Book picks similar to
Natural Election (Short Story): A Likely Story by Paul Heingarten


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futuristic

Running Start


J.A. Sutherland - 2019
     For Rosa Fuentes, it’s just more confirmation that, to Earth’s rulers, they’re nothing but commodities to be bought and sold. Together — along with Rosa’s disturbingly capable AI — they break out and make their way off Earth to start a new, free life. Unfortunately, the folks they stole a billion credits from along the way would like those back. Content Advisory: Strong language.

ADAM


A.K. Stone - 2012
    That warning was the only thing protecting the child. Why? Perhaps because he was abandoned without parents or AI-implants, when almost everyone else has them. Perhaps because the rest of humanity is connected mind-to-mind to compete with pure robotic AIs, but bio-extremists see deadly threat in his power. Or perhaps because they wonder at the mystery of his origins when humankind reaches for the stars, only to find something out there watching, and waiting. All Adam wishes for is what most teenagers want: a home, to find out who he is, maybe even some friends & family. But forces at work in our little corner of the galaxy ensure he’ll be forced on to a journey that is far more exciting - and dangerous - than he ever could have imagined. “…truly brings about the question of what you define as "human"...one of the best sci-fi novels I've read!" (–C Hsu, ‘Ethereal Pages’.)What Readers Say About “ADAM” (from 133 reviews Amazon.uk, and 311 ratings Goodreads):★★★★★ ‘Wonderfully crafted sc-fi…if A.K.Stone isn't a pseudonym for an already acknowledged master of the sci-fi genre, then I have to say that I am amazed…The quality of the plotting and writing is superb…filled with complex imagery and concepts….extraordinary vision...’★★★★★ ‘Fabulous…A great journey from the first chapter to the last, with great character development.’★★★★★ ‘A wonderfully rich sci fi, full of twists and fascinating technology, a great read…’★★★★★ ‘Excellent…This book is as good as it gets…’★★★★★ ‘engaging, imaginative and beautifully written.’ ★★★★★ ‘Clever, different, gripping…’★★★★★ ‘Awesome story!! a very magical and detailed reality. The reading flows and the more you go on, the more you want to read.’★★★★★ ‘Science Fiction of the first order.’★★★★★ ‘Every so often you come across a little known book where it seems a crime that it should be unknown and this gem is one of those books.’★★★★★ ‘Excellent…big galaxy spanning story, with a lot of heart and soul.’★★★★★ ‘Couldn’t put it down…a plot that twists and turns, taking you on an exciting and sometimes emotional journey.’★★★★★ ‘This is literature, a beautifully crafted novel…One to savour,…’★★★★★ ‘Great Great read…I’m a really fussy sci-fi reader and this ticked all the boxes.’★★★★★ ‘Absorbing and thought provoking, Adam pulled me into to its world and stayed with me long after I had finished the book.’★★★★★ ‘Brilliant, Aliens, AI and a mystery. Tell me there is a book 2!!’ ★★★★★ ‘Excellent. Brilliant plot. Wonderful language. Amazing ideas and tech…’★★★★★ ‘Fantastic What a great book. Very different from the normal. Intelligent and fascinating. A real page turner!’★★★★★ ‘The ultimate underdog story …gargantuan space ships…and an enemy that will make humans, Aliens and AIs quake!! Read this!’★★★★★ ‘Best this year. Why is this not a film? Great read , could not put down, mysterious and thought-provoking. Get your teeth into this adventure.’

The Birth


Paul Kite - 2018
    An impossible to miss new explosive release sure to catch the eye of all the fans of Sword Art Online and Log Horizon! The Fate has to lead you to a stone dead! The body languishes in the captivity of the regeneration capsule; the mind is connected to the virtual game of the new generation. Well, you could take it, but a strange system error has deprived you of the connection with reality and outside help. Now for NPCs you are one of them, and for the players you are one of NPCs. There is the only chance to recover your body, crippled by the catastrophe. It is to survive in this superfluously cruel world! To survive here--you need to become stronger. But who could make you stronger but the 'Shadows', the most famous assassin guild in Noria? 'The Birth' is the first book by Paul Kite (real name - Pavel Korshunov) - one of the most popular Russian LitRPG series 'Realm of Noria'. Paul Kite is one of the top-rated of the new wave gamelit-author. He has created the story of Kraven, a person who accidentally became a captive of the virtual world and fought not only for his freedom, but also for his life.

The Silo Saga Omnibus: Wool, Shift, Dust, and Sil0 Stories


Hugh Howey - 2020
    For the first time ever, The Silo Saga boxed set brings together all of the work in Hugh Howey's ground-breaking, best-selling, acclaimed series, including the individual novels Wool, Shift, and Dust, as well as original essays by the author, and a bonus chapbook of short fiction, Sil 0 Stories .

Tracon


Paul McElroy - 2000
    His pawns: planes full of human lives. When an outsider upsets his board, two jetliners collide and Kellys world spins out of control. Convinced hes not to blame, Kelly fights to save his reputation and expose the true villain before he strikes again.

The Test


Nathan Leamon - 2018
    . .'It is the final Test match of The Ashes. A nation expects, and the rest of the cricketing world is watching.Fast-paced, humorous and candid, The Test follows the battles on and off the field as stand-in England captain, James McCall, tries to get his exhausted team across the finish line. Along the way, his story becomes one of fatherhood, friendship and trusting yourself when no one else will.Nathan Leamon's love letter to Test cricket is that rare thing: a novel that captures the feel and flavour of professional sport from the inside - the good, the bad and the simply surreal.Not since J. L. Carr's classic A Season in Sinji has there been a novel that quite captures the spirit of the game.

Kai


Luna Hunter - 2021
    From his cloaked ship the Dragan Warlord watches them walk straight into a trap — but when he sees there are females among their numbers, his throat tightens with anger.Females should be protected. Treasured. Worshiped.Especially one as beautiful as her. The one with the red-hair and the green eyes. Her human physique — so different from what he is used to, so soft and curvy — awakens strange, new feelings inside the powerful warrior.Forbidden feelings.The Emperor forbids taking a non-Dragan as a pleasure-mate.And yet, this human female needs Kai’s protection… and Kai needs her touch more than he’s ever needed anything in his life.Can the alien general truly risk everything for this human female?

Romancing the Alpha 2


Zara KeaneAnna Hackett - 2016
    Spice up your summer with 9 never-before-published action-adventure romance stories by USA Today and NYT bestselling authors. Fall in love with your next book boyfriend! Sexy Navy SEALs, treasure hunters, mercenaries, and more.Zoe York — FALL QUIETA chance meeting on a Caribbean island gives Navy SEAL Quinn Parry another opportunity to impress the sexiest Army sergeant he's ever laid eyes on.Anne Marsh — XANDERDesperate to find protection for her family, Lily turns to the only man in Miami who can help her: Xander Volkov. She hasn’t seen the billionaire Russian since their unfortunate shotgun marriage six years ago but he now runs one of the most powerful Mafia families in town. Lily hates everything about the Russian mob, but hating Xander gets harder each day… and when they bet the future of their marriage on the outcome of an adventure yacht race, Xander is determined to win once and for all.Zara Keane — THE NAVY SEAL'S ACCIDENTAL WIFEAfter months on an undercover operation that went explosively wrong, former Navy SEAL JD Teller has one week to win back his estranged wife before the birth of their baby. Can he convince Naomi that she’s the love of his life? Or will their happiness be torn asunder by a ruthless diamond smuggler with a particular hatred for JD?Leigh James — ESCORTING THE ASSASSINSean Kingston only knows one thing: the hard life of a hired assassin. On probation for an assignment gone wrong, the last thing he wants is to babysit an escort on his next mission. But whether he likes it or not, beautiful Kylie's been hired as his pretend girlfriend for a dangerous undercover assignment. Now he has to keep her alive, and try to stop himself from falling in love... which might prove to be his toughest job yet.Kat Cantrell — RESCUING HER SEAL“There was not one single thing about him that said bring me home to meet your mother.”A scavenger hunt around the Caribbean partners Navy SEAL Theodore Fitzhugh with a shy photographer seeking an adventure… except a gut feeling tells him she needs an experience of a more passionate nature—and Fitz is definitely the operator for that mission.Anna Hackett — UNEXPLOREDFormer Navy SEAL Logan O’Connor is big, rough…and haunted by a past betrayal. Now he works for Treasure Hunter Security. Dangerous archeological digs – easy. Daring expeditions – no problem. But on a mission to the Peruvian Andes, he collides with cool, classy CEO, Sydney Granger, and they are swept into a deadly hunt for her kidnapped brother and an ancient lost city.Lyn Brittan — THE PROTECTOR OF AMBRAWhen feisty chocolatier Melody Thompson files down to Mexico to corner her thieving business partner, she finds unexpected help from a hunky doctor with some secrets of his own.Sadie Haller — HER WILD DOMSean Murphy has one goal after he rescues a beautiful composer from the ocean: get her headed on her way. But Julia Scott fits into his reclusive life in a way he never expected. She can't stay, of course. But he can't bring himself to make her go, either...Lydia Rowan — ULTIMATE ENGAGEMENTAdam Reins needs a woman—fast. A couples’ retreat is the only way he can get the information he needs to bring down a dangerous criminal. But pretending to be engaged to the sweet and sexy Sloan Wakefield might be too much for him to handle—or for either of them to survive.

No Place Like Home


Jane Renshaw - 2021
    They have left the rat race of the big city and moved into a gorgeous, custom-built house in the Scottish Highlands. Bram has already planted up a vegetable plot and is planning to create a wildflower meadow and keep chickens and goats.But then a dead crow appears on their washing line, their vegetables are weedkilled and someone shoots at Bertie, a gentle guide dog belonging to Kirsty’s mother.The police say it’s nothing to worry about, it’s just bored local teenagers hanging out in the woods. But Bram is sure that more sinister forces are at work, that these events may be connected to a terrible secret in Kirsty’s past.And he’s right. As the campaign against them escalates, the family is pulled down into a relentless spiral of terror and violence until the home they always dreamed of becomes a nightmare from which they may never escape.

Drone Ensign


Kyle Johnson - 2021
    In the Collective, energy is limitless, travel and communication are nearly instantaneous, and every person's basic needs are fully met. Citizens are free to choose the lives they wish to lead, and the omnipresent Overnet tracks their strength, power, and accomplishments. Even death has been vanquished, and Citizens are effectively immortal, reborn anew after each death.Benning Kidd is a Drone, the lowest class of humanity. She exists without memory, purpose, or more than the most basic awareness of herself and the world around her. An accident changes all that, and Benning becomes a Citizen of the Collective, the first Drone to do so in history. She is uniquely talented and unscrupulously driven, choosing a path of battle and glory that will take her from arena to arena and out among the stars themselves.Benning's existence, though, is a threat to those in power, and forces move against her from the moment she steps out of the respawn chamber. As a starship officer, she's sworn to serve her new captain, but he might not be serving her in turn. She faces threats from without and within, and the only person she can trust is her personal AI, who guides her through the Collective.Her only chance of survival is to be stronger, smarter, and more cunning than those who stand in her way. Her path is unique, and only she can forge it. She is the Drone Ensign, warrior and starship officer, and none will stop her from fulfilling her desires!

All Your Lies


O.C.S. Francis - 2021
    Even now she can’t escape the memories - the secluded cottage, a figure in the distance on a deserted beach, and the face that will always haunt her.She’s tried hard to forget what happened and now feels sure her terrible secret is buried forever.Until the messages start…Someone is watching. Someone is waiting. Someone has the power to expose the truth, and to destroy everything that Amber loves.

Haven 6: Reclaimed


Sandra R. Neeley - 2022
    He has always been quietly stoic, considering it an honor to carry the mantle of duty and leadership, while overseeing all the engineering aspects of Command Warship 1. But don’t let his stoic nature fool you, he is as lethal as any warrior among his people. Sent by his Commander and Sire to Earth to aid in the recovery of a fellow warrior’s kidnapped female, he himself is taken hostage. Heavily sedated, beaten, starved and tortured relentlessly, he has forgotten who he is and where he comes from. He’s now a violent, animalistic creature, living only for the chance to kill everyone and everything in his path. Even the infuriating female that keeps telling him she’s his mate is just one more body to add to the pile.Elisha was more than a little overwhelmed when Ba Re’ declared she was his Ehlealah, his life mate. She thought it meant the end of all her dreams of becoming an interstellar translator and computer analyst. Whisked away to live with him onboard Command Warship 1, she finds she does love the stubborn male, more than she ever thought she could. But his determination to make her his mate, versus her determination to continue to be her own person, creates a stalemate neither can seem to overcome. Throwing their hands up, they walk away, accepting the fact they’ll both live out their lives with broken hearts.But now, Ba Re’ is missing and the Cruestaci have had no success in locating him despite continuing raids on Earth. But that’s okay, because Elisha is on her way back to Earth. There is nothing, NOTHING, she’s not willing to do to bring him back to his people, and hopefully into her arms. Even if he hates her for eternity, she can live with that, because he’ll be alive to hate her. Come hell or high water, she’s bringing him home. She knows who's holding him hostage, and she's leading the Cruestaci right to them.Warning: This story is intended for mature readers. It contains violence both real and suggested, and intimacy. If you find these subjects disturbing please do not buy this book.

Scimitar's Glory (Swordships Odyssey)


Dietmar Arthur Wehr - 2018
    7th Fleet discovers that one of those races is moving to attack. In a moment of panic, the commanding admiral orders the fleet to attempt a risky jump through hyperspace. They miss hitting their target star’s gravity well and end up deep in unexplored space with a shockingly long trip home and not nearly enough food to last that long. With war now raging in their home systems, the officers of 7th Fleet must find a way to put aside their egos, ambitions and fears in order to make it back, and they know that not all of them will. Scimitar’s Glory is the first book in a new, fast-paced, action-packed military SF series: Swordships Odyssey. The second book, Excalibur's Quest, is already available for pre-order. Excerpt: With a long, risky jump like this, Dejanus would have expected Corregidor’s astrogational AI to take at least ten minutes to aim the ship as precisely as possible to the distant star’s center. She was therefore surprised and somewhat alarmed when the flagship signaled to the rest of the fleet that they could start to match her trajectory after only half that time. “Goddammit, what’s the rush?” she said to Koenig who was the only other human on the Bridge. “There’s no possible way the Jab fleet can catch us before we jump, even if we take another hour to do it. Why not take a few extra minutes to get the most accurate trajectory possible?” When it became clear that Koenig had nothing to say, she continued. “Astro, I want you to check the flagship’s alignment with Alpha9 while we match vectors. Let me know if you think the flagship’s vector could be better.” That extra task delayed Excalibur’s alignment, and therefore she became the last ship in the fleet to signal her readiness for the jump. “Fleet Commander on Tac2, Commander,” said the com AI. Dejanus switched channels to her Command Pod. “Excalibur Actual speaking,” said Dejanus in the formal form of address that ship COs normally didn’t bother with. “What’s taking your Astro so long to get aligned, Commander?” Rostov didn’t bother to hide his annoyance. “Just double-checking the overall jump trajectory, Admiral.” Dejanus thought she heard Rostov swear under his breath, but it could have been her imagination. “You tell your Astro that if Excalibur isn’t aligned in the next two minutes, I’ll order him replaced and transferred to a cargo hauler. FC out!” The astro AI managed to get the ship aligned within the deadline to no one’s surprise. With all ships in the fleet now aligned perfectly with the flagship and jump velocity attained, the order was given to enter hyperspace. It was 131.3 hours later when both Koenig and Dejanus were on the Bridge again watching the jump chronometer countdown to the second when the ship should drop back down into normal space. Koenig watched the countdown clock hit zero and then start counting up again. After ten more seconds, Dejanus began shaking her head. She had a horrified expression on her face. “We’ve missed. That bastard has killed us all.” Genre categories: space fleet, military SF, space opera, galactic empire, alien invasion, first contact, space exploration.

Arch Allies


Audrey Sharpe - 2019
    Sure, restoring the ship won’t be easy, especially when the Feds figure out she’s running an illegal salvage operation, but she’s never shied away from hard work. Or challenges. Good thing, too. Because she’s on a collision course with her competition. If you like sailing the black with rogues and rascals, then you’ll love Arch Allies. A must read for fans of Firefly and Star Wars. Pick up your copy today!

Chasing Jane


Noelle Adams - 2015
    She said either one would do. With a name like Jane, I might not be a beauty queen or the most popular girl in the room, but I would be smart and strong and make good decisions. I guess I've mostly lived up to my name. My mother died before we could go on our trip to England to visit all of the best Jane-spots, so I'm going with my best friend instead. That's Nate. He's sweet and funny and adorable, and we've known each other since kindergarten. In fact, he was almost my stepbrother until my mom and his dad broke up. But don't get the wrong idea about him. It's never been romantic between us. At the moment, I'm crazy about this mystery guy I've been talking to on a dating site, and he's nothing like Nate at all. I don't know why I'm suddenly finding Nate so attractive, and I don't know why he has started acting kind of strange. Anyway, this is my Jane trip, and I've been waiting for it all my life.