The Science Fiction and Fantasy Bundle - Curated by Nick Mamatas

Satire runs through the field of science fiction/fantasy like veins of gold in the Earth. Both genres have their origin with Lucian's A True Story, which parodied the various epics and myths known to educated readers in the second century AD, and which featured a trip to the moon, interplanetary warfare, and philosophical analysis of some rigor. Even the title is both satirical and an exercise in logic—the text of the story is all lies, Lucian admits, but the work is a true story because it exists in the category of story: it is true that it is a story.

And now let us skip ahead almost two thousand years, thanks! You all know about H.G. Wells and Joanna Russ and Kurt Vonnegut and all that stuff. The world we live in is obviously absurd, and has been so for quite some time. (It's why we needed to skip ahead.) But one cannot just strip off one's clothes and run through downtown screaming, "We used to pretend little pieces of paper had value just to be able to eat and live, but now we pretend that little bits of electricity are the valueless pieces of paper! We're all mad! Resist! Revolt!" and expect to get very far, even if climate change means more days per year of appropriate streaking weather. But when we can do is trade electricity for electricity, and get you a dozen amazing books for fifteen or more amazing dollars.

This bundle has it all—we can take consumer society (Scorch and The Good Humor Man), religion (The Word of God, Jesus and the Eight-Fold Path, and The Anarchist Kosher Cookbook), race (Koontown Killing Kaper), literature itself (Leech Girl Lives, A Pretty Mouth), and some of us just make take on everything at once (TVA Baby, Nightmares and Geezenstacks, Broken Piano for President, and The People's Republic of Everything).

Whether looking at the far future, the day after tomorrow, the ancient past, or even the hell of a universe next door, what satire really helps us understand is ourselves. I mean, do you understand yourself now? No, you do not. You just understand a good bargain when you see one. So pony up! – Nick Mamatas

For StoryBundle, you decide what price you want to pay. For $5 (or more, if you're feeling generous), you'll get the basic bundle of four books in any ebook format—WORLDWIDE.

• Jesus and the Eightfold Path by Lavie Tidhar
• A Pretty Mouth by Molly Tanzer
• The People’s Republic of Everything by Nick Mamatas
• TVA Baby by Terry Bisson

If you pay at least the bonus price of just $15, you get all four of the regular books, plus EIGHT more!

• Koontown Killing Kaper by Bill Campbell
• The Good Humor Man by Andrew Fox
• Scorch by A.D. Nauman
• The Anarchist Kosher Cookbook by Maxwell Bauman
• Nightmares and Geezenstacks by Fredric Brown
• Broken Piano for President by Patrick Wensink
• Leech Girl Lives by Rick Claypool
• The Word of God by Thomas M. Disch

This bundle is available only for a limited time via http://www.storybundle.com. It allows easy reading on computers, smartphones, and tablets as well as Kindle and other ereaders via file transfer, email, and other methods. You get multiple DRM-free formats (.epub and .mobi) for all books!

It's also super easy to give the gift of reading with StoryBundle, thanks to our gift cards – which allow you to send someone a code that they can redeem for any future StoryBundle bundle – and timed delivery, which allows you to control exactly when your recipient will get the gift of StoryBundle.

Why StoryBundle? Here are just a few benefits StoryBundle provides.

• Get quality reads: We've chosen works from excellent authors to bundle together in one convenient package.
• Pay what you want (minimum $5): You decide how much these fantastic books are worth. If you can only spare a little, that's fine! You'll still get access to a batch of exceptional titles.
• Support authors who support DRM-free books: StoryBundle is a platform for authors to get exposure for their works, both for the titles featured in the bundle and for the rest of their catalog. Supporting authors who let you read their books on any device you want—restriction free—will show everyone there's nothing wrong with ditching DRM.
• Give to worthy causes: Bundle buyers have a chance to donate a portion of their proceeds to Books Through Bars and The Prisoners Literature Project!
• Receive extra books: If you beat the bonus price, you'll get the bonus books!

StoryBundle was created to give a platform for independent authors to showcase their work, and a source of quality titles for thirsty readers. StoryBundle works with authors to create bundles of ebooks that can be purchased by readers at their desired price. Before starting StoryBundle, Founder Jason Chen covered technology and software as an editor for Gizmodo.com and Lifehacker.com.

For more information, visit our website at storybundle.com, tweet us at @storybundle and like us on Facebook. For press inquiries, please email press@storybundle.com.