Malinda Lo

Hellooo readers! This year I’ve decided to add something new to my blog: Free Book Friday. Like many authors, I’m privileged enough to get advanced review copies of some upcoming books, and sometimes I get extra copies of books that I love just because. So, this year I’ll be giving away select books on Fridays. It won’t be every Friday, and sometimes it’ll be an ARC while other times it’ll be a finished copy — just to keep things interesting! But this way I get to share my love for books I’ve enjoyed in a way beyond simply recommending them.

For this inaugural edition of Free Book Friday, I’m giving away a hardcover copy of Diverse Energies, the anthology of diverse post-apocalyptic and dystopian science fiction short stories edited by Tobias Buckell and Joe Monti, that was just published in November by Tu Books. It includes a short story of mine called “Good Girl,” as well as awesome tales by other authors I admire, including Ursula K. Le Guin (!!), Paolo Bacigalupi, Cindy Pon, and more. Here’s the description:

“No one can doubt that the wave of the future is not the conquest of the world by a single dogmatic creed but the liberation of the diverse energies of free nations and free men. No one can doubt that cooperation in the pursuit of knowledge must lead to freedom of the mind and freedom of the soul.”
—President John F. Kennedy, from a speech at University of California, March 23, 1962

In a world gone wrong, heroes and villains are not always easy to distinguish and every individual has the ability to contribute something powerful.

In this stunning collection of original and rediscovered stories of tragedy and hope, the stars are a diverse group of students, street kids, good girls, kidnappers, and child laborers pitted against their environments, their governments, differing cultures, and sometimes one another as they seek answers in their dystopian worlds. Take a journey through time from a nuclear nightmare of the past to society’s far future beyond Earth with these eleven stories by masters of speculative fiction. Includes stories by Paolo Bacigalupi, Ursula K. Le Guin, Malinda Lo, Cindy Pon, Daniel H. Wilson, and more.

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Diverse Energies has gotten some fantastic reviews, too. Check them out:

“A variety of characters populates the well-written, future-set short stories in this aptly named anthology. … The thread that binds these selections is the bravery of the main characters. Whether facing governmental, societal, or individual corruption, the protagonists find their own way to rise above it. Malinda Lo’s ‘Good Girl’ is a particularly engaging tale about an obedient daughter whose search for her missing brother leads her to an underground world that reveals some startling truths about her identity and the government.” — School Library Journal

“Malinda Lo’s ‘The Good Girl’ is a prickly love story set against the desire for a better life, and Cindy Pon’s ‘Blue Skies’ is almost painful in its longing for escape. Not only do these stories feature racially diverse casts, set all over the world or in space, some have gay and lesbian protagonists, giving readers plenty with which to identify. Happy endings are infrequent, but readers will eagerly immerse themselves in each vividly constructed world. ” — Publishers Weekly

“Readers cannot help but root for the sympathetic protagonists in each adventure and imagine a successful escape from their hell. … all contributors present exciting and thought-provoking adventures.” — VOYA

“This sophisticated science-fiction anthology is diverse in nearly every sense of the word. … Careful, curious readers will be rewarded.” — Kirkus

“The collection has broad reader appeal with works from well-known stars like Ursula K. LeGuin, recognizable young adult authors like Malinda Lo and Paolo Bacigalupi, and crossover adult writers such as Daniel H. Wilson, as well as a variety of established science fiction writers who are new to the young adult genre. Fans will enjoy reading their favorite writers in short form, while readers looking to expand their science fiction horizons will find intriguing new worlds to explore.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Want to win this hardcover copy? To kick off Free Book Friday right, this contest is open internationally. The deadline to enter is midnight on Thursday, Jan. 24. Enter here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don’t wanna wait around for the contest? Get Diverse Energies as an ebook right now for Kindle, Nook, iBooks, or Google Play.