Planet iPad: Planet iPad Daily Free Book Alert, Wednesday, October 27: The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet: A Novel by Colleen McCullough, author of Tim and The Thorn Birds, plus the author disappears, and it's just you and the story in Flaming Dove (Today's Sponsor), and over 100 other fully updated free Kindle ebook listings readable on the iPad.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Planet iPad Daily Free Book Alert, Wednesday, October 27: The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet: A Novel by Colleen McCullough, author of Tim and The Thorn Birds, plus the author disappears, and it's just you and the story in Flaming Dove (Today's Sponsor), and over 100 other fully updated free Kindle ebook listings readable on the iPad.

Here's a fresh addition to today's Free Book Listings from Colleen McCullough, the author of Tim and The Thorn Birds....

But first, a word from ... Today's Sponsor

Flaming Dove
by Daniel Arenson
4.4 out of 5 stars - 5 Reviews
Kindle Price: $2.99
Text-to-Speech: Enabled

(Ed. Note: Jeff Bezos likes to talk about how, once you begin reading on the Kindle, the device disappears and it's just you and the book. That's great, but with this novel, you get an even more seamless, zipless experience. The author disappears, and it's just you and the story, the characters, and a remarkably well-imagined world that shifts astonishingly in time and place....

But let me admit my limitations. As soon as I began reading Flaming Dove I knew almost immediately that I was out of my depth. Sure, I've put in my time reading Paradise Lost and even some Dante, but I was concerned. Yet within a moment or two, my concerns vaporized. With the exception of Beatrice I don't recall characters anywhere near as vivid, as lovely, and as terrible as Laila and her minions and adversaries. There's a sweep, a fully imagined majesty and a narrative command in this remarkable fantasy novel that allowed me to totally forget the presence of an author and willingly suspend my disbelief. I wish college English majors (like me, some years ago) could have Flaming Dove in hand as a gateway to Milton; we would find his narratives of Heaven and Hell far more accessible. --S.W.)

Here's the set-up:

Outcast from Hell. Banished from Heaven. Lost on Earth.

The battle of Armageddon was finally fought... and ended with no clear victor. Upon the mountain, the armies of Hell and Heaven beat each other into a bloody, uneasy standstill, leaving the Earth in ruins. Armageddon should have ended with Heaven winning, ushering in an era of peace. That's what the prophecies said. Instead, the two armies--one of angels, one of demons--hunker down in the scorched planet, lick their wounds, and gear up for a prolonged war with no end in sight.

In this chaos of warring armies and ruined landscapes, Laila doesn't want to take sides. Her mother was an angel, her father a demon; she is outcast from both camps. And yet both armies need her, for with her mixed blood, Laila can become the ultimate spy... or ultimate soldier. As the armies of Heaven and Hell pursue her, Laila's only war is within her heart--a struggle between her demonic and heavenly blood.

About the Author

Daniel Arenson is an author of fantasy fiction, from epic to dark and surreal.

Like many writers, he began his career writing short stories. He sold his first story, "Worms Believe in God", in 1998. Since then, dozens of his stories and poems have appeared in various publications, among them Flesh & Blood, Chizine, and Orson Scott Card's Strong Verse.

Five Star Publishing, an imprint of Gale, published Daniel's fantasy novel Firefly Island in 2007.

His second novel, the dark fantasy Flaming Dove, was released in 2010.

What Reviewers Are Saying

"It's really very simple: if you want to read about angels tossing around godlight and demons lashing whips and shooting fire while super-powerful archangels and archdemons blow up half the world trying to crush each other....well, here you go."

-- David Dalglish, bestselling author of The Half-Orcs

5/5 stars: "This book is a delightful read, with fluid writing and a nice pacing of action interspersed with tender moments. It was easy to get into this story, and hard to put it down. I love the way nothing is really cut and dry throughout this story; the Ruler of Hell is not without merits, and the archangels not without sin. The author really forces you to take a step back and question where the line between good and evil actually falls, if there is even such a line. The story seems predictable, but I was surprised many times with the events leading up to the climax of the story. Even when I thought I had finished the story, there was one last surprise waiting for me at the end, a surprise that really drove home a main theme of the story. Best of all, the ending did what all the best endings do; it left me with something to ponder. I really enjoyed this story, and I believe Daniel Arenson is an author to watch!"

-- MotherLode Book Reviews

Click here to download Flaming Dove or a free sample) to your Kindle, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, BlackBerry, Android-compatible, PC or Mac and start reading within 60 seconds!

UK Kindle customers: Click here to download Flaming Dove

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The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet: A Novel
by Colleen McCullough
Kindle Price: $0.00
Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc
Text-to-Speech: Not enabled