Indie SFF recommendations please!

[Theophania Elliott]

For 2017, I'd like to read more indie authors. So, who do you recommend?

Personally, I like my urban fantasy (not paranormal romance) and gaslight fantasy. Although a bit of sword-and-sorcery hits the spot every now and then.

I've been known to read science fiction, too.

To get the ball rolling, a few authors I've read and enjoyed:

• Ambrose Ibsen's Demon-Hearted series. MC is a bit like Harry Flashman, except with overconfidence instead of cowardice. First book in the series has a few rough spots, but the second is better.
• Al K. Line's Dark Magic Enforcer series (that guy has got to be a chemist).
• J. C. Mells' Pierced
• David Wake's Derring-Do Club books - I only read the first one because I know the author and I couldn't think of a polite way to say "Not just no. Hell, no." I read the second and third of my own free will because the first was bloody good. The second is my favourite.
• K.A. Stewart went indie with A Line in the Sand - I think the rest of the series is trad.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Huzzah! Go you!

I'll mention Teresa Edgerton's Goblin Moon, although I'm cheating a little because I think it was originally trad, then self published and now small-published. But it's gaslight in feel, I think. And it has a great female protagonist.

 

[ralphkern]

I've been ticking away on a set of reviews for indie books. It's not broad spectrum as I'm only reviewing stuff I've personally enjoyed. But I invite anyone to add to the thread.

Quality Self-Published Work Review

 

[Theophania Elliott]

Cool! Will do.

 

[HareBrain]

I can't vouch for any of these, but might be worth a look at the results of this recent self-pub contest.

Mark Lawrence: The Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off results!

 

[williamjm]

I read Josiah Bancroft's (self-published) "Senlin Ascends" about a mild-mannered school teacher searching for his missing wife through the bizarre societies of the Tower of Babel a few weeks ago and liked it a lot. The world it's set in has a bit of a Victorian-era/steampunk feel so I guess it might count as 'gaslight fantasy'.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I've heard different people define "indie" in different ways. Some mean specifically self-published, and others SP and "indie publishers" (which I take to mean small presses unaffiliated with larger presses)

If you are using the broader definition, then I recommend Oracle, by Susan Boulton. It's definitely gaslight fantasy, but it's not only that.

 

[Theophania Elliott]

Better and better... I'd heard of Senlin Ascends but didn't know it was indie. Now I do, I've looked it up and added it to my to-read list.

I was counting indie as self-published, but I'm not fanatical about it - Oracle sounds good too, so I've added that as well (never heard of it before). Thanks guys, keep 'em coming! (I've got a copy of Goblin Moon now, so it's bumped up my list...)