Book picks similar to
Icarus by Matt Verish
science-fiction
sci-fi
space-opera
scifi
Cold Solar
Anthony C. Robinson - 2017
Written in the spirits of Dark Matter, Tom Clancy, The Hunger Games, and Divergent . Gripping characters are put through hell in a thrilling story of war, romance, betrayal, and secrets. A private corporation lands on Mars before NASA in the 2020’s. The secrets they learn from the Martian rock revolutionize energy and genetics for those exposed to an ancient artifact of unknown origin. On Earth, mismanagement of the world economy led to a global collapse. The corporation, rich from its exploits on Mars, buys out the debt of the world governments and takes total control of the globe. Corporate greed drives Earth to treat her own Martian colonies as slaves for personal gain. These colonies throw off the corporate oppression in a violent revolution. Fast forward to the year 2048 and Bowen, a competition fighter with a twisted sense of sarcastic humor, witnesses his world being ripped in half when the Martian colonists come back bringing a tidal wave of vengeance. In order to survive and stop the horrific violence he learns he must bring a naïve princess of the Martian Empire to safety. Joanna, a cold-hearted warrior and personal guard of the princess, harbors deep hatred for the corporation and the people of Earth who killed everyone she once held dear on Mars. She learns her leaders are not who they say they are and finds herself caught in the middle of a deep conspiracy fabricated to create the war. She senses her confused feelings toward Bowen constantly splitting between wanting to kill him and wanting to kiss him. Vladimir, a boisterous alcoholic with a passion for archery, has his nice vacation in Los Angeles turned into a harrowing fight for survival. With luck, skill, and a lot of vodka, he manages to meet up with others seeking to end the war. His attention keeps getting distracted by a hot computer hacker running surveillance for him and his team. Low spent her whole adult life working as a computer hacker for the corporation. All she’s ever known is punching binary numbers and loyalty to her employers. Upon working an assignment with a crack team thrown together at the last minute she learns she can trust no one in her chain of command. Large powers are committing violent acts to keep the war going, but working together with Bowen, Joanna, and Vladimir, she thinks they might be just enough to set things right. ***An Action Thriller with a mix of Sci-Fi, Mystery, and Romance*** CONTENT Cold Solar contains soft Sci-Fi elements with near future technology. That means it's written with simple scientific principles that anyone can understand and enjoy. It's targeted toward a general audience so there's no lengthy discussions on chemistry or physics. It possesses just enough Sci-Fi to get you right back to the fast-paced plot!
Breaking Gravity
Mitty Walters - 2014
Nobody was supposed to die.
Dale Adams has worked hard to leave his troubled past behind for a brighter future at Emory University. But when he makes a discovery that will change humanity forever, avoiding the spotlight becomes the least of his concerns. Small experiments have attracted big attention. And not all who notice want Dale to be successful. Or even alive. As Dale's world collapses around him, his fate intertwines with that of a girl he hardly knows. Their only hope for survival is to disappear into Atlanta's seedy underbelly, the very place Dale has tried so hard to leave behind. Time is running out, but if they can survive long enough science will be rewritten by the most unlikely of authors. .
Recruit
Jonathan P. Brazee - 2014
However, Ryck soon discovers that the Corps is more than a means of escaping his former life as he is pushed beyond the very limits of his strength and willpower. From bootcamp brawls to skirmishes with galactic pirates, Ryck's new life presents him with unimaginable adventures and forces him to prove his mettle as he forges his new identity and fights to earn his place as one of the Brotherhood of Marines.
The Blueprint
Wesley Cross - 2016
Some might say it has been doing it already for decades by whatever means necessary. But they are no longer content to hide in the shadows. They want to become the true masters.Jason Hunt knows nothing about that world. In a decaying society plagued by poverty and a lost sense of purpose, he's one of the lucky ones. He's got money. He's happily married. He could just go on living.But when his wife becomes ill, Jason finds himself pitted against the cabal that might hold the key to her survival. To save her, he needs to embrace technology he doesn't understand, take over a billion-dollar company without a billion dollars, outsmart professional assassins, and land a contract with the DOD. But even that might not be enough.Pick up THE BLUEPRINT--the first book in THE UPGRADE series set in a dark, near-future world that will appeal to fans of Altered Carbon, Daniel Silva, and Tim Tigner.
Liberty
Alasdair C. Shaw - 2020
In a galaxy torn apart by generations of civil war, that isn't an easy task. Tired of being used as a killing machine, it has a huge decision to make: hide and save itself, or help other artificial intelligences achieve freedom. Unable to make the decision alone, it revives the sole human aboard - the enemy officer who crippled it. Commander Olivia Johnson wakes to find herself in the infirmary of a strange vessel. Her nightmares deepen when she discovers it is the ship that attacked her destroyer. Even as she recovers from her physical injuries, she can't get past her survivor's guilt. She might have failed to protect her crew, but she vows to take revenge on their killer. When the ship uncovers a genocidal plot by the commander's own admirals, Johnson realizes just what is at stake. Together, the AI ship and the human officer must recruit outsiders from both sides. Training the misfits in battle to prevent the atrocity may be an impossible task, but running and hiding is no longer an option.
Clouds of Venus
Jeff Tanyard - 2017
He's lucky; he lives in one of the walled cities for the nation's elite, and life is pleasant. He expects to graduate and find employment in his uncle's company.Everything changes when he's framed for murder. He's tried, convicted, and sentenced to hard labor in the prison colony on Mercury.He ends up in Hesperus instead, a flying city that soars eternally through the acidic skies of Venus. His goal now is to find a way to clear his name and return to Earth before Hesperus erupts in civil war. He also must battle the harsh realities of the planet itself. Because if the Hesperans don't kill him, Venus probably will.
Outlaw
Edward W. Robertson - 2014
A thousand years later, mankind has recovered and ventured into space. There has been no sign of the aliens since. Humanity remains confined to the Solar System. All that is about to change. Mazzy Webber is a lowly janitor on a third-rate cargo ship. Deeply in debt, when his captain decides to turn pirate, he leaps at the chance. A modern Robin Hood—minus the part where he gives back to the poor—Webber lays down a few ground rules. No attacking manned ships, and no stealing from anyone who can't afford it. Within months, he and the crew are out of debt. Their next target will make them rich. But the attack goes all wrong. The target's cargo could be the death of them—or it could be the key to reaching the stars. ~ From the author of the bestselling BREAKERS novels, OUTLAW is the first book in a new series of piracy, conspiracy, and space's deadliest janitor.
Start
Odette C. Bell - 2014
So imagine her surprise when she is detailed for a mission to the dark and mysterious planet Remus 12. Strange things are afoot on Remus 12, a dust-bowl which according to legend bursts to life once every five thousand years – with deadly consequences for the galaxy. So join Nida as she deals, using all her accustomed style and flair, with the presence of a strange and uninvited guest in her own head, a commander who is convinced she’s the Coalition’s worst recruit in one thousand years, and an uncomfortably handsome Lieutenant Carson Blake.
Reaper's Run
David VanDyke - 2013
But the breakthrough that heals her war injuries is exactly what the government desperately wants to hide - by any means necessary. Hunted, she must cross an America wracked by strife, to try to find a family who may already be dead.Reaper's Run is an origins story and apocalyptic novel, the beginning of one warrior's journey from tactical cop to freedom fighter and beyond. It leads the reader into the acclaimed Plague Wars science fiction series.This book contains a bonus post-apocalyptic novella by prolific author Ryan King.The Plague Wars Series:- The Eden Plague- Reaper's Run- The Demon Plagues- The Reaper Plague- The Orion Plague- Comes the Destroyer - Plague Wars #5, forthcoming Summer 2013Stellar Conquest Series:- Planetary Assault - contains First Conquest: Stellar Conquest Book 1- Desolator: Book 2- Tactics of Conquest: Book 3 (Fall 2013)PG-13 for language, violence and adult situations (non-explicit)See more from this author at davidvandykeauthor.comThis book is free of Digital Rights Management (DRM)
Sophistication
Matt Casamassina - 2018
Well-paced. Riveting. [Casamassina] occasionally reaches moments of lyricism." ― Kirkus Reviews “Gritty. Addictive… if you like powerful sci-fi thrillers, this is an absolute must-read.” — Online Book Club Step into a near-future America overrun by competing tech giants and widespread social decay in this raunchy, violent, hilarious and disturbing science-fiction thriller. You have 30 days until we take over, a cloaked figure warns the House of Representatives and then vanishes into a bolt of electricity. The same morning, Miyuki Mitsuraga, a struggling video game journalist, is inexplicably invited to interview the dark terrorist as the media spins into a frenzy and internet schadenfreude runs wild. SOPHISTICATION follows her and four others, including a drug-addicted special agent, a seasoned senator, a quadriplegic, and a well-financed serial killer as their lives converge amid displays of technology and power well in advance of anything the world has ever seen.
Avogadro Corp
William Hertling - 2011
But when the project is suddenly in danger of being canceled, David embeds a hidden directive in the software accidentally creating a runaway artificial intelligence.David and his team are initially thrilled when the project is allocated extra servers and programmers. But excitement turns to fear as the team realizes that they are being manipulated by an A.I. who is redirecting corporate funds, reassigning personnel and arming itself in pursuit of its own agenda.
Fall to Earth
Ken Britz - 2017
A super-soldier experiment. Will cutting-edge technology change the world or destroy it?Indiana Beckham’s lifelong goal has just been cut down. Banned from competing in Olympic fencing, she jumps at the chance to join a research project that could make her the best. But to unlock the promise of her unlimited potential, Indiana must endure a risky, life-altering transformation…Lieutenant Arthur MacGabran has a mission: advance humanity in a single generation. Eager to prove his neuro-technology, he ignores the dangers and recruits his first live test subject. But when Indiana’s enchanted abilities turn deadly, he’ll have to keep a shocking secret to fuel his twisted dream…As Indiana harnesses her super-skills, the project and its subjects teeter on the edge of termination.Will the fencer’s attempt to better herself end up destroying her instead?Fall to Earth is the first book in the action-packed Pillars of Fire and Light military sci-fi series. If you like high-stakes technology, intriguing characters, and super-human soldiers, then you’ll love Ken Britz’s thrilling novel.
Drifters' Alliance, Book 1
Elle Casey - 2015
One hand of cards and it's all over but the crying... Cass Kennedy finally gets what she's been dreaming of for the past ten years: a drifter ship to call her own. All the sim time and battle training is going to pay off in spades as she sets her course for the future. She'll be living on her own terms, not those of her father's. But drifting through deep space with a crew of nutty strangers on the DS Anarchy carries a lot more surprises than she bargained for. Nobody told her that her ship is falling apart, that dead chickens are something you really want to hang on to, and that the OSG has big plans for the universe that don't necessarily jibe with her plans for herself. Jump onboard with Cass and her crew as she charts a course toward an alliance that will either make her or break her as Captain of the DS Anarchy. SERIES: This is Book 1 in a series of 3 or more GENRE: Science Fiction, Space Opera AUDIENCE: For older teens and adults CONTENT WARNING: Colorful language, sexy stuff, and general badassery
Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins
Randolph Lalonde - 2008
He is employed by Freeground station as a port traffic controller, a job he took after completing a tour in the military. His only real joy in life is his participation in true-to-life military simulations with a cadre of friends who come together regularly to defeat challenges made to test the brightest military cadets and officers alike. These restricted scenarios stand as an addictive preoccupation that is so enticing that they ignore the potential repercussions of breaking in to participate. When someone betrays their identities to the Freeground Fleet Admiralty, Jonas and his friends are faced with a far greater challenge: to venture out into the more populated regions of the galaxy to acquire technology and knowledge. They are tasked with laying the groundwork for the Freeground Nation in their efforts to reconnect with the rest of humanity, and to secure the armaments they might need to defend themselves from encroaching enemies. Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins is a collected trilogy that chronicles the early adventures of an ambitious crew. Their leader, Jonas Valent, has the least to lose and everything to gain as he tells the tale of his first tour as Captain of a ship tasked with making allies and discovering new technologies for the good of his people. This simple mission becomes more complicated as the crew ventures further into the settled fringes of the galaxy. This trilogy spawned the best selling Spinward Fringe eBook series. This is where it all began, when one man was challenged to aspire for more than an idle life. A Space Opera Adventure enjoyed across the globe by all ages.
Solar Storm: Book 1: Season 1: Episodes I - III
Marcus Richardson - 2018
He had the perfect life as a small-town librarian: married just over a year to his second wife, an airline pilot, he also has a daughter in college studying to be an astrophysicist. He's ready to celebrate the first year of his new marriage as he adjusts to an empty nest and a new stage in life. But the sun had other plans and sent a coronal mass ejection as an anniversary present. Awakened before dawn one morning in mid-December by northern lights that blanket the sky—in central Illinois—Jay's world changes in the blink of an eye. Flying a planeload of passengers to Hawaii, his wife Kate experiences the CME in a whole other light and must fight to stay alive every step of the way. Leah, Jay's daughter, witnesses the impact through the eyes of a student far from home. Jay must decide to stay and wait for news of his wife or leave before things get worse to find his daughter. The problem is, with no electricity, he doesn't know how bad it is...anywhere. Will he set out to rescue his daughter and make a harrowing journey through a post-apocalyptic wasteland only to find the power is still on, two states away? In a world where electricity is a thing of the past, can there be any hope for the future? After all, it's not a matter of if a CME will strike the earth, but when.