. All eight titles are available in Kindle editions. HarperCollins. Print Length: 384 p. Kindle edition $5.59. Text-to-Speech: Enabled.
"Olivia's packing list: 1. Sunscreen 2. Bathing suit 3. Flip-flops. FBI psychologist Olivia Sotiris was looking for a cool ocean breeze, sand between her toes, and a break from her crazy, chaotic, and sometimes all-too-dangerous life. But when she escaped to the small Greek island of Patmos, all she got were meddling grandmothers trying to marry her off. Can't they see that none of the men around interests her - except Robby MacKay? Robby's packing list: 1. Synthetic blood 2. More synthetic blood 3. Jogging clothes (even vamps have to stay in shape!). Robby needs to cool off, too, since all he can think about is revenge on the Malcontent bloodsuckers who once held him captive-but then he meets Olivia, the beauty with wild curls and a tempting smile. When a deadly criminal from a case back home tracks her down, Robby will have to save her life - along with giving her a first time she'll never forget." - Amazon.

WESTERNS

Snowbound by Richard S. Wheeler. Publisher. Print Length: 304 p. Kindle edition $14.29. Text-to-Speech: Enabled.
"In this powerful biographical novel, Richard Wheeler, winner of the Owen Wister Lifetime Achievement Award and five Spur Awards, tells the amazing tale of the American explorer and hero, John Fremont, and his attempt to find a railway route to the west along the 38th parallel. Trapped in the snowbound Colorado mountains, Fremont must fight his way out. He battles the frigid elements in a harrowing journey over the backbone of the continent. In this tale of desperate danger and fierce courage, Wheeler presents the reader with a survival saga par excellence - a struggle of man against man, man against nature, man against himself..." - Amazon.

The Collected Westerns of William MacLeod Raine: 21 Novels in One Volume. Publisher. Print Length: Kindle edition $1.99. Text-to-Speech: Enabled.
Raine (1871-1954) grew up on a cattle ranch on the Texas-Arkansas border, spent time with the Arizona Rangers, worked as a journalist in Denver, and eventually settled down to write westerns. He often produced two books a year and was active until his death in 1954. This compilation includes Wyoming, Brand Blotters, Ridgway of Montana, A Texas Ranger, Bucky O’Connor, Mavericks, Crooked Trails and Straight, The Vision Splendid, The Pirate of Panama, A Daughter of the Dons, Steve Yeager, The Highgrader, The Yukon Trail, The Sheriff’s Son, A Man Four-Square, Oh You Tex!, The Big Town Round-Up, Gunsight Pass, Tangled Trails, Man Size, and The Fighting Edge. With active table of contents.