StoryBundle: Trilogies

The rule of threes is such a powerful thing. As humans we look for patterns and threes seem to appeal to use particularly well. This also applies to entertainment with franchises like Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Back to the Future, The Godfather, and more all employing the three-film structure, even if they later move beyond it.

The latest offering from StoryBundle consists of a range of different sci-fi trilogies. Let’s take a look at what’s on offer.

The first tier of this bundle, as shown in the top row of the image below, will set you back just $5 and gets you the following items:

• Rupert Wong 1 – Rupert Wong, Cannibal Chef by Cassandra Khaw
• The Elfin Ship by James P. Blaylock
• Obsidian and Blood 1: Servant of the Underworld by Aliette de Bodard
• Machineries of Empire 1 – Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee
• The Bookman Histories 1 – The Bookman by Lavie Tidhar

For the price of $33, you can upgrade your bundle to the second tier, getting you a total of 27 novels:

• Rupert Wong 3 – Meat, Bone, Tea by Cassandra Khaw
• Rupert Wong 2 – Rupert Wong and the Ends of the Earth by Cassandra Khaw
• The Stone Giant by James P. Blaylock
• The Disappearing Dwarf by James P. Blaylock
• Obsidian and Blood 3: Master of the House of Darts by Aliette de Bodard
• Obsidian and Blood 2: Harbinger of the Storm by Aliette de Bodard
• Machineries of Empire 2 – Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee
• Machineries of Empire 3 – Revenant Gun by Yoon Ha Lee
• The Worldbreaker Saga – Complete Trilogy by Kameron Hurley
• The Bookman Histories 2 – Camera Obscura by Lavie Tidhar
• The Bookman Histories 3 – The Great Game by Lavie Tidhar
• The Complete Machine Dynasty by Madeline Ashby
• The Axiom Book 1 – The Wrong Stars by Tim Pratt
• The Axiom Book 2 – The Dreaming Stars by Tim Pratt
• The Axiom Book 3 – The Forbidden Stars by Tim Pratt
• The Tao Trilogy 1 – The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu
• The Tao Trilogy 2 – The Deaths of Tao by Wesley Chu
• The Tao Trilogy 3 – The Rebirths of Tao by Wesley Chu

There are some definite highlights for me in here. The first of these is the Machine Dynasty by Madeline Ashby. I love the idea of this story being told from the point of view of a machine being raised as a ‘real’ girl. There’s a good mix of intrigue, darkness, hope, and interesting ideas that I’m keen to jump into.

Despite my general distaste for ‘action’ stories, the Tao Trilogy also sounds pretty good. Reading reviews, it seems like there’s an interesting scenario, a bit of humour, and some very good work on the part of the author in properly wrapping things up in the final book. That last point is something I have learned not to take for granted.

27 novels for $33 is a good deal, but it’s not quite in that category of really low-cost impulse buys. It’s not expensive, as you’re only really paying a little over $1 per book. The quality across the bundle will be variable, but a fair few of the titles here get decent reviews. StoryBundle has also been a great way to discover new authors whose work you might otherwise overlook. If you like trying new authors and different types of book, this might be a good bundle for you.

You can click here to visit the bundle page over at StoryBundle.