Book picks similar to
Troubleshooters: The Longest Joke Ever Told by Ian Thomas Healy


science-fiction
futuristic-dystopian
science-fiction-fantasy
humour

Crosstalk


Connie Willis - 2016
    G. Wodehouse in Crosstalk, a genre-bending novel that pushes social media, smartphone technology, and twenty-four-hour availability to hilarious and chilling extremes as one young woman abruptly finds herself with way more connectivity than she ever desired.In the not-too-distant future, a simple outpatient procedure to increase empathy between romantic partners has become all the rage. And Briddey Flannigan is delighted when her boyfriend, Trent, suggests undergoing the operation prior to a marriage proposal - to enjoy better emotional connection and a perfect relationship with complete communication and understanding. But things don't quite work out as planned, and Briddey finds herself connected to someone else entirely - in a way far beyond what she signed up for.It is almost more than she can handle - especially when the stress of managing her all-too-eager-to-communicate-at-all-times family is already burdening her brain. But that's only the beginning. As things go from bad to worse, she begins to see the dark side of too much information, and to realize that love - and communication - are far more complicated than she ever imagined.

Undead


Kirsty McKay - 2011
    They hardly know each other, but that changes when they see the others coming back. Something has happened to them - something bad. Soon, only a pair of double doors stands between those on the bus and their ex-friends outside.

Alien: Out of the Shadows


Tim Lebbon - 2013
    But in deep space, he found only darkness and isolation. Then on planet LV178, he and his fellow miners discovered a storm-scoured, sand-blasted hell - and trimonite, the hardest material known to man.When a shuttle crashed into the mining ship Marion, the miners learn that there was more than trimonite deep in the caverns. There was evil, hibernating - and waiting for suitable prey.Hoop and his associates uncover a nest of Xenomorphs, and hell takes on new meaning. Quickly they discover that their only hope lies with the unlikeliest of saviors...Ellen Ripley, the last human survivor of the salvage ship Nostromo.

On a Pale Ship: A Privateer Tales Series


Jamie McFarlane - 2017
    And one scientist is willing to kill to find it… Dorian Anino thought her research would change the world. The discovery of the so-called “hero-gene” taught her and her team that it was possible for some humans to have incredible strength, speed, and agility. But when Dorian discovers that the gene only expresses in people on the brink of death, her team can’t help but be disappointed. Except for Dorian’s protégé, who opts to poison the water supply to unearth more heroes…Luc Gray is a hero through and through. But when the squadron leader loses a pilot and then his position in quick succession, he has no idea what to do next. Without a mission, he jumps at an assignment from Dorian to investigate the pilot’s death. But when the mission puts him in grave danger, Luc is about to find out just how much of a hero he is…To defeat a scientist who wants to play god, Dorian may just have to create her own team of heroes…On a Pale Ship is the first book in a new series in the Privateer Tales universe, a set of military sci-fi space operas. If you like amazing tech, superhuman abilities, and interstellar action, then you’ll love Jamie McFarlane’s powerful tale. Buy On a Pale Ship to unlock your inner hero today!

An Easy Death


Charlaine Harris - 2018
    Battered by a run across the border to Mexico, gunslinger Lizbeth Rose takes a job offer from a pair of Russian wizards. She may be young, but Gunnie Rose has acquired a fearsome reputation and the wizards are at a desperate crossroads, even if they won't admit it. They're searching frantically to locate the only man whose blood they believe can save their tsar's life.A powerful enemy sends enemies who want their mission to faillThe trio are set upon by a powerful force does not want them to succeed in their mission. Lizbeth Rose is a gunnie who has never failed a client, but her oath will test all of her skills and resolve to get them all out alive.

Columbus Day


Craig Alanson - 2016
    And that was the good news. The Ruhar hit us on Columbus Day. There we were, innocently drifting along the cosmos on our little blue marble, like the native Americans in 1492. Over the horizon come ships of a technologically advanced, aggressive culture, and BAM! There go the good old days, when humans only got killed by each other. So, Columbus Day. It fits. When the morning sky twinkled again, this time with Kristang starships jumping in to hammer the Ruhar, we thought we were saved. The UN Expeditionary Force hitched a ride on Kristang ships to fight the Ruhar, wherever our new allies thought we could be useful. So, I went from fighting with the US Army in Nigeria, to fighting in space. It was lies, all of it. We shouldn't even be fighting the Ruhar, they aren't our enemy, our allies are. I'd better start at the beginning....

Three


Jay Posey - 2013
    The world has collapsed, and there are no heroes any more.But when a lone gunman reluctantly accepts the mantel of protector to a young boy and his dying mother against the forces that pursue them, a hero may yet arise.

Rot & Ruin


Jonathan Maberry - 2010
    Benny doesn't want to apprentice as a zombie hunter with his boring older brother Tom, but he has no choice. He expects a tedious job whacking zoms for cash, but what he gets is a vocation that will teach him what it means to be human.

Nerve


Jeanne Ryan - 2012
    But whoever's behind the game knows exactly what she wants, enticing her with lustworthy prizes and a sizzling-hot partner. With Ian on her team, it's easy to agree to another dare. And another. And another. At first it's thrilling as the Watchers cheer them on to more dangerous challenges. But suddenly the game turns deadly. Will Vee and Ian risk their lives for the Grand Prize dare, or will they lose NERVE?

2nd Gen


Andrea Vaughan - 2018
    Archean carries a one-way crew of courageous passengers to Uelara, an earth-like planet in the Cieri star system. Uelara is ideal, except for one minor detail-its distance from Earth. Traveling at sub-light speed, the generation ship won't reach Uelara within the original crew's lifetime.Thirty years into the journey, a new generation born on the Archean trains to fulfill the first generation's mission. Eager to reach Uelara, the 2nd Gen crew prepares, as planned, to assume their parents' responsibilities-that is, until. . . someone goes missing and a devastating secret is discovered, putting the future of the human race in jeopardy. Will the crew rally and carry out the mission-or is humanity doomed?It's all up to the 2nd Gen.The ultimate test of man's conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard.-Gaylord Nelson

Timberwolf


Tom Julian - 2015
    He just wants the damn spider out of his head! For a hundred years, humanity destroyed every alien species they encountered… until we met the Arnock – psychic spiders that drove us insane on contact. There was only one man who ever survived contact with the spiders - Timberwolf Velez. He’s a very damaged man and took every suicide mission he could, but the spider forced him to stay alive and do its bidding. As a madman schemes to control the most deadly weapons in the galaxy, Timberwolf is the only force that can stop the galaxy from descending in to endless war. A cinematic epic on every page - Timberwolf has the hardware of Aliens, the intensity of Battlestar Galactic and the intrigue of Dune. Terrific action and great characters make this book impossible to put down! READERS SAY - "This is the very definition of a page turner." David Adkins - "This book should come with a warning: read only on weekends when you can sleep in. Stayed up all night because I couldn't put it down." Alexis W - "This book is like a train, heading to it's destination. Unswerving. ALWAYS moving forward, to it's terminus." - "Timberwolf is what you'd get if Dirty Harry and Ripley had a son." Merrill Chapman - "The action is simply amazing; it makes putting the book down nearly impossible." Tito Martínez Barberi - "Skillfully plotted, with well-drawn characters that have subtle shading, Timberwolf is a fast-paced story that is immensely readable." Photoguy126 - "Timberwolf has a human heart; it’s not about the combat suits or space ships, it’s about the people and their motivations for doing what they do." Eric Lahti - "How Timberwolf hasn't been snatched up by Hollywood as a screen play, is beyond me" DavidM - "Characters in Timberwolf are thoughtfully developed with great depth and the action is described in outstanding detail that puts you right on the pages with them." Picode Gallo CONNECT Talk to the author here... www.facebook.com/Timberwolf and here... www.twitter.com/TimberwolfNovel

Followed Home


Andre Gonzalez - 2016
    When Kyle Wells and his friends take an annual trip to his family’s cabin deep in the Rocky Mountains, a string of events unravel to expose what his family has kept hidden for decades.As an unexpected blizzard pounds the mountains, a friend begins to act different and seems a bit off after a strange encounter in the woods. In their rush for safety, mysterious beings known as Exalls, follow them back to the city where further chaos erupts. Finding himself in the midst of a battle against evil, Kyle learns of a disturbing truth kept secret by his own grandmother, Susan. He and his circle of friends turn to her as their last hope of survival.

The Darwin Elevator


Jason M. Hough - 2013
    The world has succumbed to an alien plague, with most of the population transformed into mindless, savage creatures. The planet’s refugees flock to Darwin, where a space elevator—created by the architects of this apocalypse, the Builders—emits a plague-suppressing aura.Skyler Luiken has a rare immunity to the plague. Backed by an international crew of fellow “immunes,” he leads missions into the dangerous wasteland beyond the aura’s edge to find the resources Darwin needs to stave off collapse. But when the Elevator starts to malfunction, Skyler is tapped—along with the brilliant scientist, Dr. Tania Sharma—to solve the mystery of the failing alien technology and save the ragged remnants of humanity.

The Eye of Minds


James Dashner - 2013
    And like most gamers, he almost spends more time on the VirtNet than in the actual world. The VirtNet offers total mind and body immersion, and it’s addictive. Thanks to technology, anyone with enough money can experience fantasy worlds, risk their life without the chance of death, or just hang around with Virt-friends. And the more hacking skills you have, the more fun. Why bother following the rules when most of them are dumb, anyway?But some rules were made for a reason. Some technology is too dangerous to fool with. And recent reports claim that one gamer is going beyond what any gamer has done before: he’s holding players hostage inside the VirtNet. The effects are horrific—the hostages have all been declared brain-dead. Yet the gamer’s motives are a mystery.The government knows that to catch a hacker, you need a hacker.And they’ve been watching Michael. They want him on their team.But the risk is enormous. If he accepts their challenge, Michael will need to go off the VirtNet grid. There are back alleys and corners in the system human eyes have never seen and predators he can’t even fathom—and there’s the possibility that the line between game and reality will be blurred forever.

Otherworld


Jason Segel - 2017
    They say it’s addictive — that you’ll want to stay forever. They promise Otherworld will make all your dreams come true.Simon thought Otherworld was a game. Turns out he knew nothing. Otherworld is the next phase of reality. It’s everything you’ve ever wanted.And it’s about to change humanity forever.Welcome to the Otherworld. No one could have seen it coming.