[BOTM] - November nominations

[Anna]

Greetings Space Opera Fans!

It's that time of the month where we nominate what books we'll read as a group during the month of November. The categories we have open this month are:

READER PICK - this is for a mass-market, widely available book that you can get at most libraries, bookstores, and for the e-book version, at least three (3) major ebook distribution platforms in a variety of formats.

INDIE PICK - this is our edgy, new voices category specifically for independently published books. This category is for indie books, indie collaboratives, and legacy authors who've gotten their rights back. This is your chance to help all the little guys out there, slogging through the Muad'dib desert, all alone without any help, by nominating their awesome edgy books. Ebook-only editions published by major publishing house sub-imprints are not allowed.

SERIES PICK - after 5 glorious Old Man's War books it's time to move on to a brand-new series. There must be at least three (3) books currently out in a series to be considered, the books must be available in both print and ebook on all major distribution platforms, and the first book in the series must have at least 100 reviews on Amazon and/or Goodreads with a rating of 4-star or above. Yes ... this means there are a few 'indie pros' who might meet these new criteria, but not many.

MOD PICK - and to round it all off, your Borg Queen will select a book at random that piques her interest. Might be one a lot of your nominated that didn't win the Randomizer. Might be something that just caught my eye. It will always be available on Nook, though, 'cause your Borg Queen owns a Nook and doesn't give the exclusivity ring to anybody but her Locutus. :-)

So drop your nomination in the comment thread below! Community members are allowed to nominate ONE book in EACH category (i.e., one reader, one indie, one series pick). Authors may nominate their own books -if- it fits the criteria. On November 1st, all books in each category will be tallied and then a winner picked using Random.org to pick a winner. May the force be with you!

Be epic!
Anna Erishkigal
SOF Borg Queen

[Kirsten]

For a SERIES PICK, may I suggest Jack McDevitt's Academy series starting with The Engines of God ? Or have we done those?

[Carol]

For an Indie pick, may I suggest my novel, Overload Flux (A Central Galactic Concordance Novel) ?
Overload Flux

[Tom]

I nominate Ancillary Justice for Reader's pick and Leviathan Wakes, book 1 of the Expanse, for the series.

[Steve]

Series pick: The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey

[Anna]

Okay Kirsten, Carol, Tom & Steve ... got your nominations! We have not under my tenure done Engines of God, Kirsten, so I put it in my spreadsheet.

[Nicola]

Moonie is sexy and can live in outer space without any life support. Her adventures make Barbarella seem like Snow White.I nominate her for the Indie Pick.

[Kirsten]

Thanks, Anna! My dad loved the series and always insisted I read it. I've read the first 3 and would love to read more. It's so sad that my daddy will never insist I read another science fiction or war book again. (We lost him August of last year. Cancer is bad!) Unless, of course, if his ghost starts throwing books at me in the local used bookstore.

[Stephen]

For series, I'll recommend Elizabeth Moons VATTA'S WAR pentalogy.

Can I list my The Eternity Brigade: Final Edition for READER PICK, since it was traditionally published?

And I'd like to suggest Scavenger Hunt for INDIE PICK.

[Kirsten]

For a readers' pick I'd like to suggest The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison

[Martin]

I would recommend House Of Suns by Alastair Reynolds.
Readers' pick.

[T.D.]

Indie Pick: My Other Car is a Spaceship

Series pick The Star Force Series by B.V. Larson

Reader Pick: Darth Plagueis

[James]

I would like to nominate my recently released novel Ancient Treasure for the indie pick.

Ancient Treasure

[Rion]

Reader Pick:

[E.J.]

I'll nominate my own novel Dakiti for the indie pick!

[Rhonda]

I recommend A Hero for the Empire for indie pick

[Packi]

I nominate House of Suns as reader pick, and A Fire Upon the Deep as series pick.

[Conal]

I nominate Fluency by Jennifer Foehner Wells for indie pick and
Splinter of the Mind's Eye by Alan Dean Foster for reader pick

[T.D.]

There's one I haven't heard in a while. I remember reading Splinter of the Mind's Eye when in first came out. Wasn't it supposed to happen between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back? The timeline was wrong since Vader and Luke didn't meet until later.

[Les]

My nomination for Reader pick is The Abyss Beyond Dreams by Peter F. Hamilton

[Conal]

T.D. wrote: "There's one I haven't heard in a while. I remember reading Splinter of the Mind's Eye when in first came out. Wasn't it supposed to happen between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back?..."

I read this about the same time frame you did so details are not real crystal clear (though looking forward to reading it again at some point). Synopsis shows that you have the correct time line. Foster also ghost wrote the movie novelization for A New Hope and this was written as a story line for a lower budget second movie if the Star War IV was not a success. This didn't happen and this novel became the 1st ever book published in the extended universe.

[Reg]

Indie pick - Zero: An Orbit Novel by J.S. Collyer.

[Pete]

series pick — I'd like to nominate 'In her name name - First Contact' by Michael R Hicks

Indie pick - 'The Kinsmen book 1: Between gods and Mortals' by Pete Cruickshank

[Sarah]

I would also like to nominate The Engines of God for series pick.

[Valery]

Indie pick- Last of the Chosen by Lawrence P White; http://www.amazon.com/Last-Chosen-Spi...