Book picks similar to
Where the Ships Die by William C. Dietz
science-fiction
sci-fi
fiction
sf
The Door Through Space
Marion Zimmer Bradley - 1961
It is a peaceful reign, held by compact and not by conquest. Again and again, when rebellion threatens the Terran Peace, the natives of the rebellious world have turned against their own people and sided with the men of Terra; not from fear, but from a sense of dedication. There has never been open war. The battle for these worlds is fought in the minds of a few men who stand between worlds; bound to one world by interest, loyalties and allegiance; bound to the other by love. Such a world is Wolf. Such a man was Race Cargill of the Terran Secret Service… At one time Race Cargill had been the best Terran Intelligence agent on the complex and mysterious planet of Wolf. He had repeatedly imperiled his life amongst the half-human and non-human creatures of the sullen world. And he had repeatedly accomplished the fantastic missions until his name was emblazoned with glory. But that had all seemingly ended. For six long years he'd sat behind a boring desk inside the fenced-in Terran Headquarters, cut off there ever since he and a rival had scarred and ripped each other in blood-feud. But when The Door Through Space swung suddenly open, the feud was on again—and with it a plot designed to check and destroy the Terran Empire.
Onslaught
David Sherman - 2002
Not content to merely seize his father’s throne, the renegade royal dreams of world conquest–and with his army and his black arts, there is little to stop him.So unexpected, so well planned is the invasion of the free port New Bally that out of hundreds in the city, only two escape capture. Haft and Spinner will need all their courage and cunning to retrieve their weapons from their enemy-held ship, cross the open meadows surrounding the city walls, and escape into the forest beyond–where they hope to regroup and drive back the invaders. Luckily, Haft and Spinner are no ordinary men. They are Marines . . .From the Paperback edition.
The Sails Of Tau Ceti
Michael McCollum - 1992
The twenty-third century saw interstellar flight finally within grasp of Earth's population. But before humans could begin to search the stars for alien life, aliens came to them. Refugees from the Tau Ceti system, victims of a sun gone nova, the Phelan were remarkably similar to humans in attitude, behavior and culture - or so they claimed...Tory Bronson was the software engineer on the "Starhopper", the interstellar probe that met the Phelan ship in space. When the Phelan petitioned Earth for land to settle upon, they chose her as their advocate - and she found herself offering her fellow humans world - changing alien technology in return for territory to house the refugees. Opposition to Phalen settlement was fierce, but Tory knew the objections had to be overcome - for she, as the Phalen advocate, was keeping a deadly secret from the world: the aliens were masters of deception, and far from helpless...
Interlopers
Alan Dean Foster - 2001
The collapse of civilizations. Nervous breakdowns. Blame them on a twist of fate, but archaeologist Cody Westcott knows differently. Something is causing these random acts of badness. Something ancient, something evil, something...hungry. We are not alone, but we're about to wish we were....
Sisterhood of Dune
Brian Herbert - 2012
Great changes are brewing that will shape and twist all of humankind. The war hero Vorian Atreides has turned his back on politics and Salusa Secundus. The descendants of Abulurd Harkonnen Griffen and Valya have sworn vengeance against Vor, blaming him for the downfall of their fortunes. Raquella Berto-Anirul has formed the Bene Gesserit School on the jungle planet Rossak as the first Reverend Mother. The descendants of Aurelius Venport and Norma Cenva have built Venport Holdings, using mutated, spice-saturated Navigators who fly precursors of Heighliners. Gilbertus Albans, the ward of the hated Erasmus, is teaching humans to become Mentats…and hiding an unbelievable secret. The Butlerian movement, rabidly opposed to all forms of “dangerous technology,” is led by Manford Torondo and his devoted Swordmaster, Anari Idaho. And it is this group, so many decades after the defeat of the thinking machines, which begins to sweep across the known universe in mobs, millions strong, destroying everything in its path. Every one of these characters, and all of these groups, will become enmeshed in the contest between Reason and Faith. All of them will be forced to choose sides in the inevitable crusade that could destroy humankind forever….
Dust of Far Suns
Jack Vance - 1964
A short story collection originally published as Future Tense by one of SF's greatest authors, Jack Vance.Contents:- Dust of Far Suns (1962)- Dodkin's Job (1959)- Ullward's Retreat (1958)- The Gift of Gab (1955)
Pock's World
Dave Duncan - 2010
It has been quarantined and may have to be sterilized. Five people are chosen to go there and examine the evidence: saintly but ruthless Father Andre; Ratty Turnsole, a muckraking reporter ripe for romance; ambitious politician Athena Fimble; manipulative bureaucrat Millie Backet; and shady billionaire Linn Lazuline. Some of them carry grudges - all have their own agendas. Pock’s World surprises them all. Nothing is what they expect. Quickly entangled in love, politics, religion, and deceit, they discover that the clock is already ticking and the fate of humanity itself is at stake.
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.
Time Trap
Keith Laumer - 1970
And an ancient Spanish galleon, fully crewed with ancient Spaniard, was taken in tow off Tampa by the Coast Guard...and a few luckless people found themselves living the same day over and over and over...Something was badly wrong with Time - but Roger Tyson didn't know it until he met the lovely agent from elsewhen and started on a mad chase through the dimensions, plagued by a motley bunch of temporal castaways, and pursued hotly by Oob the Rhox!
Embedded
Dan Abnett - 2010
When journalist Lex Falk gets himself chipped into the brain of a combat soldier, he thinks he has the ultimate scoop - a report from the forbidden front line of a distant planetary war, live to the living rooms of Earth. When the soldier is killed, however, Lex has to take over the body and somehow get himself back to safety once more... broadcasting all the way.Heart-stopping combat science fiction from the million-selling Warhammer 40,000 author.File Under: Science Fiction [ Future Warefare | Chipped-In | Anything For a Story | Get Out Alive! ]
High-Opp
Frank Herbert - 2012
EMASI! Each Man A Separate Individual! That is the rallying cry of the Seps engaged in a class war against the upper tiers of a society driven entirely by opinion polls. Those who score high, the High-Opps, are given plush apartments, comfortable jobs, every possible convenience. But those who happen to be low-opped, live crowded in Warrens, facing harsh lives and brutal conditions. Daniel Movius, Ex-Senior Liaitor, rides high in the opinion polls until he loses everything, brushed aside by a very powerful man. Low-opped and abandoned, Movius finds himself fighting for survival in the city’s underworld. There, the opinion of the masses is clear: It is time for a revolution against the corrupt super-privileged. And every revolution needs a leader.
Timecaster
J.A. Konrath - 2014
With crime at an all-time low, Talon has little to do except give lectures to schoolkids--and obsess on his wife's profession as a licensed sex partner. Then one of her clients asks Talon to investigate a possible murder. When Talon uses the TEV to view the crime, the identity of the killer is unmistakable--it's him, Talon Avalon. Someone is taking timecasting to a whole new level and using it to frame Talon. And the only way he can prove his innocence is to go off the grid--which in 2064 is a very dangerous thing to do. Time is not on his side.
Star Hunter
Andre Norton - 1961
As a deadly game of hide-and-seek begins to unwind, a man who does not know his own powers faces an interstellar safari determined to run him to ground -- dead or alive! "Nobody can top Andre Norton when it comes to swashbuckling science-fiction adventure." -- St. Louis Globe-Democrat
Master of Life and Death
Robert Silverberg - 1957
Walton is faced with problems of cosmic proportions...How can he deal with the mass revolt against Popeek's resettlement and euthanasia programmes?Will the interstellar mission X-72 return with hope for a new Earth?And how can Walton finally silence his embittered, jealous brother who shares his two darkest secrets? One could cripple Popeek for a long time to come. The other would destroy Walton. For ever...
The Walk Up Nameless Ridge
Hugh Howey - 2012
Many have tried. All have failed.This climbing season finds three teams making their bid up this murderous peak. And one man among them will discover these ugly truths: There are fates worse than death. There are fates worse than obscurity. To be remembered forever can be its own curse.