Free Science Fiction Books- Review
By App Type: Uncategorized
Our rating: 
By: Spreadsong Inc
Version #: 1.0
Date Released: 2010-05-29
Developer:
Price: 0.00
User Rating:
Loading...
Free Science Fiction Books is exactly what its name says it is: science fiction books that are available for absolutely free. If you enjoy reading and science fiction is one of your favorite genres to lose yourself in, then you should already be downloading this now.
The app collects more than 700 works of classic science fiction in the public domain, with titles by the usual suspects such as H.G. Wells (The War of the Worlds), Jules Verne (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) and Edgar Rice Burroughs (Land that Time Forgot), as well as by less popular authors whose stories are nonetheless worth reading. The app has that native Apple stock app appearance, with a light blue gradient color scheme, white background for the main content, and a set of tabs at the bottom of the screen, labeled Featured, Genres, Search, and Read.
The Featured section shows a list of featured titles as well as a button to contact the app developer via e-mail. The Genres tab contains a list of, well, genres of fiction. Now you might be wondering, "What’s a genres tab doing in an app that is supposedly dedicated to science fiction?" Well, the answer can be summarized in two words: in-app purchases. In the list of genres, Science Fiction is the only one that is initially active, and tapping on it will show a list of all available science fiction books and stories. The other genres, ranging from Adventure to Young Readers, are all initially disabled. A non-science fiction genre can be unlocked only through purchasing the set of books under that genre. Tapping on a genre will bring up a message prompting you to confirm your in-app purchase, which costs $1.99 per genre, giving you access to thousands more books.
The Search tab is, of course, for searching through the app’s database of available works. You can input partial titles or names of authors as search keywords. The app returns search results quickly after you press "Search," but it does not display matches in real-time or show search suggestions as you type. Finally, the Read section is the app’s library, where your downloaded books are stored locally, available for your enjoyment even when you’re offline. The app has a pretty basic e-reader, with support for text size adjustment and color schemes, but no landscape mode capability. There are far better e-readers out there, but for a free app, Free Science Fiction Books’ e-reader will do just fine.
The thing I like the most about this app, though, is the ability to e-mail any book to any address, so you can share it with your friends and read it on your computer or even on your Kindle. Simply tap the ‘Email to Computer’ button from within a book or on the book’s page in the Genres section, and you’re good to go.
Quick Take
Value:High.
Would I Buy Again:Yes. It's absolutely free. Well, at least the science fiction books are.
Learning Curve:Low.
Who Is It For:Fans of classic sci-fi books.
What I Like:The ability to email an entire book to any email address.
What I Don't Like:No real-time search results and suggestions. The built-in e-reader is rather simplistic.
Final Statement:It's got hundreds of science fiction books, it's free, and the download link can be found below. So, what are you waiting for?
