Book picks similar to
The Ship by Jack L. Knapp


science-fiction
sci-fi
scifi-tbr
space-fiction

The First Exoplanet


T.J. Sedgwick - 2014
    Believable characters and situations' (Amazon US) 'Both a spy story, a sci-fi masterpiece as well as a thriller full of suspense and intrigue, the story rockets on ever forward with twists and turns.' (Amazon UK) 'This read like the golden age stuff I treasured as a youth, Arthur C. Clarke and co. have a worthy heir in Sedgwick. As much a spy adventure as a space caper, this story has plot and intrigue, and gripped me like nothing else in ages. I tore through it in very short time, and plan to re-read before long.' (Amazon UK) NOTE: This is the first of a two book series Description: Six years after its launch in 2050, Dr Aidan Lemaie makes a stunning discovery with the Helios space telescope array. The Helios array has, for the first time, made the surface features of exoplanets visible to human eyes. Green forests, mountain ranges and blue oceans all seem to be visible on Avendano-185f, ‘only’ fifteen light-years away. The find is hailed as the saviour of a languishing Earth, locked in the same old cycle of war, poverty and overpopulation that it always has been. But the potential second-Earth would take at least 150 years to reach using the best conventional propulsion methods. Then another 15 years for any message of what is found to reach Earth. Only recently has the Western Global Alliance unveiled the experimental technology that might bridge the fifteen light-year distance across interstellar space. The Faster-Than-Light drive is a revolutionary technology with origins steeped in mystery - it seems at least half a century ahead of its time. Although experimental and imperfect, the technology is of unparalleled strategic value and Russian spymaster, Sergei Bekov, will stop at nothing to acquire it. His beautiful, deep cover agent, Dasha Morozova, has infiltrated the lives of the people heading the project. Will her attempts to mercilessly betray them succeed and further her repressive regime’s cause? Meanwhile Yau Min, an eccentric former-SETI scientist, struggles for recognition. He wonders why the transmissions, that he thinks came from the Avendano system, went on for many years then mysteriously fell silent. What caused the signals and what made them stop? Should humanity set off for the promise of a new world, to provide a fresh start for the people of a crowded, ravished Earth? Is it a pristine second-Earth or a post-apocalyptic nightmare? Is there an intelligent civilization or will humankind become the apex species unopposed? The new space race is on and the rewards in land and resources could be huge - but so could be the risks. Astrobiologist, Professor Ken Hawkins, senses a trap that could doom humankind - but the human desire to explore is irresistible. How will the actions of Captain Chris Buick and his Special Space Service squad change the course of history forever? With their motto Fortitude in Stellis - ‘Bravery Among the Stars’ have they got what it takes to protect all they have ever known and loved on Earth? Immerse yourself in a future world of discovery, espionage and struggle in this stimulating epic tale. As the intelligent, interwoven plot unfolds to reveal the shocking truth about humanity’s future, you will find yourself hooked until its thrilling conclusion. Who will like this novel? - Readers who enjoy the fusion of hard sci-fi with political, military and espionage elements.

Empire of Bones


Terry Mixon - 2014
    Long live the Empire! Commander Jared Mertz, the bastard son of the Emperor, and his half-sister, Princess Kelsey, barely speak to one another. To their dismay, their father seizes an opportunity to change that and sends them on a dangerous quest to explore the fallen Empire. Separated from home by an impassable gulf and struggling to redefine their relationship, they find themselves thrust into a vicious war. Unless they work together to stop the Empire’s deadly legacy, billions face a horrific fate.

Devil Calls the Tune


Chris Maddox - 2020
    When his father was called to duty and his mother made an invalid by a plague, Niko learned to survive by his wits. He stole what he needed to stay alive and fought to keep what he stole. Until he got arrested. On the eve of his majority birthday, Niko got laid off from his job and found out the son of the local crime lord had been selling his mom drugs and forcing her to “entertain” his friends. Facing jail time—and almost certain death—for beating the crime lord’s son nearly to death, Niko is forced to join the military to get off world. The terms of his enlistment are such that he can’t quit, so he hopes to fly under the radar and serve his time in a do-nothing job. That’s his plan, anyway. But plans have a way of getting disrupted, and when the Devil is calling the tune, sometimes all you can do is sing along.

We Knew They Were Coming


Ira Tabankin - 2016
     Mankind's oldest question is, 'Are we alone' has been answered. A typing error changes the area of space NASA's Kepler probe searches for Earth-like planets. It records a very bright light, an anomaly that doesn't match anything in NASA's files. It records something heading towards Earth at a speed so high as to be unbelievable. Earth has just over four years to prepare. The outgoing US President spends months before he believes there really is something heading to Earth. NASA's code word for the object is unicorn. The mythical horned horse is coming. The President forms a committee to figure out what to do, he hands the hot potato to his successor who takes the leaders of only six other countries into his. confidence. The unicorn committee begins preparations, they decide to build shelters and arm the military with the most advanced weapons they can design and build in four years. Supply shortages ripple through the economy, rumors spread across the web. The government decides to take a drastic act in order to control the flow of information. As the unicorn speeds towards Earth, the government tries a unique way to spread what they hope is lifesaving information to the population, they hire survivalists, without telling them why, to spread information that something is coming and everyone needs to prepare.An amateur stargazer captures the bright light heading towards the planet. As the object draws closer, it begins to slow down, the bright light becomes additional lights, more than a single ship is coming. Panic spreads across the world. Everyone with a grievance attacks their enemies. When the objects arrive at Jupiter to refuel, their first act is to clear everything orbiting the planet, increasing the stress when GPS, communications, intelligence and debris is destroyed, leaving everyone on Earth without a lot of their toys. Their second act is to turn the world’s grid off.The United States President decides to attack the aliens with ground-based rail guns, striking a couple of the ships orbiting the planet, the alien’s respond by shutting off all electrical energy, including batteries. Earth is slapped back two hundred years. A small group of survivalists tries to apply their knowledge to build a new life. This is book 1 of a new series. It tells the story of the unicorn sighting, arrival, attack and the beginning of the rebuilding.

War Without End


G.P. Hudson - 2017
    Throughout the galaxy, planetary systems seek independence and freedom. Everywhere there is war. Trying to maintain its grip, the Empire has become more ruthless, and reliant on mercenary armies. The powerful Zeta Corp fills this need with its advanced weapons, and legions of genetically engineered soldiers. These soldiers, while fiercely loyal, are nothing more than slaves. Danny is a Zeta Corp mercenary who has known nothing but war, and service to Zeta Corp in his short life. But when a routine mission ends in disaster, he finds himself questioning everything he believed in. Pitted against the Empire, and Zeta Corp, can he gain freedom for himself, his friends, and the galaxy?

The Measurements of Decay


K.K. Edin - 2018
    Outfitted with a device that allows them to escape into hallucinations at will, people spend most of their time withdrawn into their own minds. Tikan Solstafir, a renegade who refuses the illusory life enjoyed by others, lives in self-imposed exile on a starship. When a mysterious enemy attacks the ship, Tikan embarks on a mission to destroy the galactic tyranny and liberate humanity from its own dreams.Meanwhile, in the 21st Century, a disillusioned philosopher believes that humanity’s collective misery originates in people’s failure to communicate with others and make sense of the world. Growing increasingly misanthropic and monomaniacal, he proceeds on a hermetic quest to save humanity from itself, while also succumbing to his own moral decline. As these stories intertwine, a young girl reappears through various epochs, fleeting through Ancient Greece, Medieval Norway, Bolshevik Russia, among others. Unbound by time, Sielle has formed few attachments. Eventually thrust into Tikan’s world, she becomes unwillingly entangled in a political scheme spanning centuries.

Ganymede Wakes


Joshua T. Calvert - 2021
    After many years in space, one of the robot probes returning with samples from the farthest reaches of the solar system crashes on Jupiter’s moon Ganymede, destroying a research station there. After contact with Ganymede is lost, a second sample reaches Earth, and quickly sets off a struggle for control of a substance that defies the understanding of all the world’s scientists.Amid the ensuing chaos, astronaut Rachel Ferreira and a team of leading scientists board a ship bound for Ganymede to discover the reason for the disturbing silence. They leave behind an Earth erupting in conflict, as a team of mercenaries struggles to get its hands on a possibly alien technology, in the process uncovering a conspiracy that could shake the very foundations of the future.

Invasion


David Ryker - 2018
    The last remnant of some long-lost race, it might have been lost forever. We might have been saved. But we were not alone, after all. The universe teemed with life. And the intelligence was found. Studied. Awoken. And the stars burned. Civilization after civilization fell to its irresistible, bloodthirsty might. Others ran, and it followed relentlessly into the abyss. Toward fresh prey. Now it's our turn. Our ships are old, politicians corrupt, citizens divided. And yet we must succeed where no other race ever has. We will stand. We will fight. And we will never surrender. Invasion is the first book in the Contact saga. The first three books will be released by September 25th!

The Godel Operation


James L. Cambias - 2021
    A wild chase through the billion worlds of the Tenth Millennium in search of a mythical weapon that could save civilization—or doom it! A DROID AND HIS BOY, ON A SEARCH FOR A LEGENDARY WEAPON Daslakh is an AI with a problem. Its favorite human, a young man named Zee, is in love with a woman who never existed — and he will scour the Solar System to find her. But in the Tenth Millennium a billion worlds circle the Sun—everything from terraformed planets to artificial habitats, home to a quadrillion beings. Daslakh's nicely settled life gets more complicated when Zee helps a woman named Adya escape a gang of crooks. This gets the pair caught up in the hunt for the Godel Trigger, a legendary weapon left over from an ancient war between humans and machines—which could spell the end of civilization. In their search, they face a criminal cat and her henchmen, a paranoid supermind with a giant laser, the greatest thief in history, and a woman who might actually be Zee's lost love. It's up to Daslakh to save civilization, keep Zee's love life on the right track—and make sure that nobody discovers the real secret of the Godel Trigger. Praise for Arkad's World: “Far-flung adventure . . . Cambias offers up an entertaining coming-of-age novel filled with action and surprises. His aliens are suitably non-human in mannerisms, attitudes, and objectives, and his worldbuilding suggests a vast universe ready for further exploration. Readers . . . will find this hits the spot.”—Publishers Weekly “. . . a classic quest story, a well-paced series of encounters with different folk along the way, building momentum toward a final confrontation with Arkad's past . . . [with] a delicious twist to the end.”—ALA Booklist “Cambias has achieved a feat of world-building: an expansive, believable setting with fascinating aliens, compelling mysteries, and a rich sense of history.”—Bookpage “Drop a teenage boy into a distant planet chock full of colorful aliens—with troubles all their own. Stir, flavor, apply heat. A tour de force in the field, and great, quick fun.”—Gregory Benford Praise for the work of James L. Cambias: “Beautifully written, with a story that captures the imagination the way SF should.”—Booklist, starred review “An engaging nail-biter that is exciting, fun and a satisfying read.”—The Qwillery '“An impressive debut by a gifted writer.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review “An exceptionally thoughtful, searching and intriguing debut.”—Kirkus, starred review “James Cambias will be one of the century's major names in hard science fiction.”—Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award–winning author of Red Planet Blues “Fast-paced, pure quill hard science fiction. . . . Cambias delivers adroit plot pivots that keep the suspense coming.”—Gregory Benford, Nebula Award-winning author of Timescape

We Are Not Prey


Taki Drake - 2016
    This science fiction adventure blends magic and technology with the adventures of Ruth, a normal human, pushed into extraordinary situations. Ruth’s transformation takes her from Earth to worlds and situations of which she never dreamed.

A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe


Alex White - 2018
    She makes her meager living faking salvage legends and selling them to the highest bidder, but this time she might have stumbled on something real–the story of the Harrow, a famous warship, capable of untold destruction.Nilah Brio is the top driver in the Pan Galactic Racing Federation and the darling of the racing world–until she witnesses the murder of a fellow racer. Framed for the murder and on the hunt to clear her name, Nilah only has one lead: the killer also hunts a woman named Boots.On the wrong side of the law, the two women board a smuggler’s ship that will take them on a quest for fame, for riches, and for justice.

Expelled


Ell Leigh Clarke - 2019
    Jayne Austin wasn’t always the galaxy’s number one spy. She was expelled from spy school for uncovering a double-agent because apparently, that’s what happens to spies that accomplish great things.Given a choice between going back to her planet or selling her one-way ticket for starting capital she thought long and hard about her choices. All of fifteen seconds. Then, she created ‘the Plan.’ It was a great plan. A worthy plan.  A noble plan that meant she could start up her own spy agency, and show them precisely who they’ve expelled. However, when her first case comes in, she begins to wonder if perhaps she bit off too much.  With the fate of the planet in the hands of terrorists, Jayne is forced to up her game and go to lengths she never thought she dared.  She’s going to need *FRIENDS*.  If you love space opera you’re going to love Spy for Hire: a literary triumph of majestic accomplishments a laugh-out-loud, spew-your-coffee-over-your kindle swashbuckling page turner that follows the shenanigans and best efforts of a somewhat cavalier ex-government spy, Jayne Austin.  Download it now.  You’ll be glad you gave it a try…

Translight


Doug Farren - 2009
    But before Earth can benefit from the advanced technologies offered by the other cultures, it must form a united world government. Old habits are hard to break and it doesn't take long before things begin to unravel.Jay Kauffman, mathematical genius and creator of the stardrive, believed his invention would free mankind. Instead, it has made war inevitable.Translight is the first book of the Galactic Alliance series. It is a hard military science fiction space opera that has been compared to E.E. 'Doc' Smith's famous Lensmen and Skylark series.

Seed


Matthew G. Dick - 2020
    After a third failed mission on Mars, Nick returns to Earth heartbroken. But during the trip home he has an epiphany caused by a near-death experience on how to truly accomplish his dream. Nick launches a billionaire funded startup company that solves the interstellar travel problem. Transporting people in a spaceship without any people aboard. After Nick lands on his new, distant planet, he has to combat his greatest trials yet including raising children and goats while becoming a colony building survivalist. Fans of Andy Weir’s The Martian and Dennis E. Taylor’s We Are Legion (We Are Bob) will find familiar themes of innovative science fiction ideas with plenty of humor and pop-culture.

Assassination Protocol


Andy Peloquin - 2020
    A government assassin, tasked with fixing the galaxy's darkest, ugliest problems with a bullet to the brain. Armed with cutting-edge weapons and an AI-run cybernetic suit that controls his paralyzed legs, he is the fist in the shadows, the dagger to the heart of the Nyzarian Empire's enemies.Then he found Bex on his doorstep...A junkie, high on the drug he'd fought for years to avoid, and a former elite soldier like him. So he takes her in to help her get clean-Silverguards never leave their own behind.If only he'd known his actions would put him in the crosshairs of the most powerful cartel in New Avalon.Facing an army of gangbangers, drug pushers, and thugs, Nolan must fight to not only carry out his mission, but to prevent the escalating violence from destroying everything he loves.Cerberus: Assassination Protocol is the riveting, heart-pounding first book in the epic military sci-fi Cerberus series. If you like fearless heroes, non-stop futuristic action, and neck-breaking plot twists, you'll love Andy Peloquin's thrilling space opera series.Buy Cerberus: Assassination Protocol now to watch an assassin fight to protect the innocent!