Book picks similar to
Death Skies (Fire and Rust #4) by Anthony James


sci-fi
space-fantasy
military-thriller
science-fiction

Retribution Required


C.R. Daems - 2018
    There smuggling, bribes, and a wild-west live-free-or-die attitude prevails and an eye-for-an-eye is the preferred method of retribution. For Zenaida, a child of the Rim, the death of her father requires retribution. But she must first learn how to survive while trying to track down her snow leopard's stolen litter and her father's killers. But unknown to her, her father's killers spared her for a reason—a secret that could mean her death if she discovers it.

Scouts Out: Books One and Two


Danny Loomis - 2016
    He and his team battle to drive the enemy from star systems under protection of the Confederation. His courage and fighting abilities are tested to their utmost, as he rises through the ranks of the LRS and beyond. Small unit skirmishes build to full-scale combat on planet surfaces, and serve as a counterpoint to violent conflict in space.

Astrid's War: Attack on the USS Valley Forge


Alan Householder - 2019
    

The Fight for Britannia


Saxon Andrew - 2018
    They found a habitable planet and erased everything in the colony ship’s data banks about Earth in the hopes that none of their descendants would ever attempt to find mankind’s home world. Now, thousands of years after Britannia was settled, a war is looming between the Union and Coalition. Captain Grady Henricks is given a secret mission to discover how a small scout ship’s hull survived destruction from powerful blaster beams that destroyed everything but the hull. However, time is running out for Grady to finish his mission; the Coalition is becoming more aggressive and the war is going to kick off before Grady can complete his assignment. During his mission, Grady discovers that the scout wasn’t attacked and destroyed by Coalition warships. An alien civilization has found Britannia and it quickly becomes clear that not only is the Union threatened by the Coalition but all of Britannia is in danger of being attacked by the aliens. War breaks out and the aliens decide to strike in the aftermath. The Fight for Britannia is on and it appears that the humans living on Britannia don’t have long to live. Grady is forced to do something that the original colonists prayed would never happen; he goes in search of an ancient planet that might be able to save the remaining humans on Britannia. Earth must be found and quickly. Excerpt from The Fight for Britannia: Taffy stood behind the Hermit and saw the computer’s screen activate. She saw the startup screen appear and then go dark, as the Hermit turned a nob on the keyboard. Each time it clicked, another dark screen appeared. After ten clicks, a view appeared on the display. She heard the Hermit mutter to himself, “They left the polar satellite alone.” He began moving the cursor and the view changed. An image began zooming in and she saw a city appear. The image grew larger and she recognized that it was the city she lived in just over the mountains; the Government Tower was in the center of the city and that building couldn’t be anywhere else. She suddenly saw three large shapes move out of the mountains toward the outskirts of the city. Suddenly, brilliant beams of light stabbed out of the three objects hitting the ground. Her heart started pounding harder; where those light beams hit, massive explosions erupted, and everything caught on fire. The three-large objects moved out over the city and the only thing left behind them was a fire bright enough to be seen from space. She watched the fires move out into the city and saw her parent’s neighborhood go up in massive flames. The Hermit moved the cursor again and she saw numerous star ships moving toward the monitor. The Hermit pressed a button on the wall turning on the lights in the giant facility as he jumped up out of his chair and ran across the huge room. She followed him and suddenly saw a small ship in the center of the large cavern. The Fight for Britannia is a thriller and is the latest novel from the international bestselling author Saxon Andrew.

Alpha Centauri: First Landing (T-Space: Alpha Centauri Book 1)


Alastair Mayer - 2016
    A multinational expedition is launched to land on and explore these worlds, but political intrigue and natural disasters threaten the mission . . . and what they find may threaten Earth itself.

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.

The Unpaid Intern


Patrick Hurd - 2015
    But unknown to her, the program was on its last leg, and a working sample needed to be shown soon or the funding would dry-up. So the head of the program did what any mad scientist would do in such a situation… used his unpaid intern, Katie, as his guinea pig; tricking her into unknowingly ingesting several mass-producing, self-sufficient, self-powering nanites. After successfully forming a physical and psychological bond with the nanites, and becoming the corporation’s most valuable asset, Katie found herself the subject of brutal, inhuman testing. But now, to escape, Katie will have to rely on the nanites’ vast database of knowledge and uncanny adaptive abilities, along with the advanced strength and speed gifted her by their inclusion into her system.

First Strike


Scott Moon - 2020
    It's a choice.The United Galactic Government is mired in a decade-long war for control of a key planet. Weakened by overextension and political intrigue, they could lose everything.When a child of privilege gives up everything to enlist and fight for what is right, he learns what it means to become part of a team. He encounters refugees, aliens he never expected to empathize with, and the loss of comrades. In the end he must develop the courage to stand up, not only to aliens and governments, but his own family.

Universe in Flames - Olympus Rising (7 Books + 2 Extras) Box Set: An Epic Space Opera Adventure


Christian Kallias - 2020
    

Colony One


T.L. Ford - 2018
    She may be smart enough to create a battery that never needs charging, but can she outmaneuver those who don't share her vision of community and create something that really lasts? How far is Alex willing to go to achieve her goal? Accessibility featured: All graphics and illustrations have detailed descriptions in their alt-text so if you are reading using voiceover, you will not miss anything.

Hunter, Warrior, Commander


Andrew Maclure - 2018
    A young Hunter. A vow of vengeance. Sah Lee survives the assault that destroys her planet. Can she survive the hostile alien army she joins to get her revenge? Hunter, Warrior, Commander is a military space opera. If you like characters that you can get to know and care about, alien armies, intense upfront and personal action and a story that you won’t want to put down, then you’ll love this. Are you ready for a sleeples night? You won't want to put this down! Hunter, Warrior, Commander is a standalone book set in the People’s universe, introduced in Unwilling From Earth by the same author.

Gateway to the Galaxy Universe: The Complete Military Space Opera Series


Jonathan Yanez - 2019
    Famed warriors of this galactic order have not been required to fight the darkness in the universe for centuries, until now. Frank Wolffe and Emma Jackson will soon learn that the mantle is heavy. The path is dangerous but what it takes has always lain within. No hero does is alone. Along the way they'll find allies that will become friends. Together they'll roar into the night and fight for the light. For the first time, you can get the main Gateway series and the New Arilion Knights spinoff in reading order. This one's for the adventure lovers, the space enthusiasts and those with a heart for exploration. Grab your copy and start the journey today! This Edition Includes: Into the Breach Always Forward Chaos Seiged The Academy Face Toward Enemy Burn the Night Rise Up Strength in Struggle Do or Die

... and they are us


Patrick McClafferty - 2014
    Voracious and relentlessly, the Creednax consume everything in their path, including people, planets and themselves if necessary. Only the Rose of the Dawn has the smallest chance of stopping them — if the abducted captain and shanghaied crew can figure out how to run the alien ship in time. Unfortunately, time is the one thing they don’t have.

The Mystic Saga


Scott McElhaney - 2012
    Here you’ll find Indentured, Legacy, and Violation in a single affordable edition. Indentured introduces you to the crew of the USS Pioneer – the world’s first superluminal spacecraft. It eventually leaves you with a question as to what happened to the majority of the crew of that ship when it became stranded in the Beta Hydri system.Legacy brings you the tale of those descendants of the original Pioneer colony in the Beta Hydri System, introducing for the first time, the Mystics. When Legacy is invaded by a fleet of spacecraft, the primitive colony, nine-hundred years in the making, reacts in the only way it knows how. When it comes to the Mystics, this reaction could be quite deadly.Violation finishes up the overall “introduction” to the true Mystic Saga, bringing you the tale of about a dozen USSC assassins sent to a 1940’s Earth. Their sole purpose is to slip in, kill their list of targets, and slip out as quietly as possible. Unfortunately, a disgruntled soldier and a vengeful Mystic raise a significant amount of ruckus along the way.

Battle Lines


Chris Hechtl - 2015
    But he returned changed, he had lost one of his AI to rampancy after fighting an Xeno AI Wraith, and his greatest AI, his confidant Commander Sprite had chosen to leave him. He didn't return to civilization alone however. He brought with him over a hundred precious sleepers, officers and enlisted personnel ready to help rebuild the Federation once more, along with petabytes of precious blueprints and data, designed by some of the greatest minds of the Federation. But before they can begin to forge a new fleet they have to stop the rampaging Horathian Empire in it's tracks. Rear Admiral Amadeus White has been assigned to push the enemy back and keep them back while Admiral Irons and Subert work on building new ships. Admiral Subert has his own problems to deal with in Pyrax. He needs time, time to adjust, time to clean up the mess. Time to build more ships. But the enemy within and without won't wait. Napoleon said it best, "You can ask me for anything but not time!" The Battle Lines have been drawn!