Book picks similar to
No Middle Ground by Caleb Wachter


science-fiction
sci-fi
ebook
space-opera

Vita Aeterna


Jay Allan Storey - 2018
    Appraisal is supposed to be a routine right of passage. But no scenario he's ever heard of has prepared Alex for his own experience - abducted, imprisoned, and subjected to brutal medical experiments in a high-tech lab.He escapes and goes on the run, a heartbeat ahead of a ruthless army led by the most powerful man in the world. When he finally pieces together the clues behind his kidnapping, they lead to a treacherous plot that only he can derail.But to succeed, he must penetrate the First Circle, the forbidden abode of the ruling class.

Echo of Tomorrow: Book One


Rob Buckman - 2014
    They say that vengeance is a dish best served cold, but to the men and woman who went with him over the border to deliver that vengeance, it was dish served hot, and out of the barrel of a gun and cannon, and from the air. Yet in victory came defeat as he found three hundred years later in the world he woke up in. One far different from the one he'd left behind when he went into cold sleep. Now he had to find a place in this strange new world, one without the means to wage war against an alien race raping the planet of its young people. First, he had to build an army, navy and air force from scratch while fending off attacks from the aliens and the secret government that wanted to put him and his men back into cold sleep or the grave.

Swallow the Sky: A Space Opera


Chris Mead - 2014
    Professionally edited and proofed..Swallow the Sky embodies the essence of classic science fiction: real science, adventure, high spirits, and above all, a sense of wonder.Galactic culture is still reverberating from the nanotech disaster that destroyed Earth. But this is ancient history to Carson, an inter-stellar mailman and a collector of antique technology, until he learns of the secret location of Earth’s lost treasures. Carson is not alone in his discovery and becomes embroiled with a wealthy megalomaniac determined to capture the bounty for himself. As their race across the galaxy accelerates it becomes chillingly clear that far more is at stake than ancient artifacts, leading to the protagonists’ final confrontation in the ruined kingdom of Sol."Somewhere, EE Smith, Gene Roddenberry, and Iain Banks are sitting around wishing they'd written a Space Opera as entertaining as Swallow the Sky. Intelligent world-building, strong characterization, and settings that are just rip-roaring good fun! It tells a tale the old-fashioned way - brilliantly!"Chris Garcia, Hugo award-winning editor“This book is fun, filled with machines who have sassy personalities, leviathans who enjoy a good-natured game of hide-and-seek, and sentient insects who trust that someday, humans will evolve... Carson really is a unique antique himself, and an adorable good-guy to spend time with as a reader.”Yvette Keller, Science Fiction in San Francisco Magazine

Rumors of War


A.K. DuBoff - 2016
    and they're losing. Cris Sietinen joins the Tararian Selective Service to hone his latent telekinetic abilities, but being a TSS Agent puts him at the center of a galactic conspiracy. The TSS has been waging a generations-long war within a hidden dimensional rift against the Bakzen, a mysterious race skilled in advanced telekinesis. The only hope for victory is the prophesied Cadicle--foretold to have powerful abilities unlike any other. But the governing Priesthood has its own clandestine agenda with disastrous ramifications for the Taran Empire. With the future of their people at stake, Cris and his family must face the ultimate questions of duty and morality to save their civilization from certain destruction. This character-driven space opera epic with adventure, coming-of-age, romance, and intrigue will appeal to fans of Frank Herbert, Anne McCaffrey, and E.E. "Doc" Smith. Join three generations of the Sietinen family as they challenge destiny to win a war where enemies are not always who they seem.

Star Runners


L.E. Thomas - 2014
    With average grades, less than stellar play in baseball, and a single mother struggling to make ends meet, it looks as if Austin’s only way to continue his education would be through some kind of miracle. His only escape is playing an online space simulation, Star Runners. It seems to be the only environment in which he excels. However, being a champion Trident Starfighter isn’t something you want to brag about in public nor will it help earn a scholarship. But as soon as Austin is about to give up on college he reaches the top of the elite server. He receives an invitation from a school shrouded in secrecy promising to unlock his hidden potential. With no other options, Austin takes the offer. What Austin doesn’t realize is that his dream of going to college has just opened up the cosmos and will challenge everything Austin thinks he knows about himself and the universe.

The Sands of Osiris


Steven J. Shelley - 2015
     Starving and locked in a war with hostile aliens, the Terran Empire needs fresh real estate or humanity will face extinction. Jaeger Orleans is sent by the mysterious Farseer Cartel to steal a blueprint for a sustainable human colony on the ice world Solitude. A chance for humans to leave a long history of mistakes behind and begin again. Sent to a brutal desert prison for withholding the information from the Terran Corps, Jaeger is in a race against time to find Solitude and lead humanity to a brighter future.

Vick's Vultures


Scott Warren - 2016
    Victoria Marin, captain of the U.E. Condor, and her crew of Vultures have been running dry for months. In danger of losing her command and her credibility if she can’t locate fresh salvage, she locks onto the distress signal of an alien ship in hopes of valuable cargo. What she finds instead is First Prince Tavram, the heir apparent to one of the largest empires in known space. Tavram’s ship has been crippled after narrowly escaping an ambush and his would-be assassin is coming to finish the job.The Vultures launch a high risk mission to rescue the prince and recover every last scrap of xenotech they can before the hunter catches up to his prey. But there are more dangers than notorious interstellar assassins when it comes to ferrying an alien prince across the stars, and Victoria must contend with dangerous alliances, old grudges, and even her own government if she means to bring her crew home alive. Whether she succeeds or fails, the consequences of her choices will affect the path of all humanity.

Impact


David E. Stevens - 2019
    and wakes up in a genetically perfect body. His fighter catches on fire during a routine test flight. Preventing it from hitting a neighborhood, he ejects too late. A year later, he wakes up in a city hospital looking like an omni-racial Olympic athlete. His body wasn’t repaired ... it was replaced. He's GMO, a genetic blend of humanity's best genes with one-in-a-billion abilities, but a voice in his head tells him an apocalyptic disaster will soon erase most life on earth. A Navy pilot brought back from the dead ... to save the world? The most likely explanation is paranoid schizophrenia with delusions of grandeur, but with no identity and few options, he uses his insider knowledge of classified military projects to create a fake black program. Recruiting a brilliant international team, they secretly develop the world’s most powerful weapon to ... protect humanity? The Fuzed Trilogy is Bourne Identity meets Avatar and Interstellar. A USA TODAY Bestseller, winner of the Eric Hoffer Award, Epic eBook Award and ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year, IMPACT is a true story we hope never happens. With a team of advisers that include astrophysicists, astronauts, admirals and intelligence operatives, the science behind the threats is real. These extinction level events are statistically inevitable but also preventable ... if we take action. A portion of the series profits go to non-profits working to protect humanity. Fuzed.org

The First Universe in Flames Trilogy


Christian Kallias - 2017
    Evil has followed me to Earth. I shall Protect this World until my Dying Breath.When the Obsidian Empire obliterates the Star Alliance with the help of the Zarlacks, an old evil race long thought extinct, the universe is set ablaze. The last survivors are forced to make a blind jump beyond the outer reach of the charted universe, to a world teeming with life: Earth. The fleet's arrival inadvertently alerts their enemies to the presence of sentient life in that part of space, resulting in a swift and devastating invasion of the blue marble.Under the guidance of the Olympian goddess of Love, Aphroditis, Lieutenant Chase Athanatos learns of his origins and must race against time in a daring attempt to save Earth, their Last Sanctuary.With Earth now thrown at the center of the conflict, the newly formed Earth Alliance struggles to keep the enemy at bay. Desperately outnumbered, Chase and his friends must wage one battle after another while seeking new allies to survive.When it becomes clear that his Fury powers are awakening, Chase must face his inner demons and learn to control them or he could very well destroy the universe he has sworn to protect. Can his Fury heritage and unwavering determination hold the key to change the course of everyone's destiny?The Trilogy edition contains the first 3 books of the Universe in Flames saga: Earth - Last Sanctuary, Fury to the Stars and Destination Oblivion in one eBook. This version contains the latest edits and proofreads from the series with a new cover.

Home: Interstellar: Hope's War Book 1


Ray Strong - 2015
    Ten years later, the most powerful interests in the galaxy aim to kill her for what she might remember. And they’ll kill her family and friends if she does.Murdered parents and a busted spaceship, that’s what pirates left to Meriel and the orphans from the Light Speed Merchant Princess. But pirates didn’t exist, and for the Troopers, that defined her as crazy.After ten years of flashbacks, nightmares, and compulsory drugs, Meriel’s past will not stay buried. But while searching for a mythical sanctuary called Home, she trips alarms that protect the killers… and the biggest secret in human history.Meriel has only days to untangle the mysteries surrounding her parents’ death or face her own. What she finds can save the far-stars from extinction, but it makes the orphans targets.Again.And this time they can’t escape.First in the epic saga. Book 2 coming December 2021: Pandora’s Razor! "... a science fiction tale that reads like a pilgrimage with a haunted and haunting female character who combines strength and grace in a way that instantly wins the reader over to her perspective and her values, her every cause." -- Writer's Digest"Reminiscent of Ray Bradbury, early Heinlein, or Alan Dean Foster. Characters who are realistic, not perfect..." ★★★★★ Norma Mason (Goodreads)"Great Story! Great World Building! ... engrossing and entertaining, and a plot full of twists and turns... awesome world building and character arcs...!" ★★★★★ Madhavi Ghare (Goodeads)

Underground


Chris Ward - 2012
    Now it is their only chance for survival... Britain in 2075 is a dangerous place. A man known only as the Governor rules the country with an iron hand, but within the towering perimeter walls of London Greater Urban Area anarchy spreads unchecked through the streets. In the abandoned London Underground station of St. Cannerwells, a group of misfits calling themselves the Tube Riders seek to forget the chaos by playing a dangerous game with trains. Marta is their leader, a girl haunted by her brother's disappearance. Of the others, Paul lives only to protect his little brother Owen, while Simon is trying to hold on to his relationship with Jess, daughter of a government official. Guarding them all is Switch, a man with a flickering eye and a faster knife, who cares only about preserving the legacy of the Tube Riders. Together, they are family. Everything changes the day they are attacked by a rival gang. While escaping, they witness an event that could bring war down on Mega Britain. Suddenly they are fleeing for their lives, pursued not only by their rivals, but by the brutal Department of Civil Affairs, government killing machines known as Huntsmen, and finally by the inhuman Governor himself.

Omega Rising


Joshua Dalzelle - 2013
    But when he investigates the crash, what he finds will yank him out of his self-imposed exile and thrust him into a world he could have never imagined.He suddenly finds himself trapped on a damaged alien spacecraft and plunged into a universe of interstellar crime lords and government conspiracies, along the way meeting strange new friends… and enemies. As he struggles to find his way back home he is inexorably drawn deeper into a world where one misstep could mean his death. Or worse. He desperately wants to get back to Earth, but it may be the end for him. … or is it just the beginning?

Seeing Red


Patty Jansen - 2013
     Young diplomat Cory Wilson narrowly escapes death in the assassination of President Sirkonen. No one claims responsibility but there is no doubt that the attack is extraterrestrial. Cory was meant to start work as a representative to Gamra, the alien organisation that governs the FTL transport network, but now his new job may well be scrapped in anger. Worse, as Earth uses military force to stop any extraterrestrials coming or leaving, as 200,000 extraterrestrial humans are trapped on Earth, as the largest army in the galaxy prepares to free them by force, only Cory has the experience, language skills and contacts to solve the crime. But he's broke, out of a job and a long way from Earth.

Aftershocks


Marko Kloos - 2019
    Amid an uneasy alliance to maintain economies, resources, and populations, Aden Robertson reemerges. After devoting twelve years of his life to the reviled losing side, with the blood of half a million casualties on his hands, Aden is looking for a way to move on. He’s not the only one.A naval officer has borne witness to inconceivable attacks on a salvaged fleet. A sergeant with the occupation forces is treading increasingly hostile ground. And a young woman, thrust into responsibility as vice president of her family’s raw materials empire, faces a threat she never anticipated.Now, on the cusp of an explosive and wide-reaching insurrection, Aden plunges once again into the brutal life he longed to forget. He’s been on the wrong side of war before. But this time, the new enemy has yet to reveal themselves…or their dangerous endgame.

The Sagan Diary


John Scalzi - 2007
    Subterranean Press is proud to publish The Sagan Diary, a long novelette that for the first time looks at the worlds of the Hugo-nominated Old Man's War and its sequel The Ghost Brigades from the point of view of Lieutenant Jane Sagan, who in a series of diary entries gives her views on some of the events included in the series... and sheds new light into some previously unexplored corners. If you thought you knew Jane Sagan before, prepare to be surprised.