July 31st is the first annual Save Fiction Day. A whole day for you to set out and buy something new and adventurous. You see, bookstore shelves are full of tiny hostages held for ransom and it is up to you to rescue them. Drag your friends to your local bookstore and comb the shelves until each of you have found a new story worth taking home. In doing so, you will have saved the life of that poor, defenseless book.

Don’t limit yourself to physical books though, because thousands more are stuck in the internet begging to be downloaded to your Nook, Kindle, iPad, or phone. Think of all the stories lying at your fingertips on whatever device you are reading this post on. They need a chance to be free and you are the only one capable of paying their ransom and saving them.

I’ve put together a hostage list that I think you’ll enjoy rescuing, depending on the genre. All of these recommendations may be purchased in at least one of the major ebook stores and by special order from your local Barnes & Noble. Now get out there and rescue some fiction!

Science Fiction

This is my favorite genre, and if you’ve never given it a chance before, use Save Fiction Day as your excuse. I promise it isn’t as nerdy as it sounds.

Supremacy: Reformation by Myself

Cast down and imprisoned in the age past, the gods left their creation to survive without guidance. Two brothers now struggle to unite the last of the ancient Orders. One rules as emperor, taking up the divine mandate bequeathed him. The other questions his brother’s loyalty to the gods, declaring he has supplanted them. With the rest of the galaxy shrouded in darkness, the Second Order stands as humanity’s last bastion of hope until the gods return. Will they survive?

Buy it from: Barnes & Noble or Amazon

Void Voyage 1: I Shall Not Rest in Peace by B. L. White

Haru has inherited a Solar System on the brink of war. He aims to repair it, planet by bleeding planet. Mars is his first stop. Upon the heights of Olympus Mons lies the cloner cults and their arcane ways. One of their slaves, a beautiful clone christened as Leena-58, is to be sacrificed for peace. Haru has come to save her and others of her kind. She must choose though, to live and fight for true peace or be murdered for a false one.

Buy it from Barnes & Noble or Amazon

Jak Phoenix by Matt D. Williams
Jak Phoenix is a pilot who would rather kick back with a cold drink than stick his neck out to save the galaxy. But, as we all know, life often gets in the way of these ‘big dreams.’

Jak and his longtime friend Baxter once again find themselves on the verge of bankruptcy. A last minute salvage mission delivers more than they bargained for when Jak’s old enemy shows up and steals their haul out from under them. When it is revealed the cargo is more important than any of them realized, Jak decides, against his better judgment, that a retrieval is necessary. His pursuit leads him right past his enemy and into the hands of the most feared pirate in the galaxy.

Buy it from Barnes & Noble or Amazon

Fantasy

These aren’t your typical fantasy reads, so look elsewhere if you need elves.

Way of the Black Beast by Stuart Jaffe
In a world destroyed by the abuse of magic, one woman fights all odds to survive and find the answers behind her mysterious past.

Despite the challenges — crazed magicians, guitar-playing assassins, mutated beasts — she pushes on with a single-mindedness that may destroy all she holds dear.

Buy it from Barnes & Noble or Amazon

Eden by Matthew C. Plourde
When an earthquake plunges the world into darkness, Alexandra Contreras struggles for survival and seeks answers. Guided by a mysterious, scarred man, she braves the wasteland in search of humanity’s mythical birthplace: Eden. Once confronted with her tragic destiny, she must make a decision which will alter the fate of the world.

Buy it from Barnes & Noble or Amazon

Urban Fantasy

And now for something completely different…

ShadeskinShadeskin by Myself, B. L. White, and Amanda White
Lurking beneath the veil of reality, a supernatural war threatens to consume the city of Shreveport, Louisiana. The Illumin, messengers of light, strive to protect the city’s human inhabitants from the vicious Shades. Banished from their natural world, the Shades carve out a restless existence among us. The powerful Raven family stands between the warring Shades and Illumin, struggling to maintain a delicate balance while ensuring that everyone else remains unaware.

An Aztec relic makes its way into Matthew Gillard’s hands, unlocking an evil with the power to bring back the dead. Impossible to control, the relic bends him to its will. Now Raven, Shade, and Illumin all desperately seek this nerdy kid from the nearby town of Wheelbarrow Creek.

Buy it from Barnes & Noble or Amazon

Paranormal Romance

I don’t regularly read this genre, but many people enjoy it.

Blood Lust by Zoe Winters
It’s all about the blood…

Comprised of three novellas, Blood Lust gives readers a snapshot look at the world of the Preternaturals Series. (Future installments of the series will be novels.)

KEPT:
As a cat therian (shifter), Greta’s blood is already sought after to enhance spells and potions, but due to a quirk of her birth, her blood is potent enough to kill for. When her tribe plans to sacrifice her, Greta must ally herself with Dayne, the dangerous local sorcerer, and the only person strong enough to protect her.

CLAIMED:
For a vampire, Anthony isn’t a picky eater, but he’s drawn to Charlee’s blood more than any other. Like a fine wine saved for a special occasion, he’s denied himself this pleasure. But one night, high from the potent magical blood of another, he claims his prize and loses control. Ashamed of almost killing the one woman who means anything to him, he wipes her memory of the event. When Charlee awakens with complete amnesia, Anthony is the only one who can clean up the mess he’s made.

MATED:
Because of the vampiric blood that has run through her veins since birth, Jane has been a target for vampires who resent a human being “kindred.” She’s forced to disguise herself as a vampire groupie to appease them and safeguard her life. When she’s abruptly given to Cole, the leader of the werewolf pack, to satisfy a gambling debt, she discovers the blood running through her veins has a far greater impact on her destiny than she ever imagined.

Buy it from Barnes & Noble or Amazon