Literary Fiction – Free & Bargain Priced!
Sci Fi stories have a unique place in the world of fiction. They contain all the imaginative elements that all fiction contains, and requires – but they have one element that none others have. And that one element elevates them, in some people’s minds, to a higher status of creativity – to the status of prediction, of prophecy, and of creative theoretical science itself. The best science fiction books do more than simply spin a yarn (although there are very many great story tellers in the sci fi book world) – they stretch, imaginatively, into scientific knowledge as it stands today and imagines where that knowledge may take us tomorrow. And then they make it human – and, therefore, ‘real’.
What will I find in a ‘Literary Fiction’ Book?
Fantasy Novels contain unrealistic settings, or magic, and are often set in a medieval universe, or involve mythical or magical beings as a primary element of the plot, theme, or setting. Magic is a mainstay of fantasy, in the setting or plot, or being practiced by the characters. Fantasy stories are closely related to fairy stories and couldn’t happen in real life.
Some examples of books you’ll find in this category, are: J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings; T.H. White’s The Once and Future King; George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones…
Back in 1953, in what was still the early days of the Science Fiction genre, the great sci fi author Isaac Asimov defined it as “that branch of literature which is concerned with the impact of scientific advance upon human beings”. It is a branch of literature which has grown exponentially, hand-in-hand with the growth of human advances in science and technology and, by the 1970s its purpose, as evidenced in the new style of writing that had developed, had matured into one which wasn’t only concerned with science, but with consequences of scientific and technological advancement. Sci fi author Pamela Sargent then defined it as “the literature of ideas.”
But even that definition doesn’t go far enough. ‘Ideas’ and ‘consequences of ideas’ are now, almost too-limited a way of looking at what science fiction has become. Not only do authors project the advancement of science into the future and calculate the consequences – they assess, in advance, the moral consequences of these advances. They seek to pre-empt the kind of philosophical, moral and ethical issues that might ensue, and consider how to react. Or how our philosophical reasoning might also advance, along with technologies. As such, the best science fiction books are works of the philosophy of technology, and ethics. As new scientists, studying at university, have their work and theories swayed by the latest sci fi novel they read – so, philosophers may find themselves re-reading the self-same novels to obtain a head-start on the new frontiers of philosophy.
But not all science fiction is heavy with tech and theses on the human condition! There is something for everyone in this wide and deep genre of ideas. For pure action and adventure enthusiasts, thriller aficionados, and those wishing to, simply, be entertained – there are books and authors a plenty to go around. And you can start by looking in our list of books below…
One of the Great Classics of Literary Fiction Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
A Modern Classic of Literary Fiction: Black Swan by David Mitchell
These are our most recent Literary Fiction books, at cut-priced deals – scroll down the page for more…
Our Latest Literary Fiction Book Deals!
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David Mitchell and Neil Gaiman talk books!
Two bestselling contemporary authors, Neil Gaiman and David Mitchell, on stage together For their ever first meeting. Topics from the audience vary from philosophy and politics, to which tree they most identify with. If you like either author, or simply enjoy hearing authors discuss books, buckle in for an hour and a quarter of priceless discussion and readings. (Chaired by Erica Wagner, literary editor of The Times.)
Want to find even more Bestselling books? Take a look at our other non-fiction and reference categories:
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The Poet’s House
“A closely observed, droll, coming-of-age story . . . An absolute keeper.” —Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air "A page-turning narrative with laugh-out-loud scenes, and ultimately a hopeful, affirming book about how words can stir the mystery in us.” —Julia Alvarez, author...
Mad Honey
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Alternatingly heart-pounding and heartbreaking. This collaboration between two best-selling authors seamlessly weaves together Olivia and Lily’s journeys, creating a provocative exploration of the strength that love and acceptance...
Norwegian Wood
From the bestselling author of Kafka on the Shore: A magnificent coming-of-age story steeped in nostalgia, “a masterly novel” ( The New York Times Book Review ) blending the music, the mood, and the ethos that were the sixties with a young man’s hopeless and heroic...
The Five Wounds
Winner of the 2021 Center for Fiction First Novel PrizeWinner of the 2022 Rosenthal Family Foundation AwardFinalist for the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction • Finalist for the 2022 PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel • Finalist for the 2022 Aspen...
Norwegian Wood
From the bestselling author of Kafka on the Shore: A magnificent coming-of-age story steeped in nostalgia, “a masterly novel” (The New York Times Book Review) blending the music, the mood, and the ethos that were the sixties with a young man’s hopeless and heroic...
Lolita
The most famous and controversial novel from one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century tells the story of Humbert Humbert’s obsessive, devouring, and doomed passion for the nymphet Dolores Haze. "One of the funniest serious novels I have ever read."...
Excellent Women
Excellent Women is probably the most famous of Barbara Pym's novels. The acclaim a few years ago for this early comic novel, which was hailed by Lord David Cecil as one of 'the finest examples of high comedy to have appeared in England during the past seventy-five...
World Without End
#1 New York Times Bestseller In 1989, Ken Follett astonished the literary world with The Pillars of the Earth, a sweeping epic novel set in twelfth-century England centered on the building of a cathedral and many of the hundreds of lives it affected. World Without End...
Willa & Hesper
For fans of What Belongs to You by Garth Greenwell and The Futures by Anna Pitoniak, a soul-piercing debut that explores the intertwining of past and present, queerness, and coming of age in uncertain times. Willa's darkness enters Hesper's light late one night in...
A Severed Wasp
A retired musician returns to performing in this “soul-satisfying” novel from the award-winning author of A Wrinkle in Time (Norman Lear). Now in her seventies, Katherine Vigneras, née Forrester, has returned to New York City after a successful career touring as a...
A Word Child
Guilt, secrets, and lies haunt two men whose lives are bound by a long-ago tragedy in this “riveting” novel by the author of The Sea, The Sea ( Los Angeles Times ). Twenty years ago, Hilary Burde’s story was one of remarkable success and enviable courage. Having...
The Mothers
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Bittersweet, sexy, morally fraught.” – The New York Times Book Review "Fantastic… a book that feels alive on the page." –The Washington Post From the New York-Times bestselling author of The Vanishing Half , the beloved novel about young...
The Salinger Contract
An enthralling literary mystery that connects some of the world’s most famous authors—from Norman Mailer and Truman Capote to B. Traven and J. D. Salinger — to a sinister collector in Chicago Adam Langer, the narrator of this deft and wide-ranging novel by the author...
Three Women in a Mirror
“A miraculous book in praise of women, in praise of both their shortcomings and their strengths” from the internationally bestselling author (l’Express). Anne, Hanna, and Anny. Three young women, free spirits all, each one at odds with the age in which they live....
The Binding
NATIONAL BESTSELLER A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE Proclaimed as “truly spellbinding,” a “great fable” that “functions as transporting romance” by the Guardian, the runaway #1 international bestseller "A rich, gothic entertainment that explores what...
Anna Karenina
The must-have Pevear and Volokhonsky translation of one of the greatest Russian novels ever written Described by William Faulkner as the best novel ever written and by Fyodor Dostoevsky as “flawless,” Anna Karenina tells of the doomed love affair between the sensuous...
Memory Wall
In the wise and beautiful second collection from the acclaimed, Pulitzer Prize-winning #1 New York Times bestselling author of All the Light We Cannot See , and Cloud Cuckoo Land , "Doerr writes about the big questions, the imponderables, the major metaphysical...
Third and Long
Can the handsome, haunted stranger with a mysterious past save the soul of a dying Midwest factory town? “This novel is so good-hearted, so life-affirming, it’s a joy to read…—Mary Ann Grossman, St. Paul Pioneer Press Meet Nick Remke, a damaged former Notre Dame...
Mr. Dalloway
“Beautifully written and delightfully gay,” Mr. Dalloway sheds new light on Virginia Woolf’s classic novel (The Advocate). It’s the day of their thirtieth anniversary, and Richard Dalloway has arranged a surprise party for his wife, Clarissa. But as he leaves their...
Native Speaker
The debut novel from critically-acclaimed and New York Times–bestselling author of On Such a Full Sea and My Year Abroad. In Native Speaker, author Chang-rae Lee introduces readers to Henry Park. Park has spent his entire life trying to become a true American—a native...
Of Mice and Men
A controversial tale of friendship and tragedy during the Great Depression A Penguin Classic Over seventy-five years since its first publication, Steinbeck’s tale of commitment, loneliness, hope, and loss remains one of America’s most widely read and taught novels. An...
The Singing Trees
A young artist forges a path of self-discovery in an enriching novel about forgiving the past and embracing second chances, from the bestselling author of An Unfinished Story. Maine, 1969. After losing her parents in a car accident, aspiring artist Annalisa Mancuso...
The Lightkeepers
A nature photographer’s residency among the harsh natural beauty of the Farallon Islands takes a startlingly violent turn in this debut eco-thriller with echoes of Barbara Kingsolver’s Prodigal Summer. CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED BY: People Magazine, Marie Claire,...
Dragon Seed
A New York Times–bestselling historical novel about the Japanese invasion of Nanking from the author of The Good Earth. Farmer Liang Tan knows only a quiet, traditional life in his remote Chinese farming community. When news filters in that Japanese forces are...
Leaving Las Vegas
This “brutal and unflinching” novel of fleeting love in Sin City inspired the film starring Nicholas Cage and Elizabeth Shue (Jay McInerney, author of Bright Lights, Big City ). John O’Brien’s debut novel, Leaving Las Vegas , is an emotionally wrenching story of a...
The Illustrated Gormenghast Trilogy
A young heir matures within a bleak, sprawling castle filled with intrigue in this epic gothic trilogy, featuring over 100 illustrations by the author. Titus is expected to rule this extraordinary kingdom and his eccentric and wayward subjects. But with the arrival of...
Italian Folktales
One of the New York Times ’s Ten Best Books of the Year: These traditional stories of Italy, retold by a literary master, are “a treasure” ( Los Angeles Times ). Filled with kings and peasants, saints and ogres—as well as some quite extraordinary plants and...
East Side Story
A “novel of power and hypocrisy in upper-class New York” that follows the rise of one prominent family, generation after generation (The New Yorker). How did the families who live on Manhattan’s Upper East Side get to where they are today? This engaging saga by a New...
Housebreaking
Following a long-standing feud and looking to settle the score, a woman decides to dismantle her home—alone and by hand—and move it across a frozen pond during a harsh New England winter in this mesmerizing debut. Home is certainly not where Del’s heart is. After a...
The Last Chairlift
John Irving, one of the world’s greatest novelists, returns with his first novel in seven years—a ghost story, a love story, and a lifetime of sexual politics. In Aspen, Colorado, in 1941, Rachel Brewster is a slalom skier at the National Downhill and Slalom...
Go Set a Watchman
#1 New York Times Bestseller “Go Set a Watchman is such an important book, perhaps the most important novel on race to come out of the white South in decades." — New York Times A landmark novel by Harper Lee, set two decades after her beloved Pulitzer Prize–winning...
One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow
From the bestselling author of The Ragged Edge of Night comes a powerful and poetic novel of survival and sacrifice on the American frontier. Wyoming, 1876. For as long as they have lived on the frontier, the Bemis and Webber families have relied on each other. With...
A Woman in Jerusalem
This novel about the struggle to identify a nameless victim in the wake of a terrorist bombing in Israel is “a masterpiece” (Claire Messud, The New York Times Book Review). A woman in her forties is a victim of a suicide bombing at a Jerusalem market. Her body lies...
The Midcoast
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “Propulsive . . . An absorbing look at small-town Maine and the thwarted dreams of a family trying to transcend it.”—Lee Cole, The New York Times (Editors’ Choice) “I tore through the saga of the Thatch family in two nights. The Midcoast is a...
After Her
The New York Times bestselling author of Labor Day and The Good Daughters returns with a haunting novel of sisterhood, sacrifice, and suspense. I was always looking for excitement, until I found some . . . Summer, 1979. A dry, hot Northern California school vacation...
July, July
A “perceptive, affectionate, and often very funny” novel about old college friends at a thirty-year reunion, by the author of The Things They Carried (Boston Herald). From a National Book Award winner who’s been called “the best American writer of his generation”...
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