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Free Science Fiction and Fantasy eBooks

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Portable, fun, and free science fiction and fantasy e-books.

There are a lot of free, first-rate science fiction books on the Internet in various forms. Much of it is presented as "online" stories and books. These are presented as webpages and not downloadable files.

As you will discover below, there are many sources for awsome, free SF in eBook form. These eBooks can be transfered to your PDA, Blackberry, Kindle, and other electronic devices. Even iPods can handle text files.

Below is my humble introduction to getting and reading great science, fantasy, and horror for nothing. These are not samples or partial stories but full eBooks, with no strings attached, by reputable publishers and independant writers. 

Image © Freud | Dreamstime.com

Get a Reader

Mobipocket is free and flexible.

MobipocketYou're going to need some software for the device on which you want to read your eBooks. I use and recommend Mobipocket. It is free, easy to use, and well made. Mobipocket is compatible with Palm OS, Windows Mobile, SymbianOs, and Blackberry.

The only thing I don't like about Mobipocket is that you cannot add cover art to your library. One of the best things about science fiction books is the cover art!

Also from Mobipocket is a free eBook creator. I've used it to put several year's worth of blog posts on my PDA for reference.

Kindle

Most of these are supported by Kindle

Old-school KindleIf you have a Kindle you can use Mobipocket files and the Mobipocket creator to load books and other files. Kindle's file language is just Mobipocket although there are some DRM issues posted on some blogs. If an ebook is not available in Mobipocket format, use the Mobipocket creator (which is great for converting .pdf files, btw) to convert.

So, if you have a Kindle, just look for the Mobipocket file to download. Easy enough, hey?

Baen's Free Library

The best source for free SF eBooks.

Baen Free LibraryThe single best place to find a collection of free, first-rate SF novels by well-known authors is Baen's free library. There are over 40 authors and over 100 eBooks ready and waiting for you. Baen's free library offers books in many different formats.

I can't stress enough the greatness of the collection in both quantity and quality.

Other Free eBook Sites

Build yourself an eLibrary

Here's where this lens is lacking... I have reading from Baen's library for four years and haven't come close to finishing the collection. In an effort of diversify I am exploring several different free SF eBook collections. Here are the ones I liked.

If you have a site that has a good collection of SF writing free for download, leave a note in the "Reader Feedback" below.
Project Gutenberg
The "science fiction bookshelf" for classic or just old SF.
Earthbound Series
Time-traveling aliens. I haven't read this series yet. If you have, please leave a comment.
Free NOOK Books
A mixed batch of free books for the Barnes and Noble Nook.
Kindle Promotional Books
A mixed collection of Kindle books that being promoted. Set the "Sort By" to "Price: Low to High" and you'll get a list of the free books.
BookGlutton
BG is an interesting social book site that was featured in online magazines in 2008 and 2009. It has a large collection of free science fiction. Lots of pulpy sci-fi!
eFanzines.com
An SF/F 'zine site. Use Mobipocket to convert the PDF files to ebook format for on-the-go reading.

Poll: Do you read e-books?

With this poll, I want to find out if you read e-books or what would it take to get you to read e-books.

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Don't forget that the people giving away their eBooks are trying to entice a sale. Think about buying from your favorite author after reading several of their free works.

Thumbs Up for Free Reads!

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Reader Feedback

Questions, Comments, and Bad Advice (sarcasm optional).
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  • Netbug Jun 1, 2012 @ 5:27 am | delete
    Hooray, SciFi! Thanks! :D
  • 73h-fr33m4n May 23, 2012 @ 4:45 pm | delete
    While I personally prefer reading physical books, I think ebooks are useful as a backup if the physical copies are destroyed in some kind of accident. You'l' still have the soft copy if you want to read them again.

    Thank you for the links! I'll check them out and see if any of them will get me interested. :)
  • ItayasDesigns May 5, 2012 @ 11:40 pm | delete
    Great links! Will have to check them out for free books. :)
  • artyfax May 4, 2012 @ 2:29 pm | delete
    I have always been a reader of real books but I have checked out a couple of your links and I will be downloading a couple of books to check out if I can get used to this new format. I will be trying to read them on my laptop so I will see hoe it goes. THanks for the information whichever way it turns out.
  • Michey May 4, 2012 @ 10:00 am | delete
    Thanks for all resources you provide.
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PaxLamprey

I discovered ebooks a while ago when I was working full time and putting myself through college. Originally a way to have portable access to my texts... more »

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