I don't have a lot of time to read these days. It seems like every time I turn around, there's more work to be done, or a social engagement... you all know the drill. So when it comes to buying novels, I tend to be pretty conservative. There are so many books to sift through out there that buying at random, or based on a 30-second perusal, just isn't viable—who can afford to start reading a random novel, only to realize halfway through that it sucks? It's inefficient, and as a result, I rarely pick up a book that hasn't already been recommended by someone I trust.
Which is why the new Planet Stories subscription option is so amazing. This isn't some big churn-and-burn corporate fiction imprint—it's a shortlist of book recommendations straight from Erik Mona himself (with a little vetting from science fiction and fantasy scholar Pierce Watters, plus yours truly). Every one of these books bears his stamp of approval, and if you're perusing this site, odds are you share some of Erik's tastes. In fact, as he explains in his editorial, simply being a gamer is enough of a reason to pick up some of these novels—after all, you didn't think the genre just sprang full-formed from nowhere, did you? Gygax and his roleplaying contemporaries drew heavily on ideas from many of the authors we're featuring, and you might be surprised how inspiring and relevant some of those texts remain. More than just fun reading, these books are practically a correspondence course in the history of sci-fi and fantasy—our genre's Great Books series.
Now, at last, you can sign up to have them delivered to your door each month as they come out... and at 20% off the cover price! What's more, if you sign up before the new year, you have the option of purchasing any or all of the books that have already come out at the same 20% discount.
These are not some random novels. This is Robert E. Howard, creator of Conan. This is Michael Moorcock, the mind behind Elric of Melniboné. This is Leigh Brackett, who wrote The Empire Strikes Back, and C. L. Moore, one of the first female SF authors, who created both Northwest Smith and Jirel of Joiry (the original female sword-and-sorcery protagonist). This is Gary Gygax, without whose creation of Dungeons and Dragons our industry would not exist.
As C. J. Cherryh writes in her introduction to Northwest of Earth, "This is an important book. Read it. Make sure your kids and grandkids read it. It's timeless, and it's that good." As much could be said for all the books in our line.
So please, this holiday season, check out the new Planet Stories subscriptions, then sit back and let Uncle Erik make a few recommendations....
