Book picks similar to
Ship's Log by Lawrence P. White


sci-fi
science-fiction
dnf
1st-in-series

Control


T.R. Cameron - 2020
    He can rise no higher.Or so he thought.His superior sees more in him and is sending him to a place that will change his life.Welcome to Azophi Academy.A different kind of second chance.Jackson learns fast - the academy believes in active participation – even if you die trying.Can Jackson cope with Cia, his new partner and pilot? She’s unlike him in every way and enjoys making sure he knows it.He’ll have to learn a lot - and fast - if he’s going to survive the Azophi experience. More importantly, humanity needs him to survive, because the aliens are training their best too.Who will have the greatest warriors?

Triton: The Descendants War Book 1


John Walker - 2020
    When they answer a distress call from one of their colonies on the edge of their space, they end up outmatched and outgunned by an unknown force. This conflict may well push humanity into a new age…or spell the beginning of the end for their race.Meanwhile, two archaeologists work to uncover evidence of alien life on a far off planet. As they make what might be the biggest discovery of the human race, their activities trigger an alert, drawing dangerous forces to investigate. Cut off from any quick help and on their own, they must use every trick at their disposal to stay alive.

The Crimson Deathbringer


Sean Robins - 2020
    This is just the beginning of Jim's woes, because soon after, his life is thrown into a galactic conflict that threatens the very existence of the human race. Can our heroes save humanity from the wrath of a galaxy-conquering alien fleet? The Crimson Deathbringer seamlessly blends breathtaking action sequences with mischievous humor. If you enjoy a well-written space opera saga, or if you are a Star Wars, Star Trek, or Stargate fan, this book, with its nerve-wracking space battles, memorable characters, formidable antagonist, and Game of Thrones-style shocking twists, is written especially for you. Pick it up and see for yourself!

Stowaway


Z.D. Dean - 2019
    A chance encounter, on his last mission, sends him hurtling through space on the Unity exploration ship XES01. Surrounded by aliens, Zade must quickly learn to interact with the non-soldiers on the crew. As he tries to earn his place amongst the ship, Zade’s combat prowess quickly earns him a spot as the security officer of the ship. A seat left vacant because of a fatal exchange between the former security officer and the wildlife of a far planet. As Zade begins living the adrenaline filled life of a space explorer, he has to ask himself some very important questions. How does he get back to earth? Does he even want to? Disclaimer: The main character is a combat veteran, so there is some rough language throughout the book.

A War to the Knife


Rick Partlow - 2017
    But the bloody war with the alien Tahni has hit close to home and Tyler wants to join the military, something his powerful mother won’t allow. Desperate to escape her control, Tyler changes his identity to Randall Munroe, a product of the poverty-stricken Underground, and enlists in the Marines. There he flourishes, becoming a member of an elite Force Recon unit and striking deep behind enemy lines. But when his platoon is assigned to take back the colony on Demeter from the Tahni, the mission falls apart, most of his comrades are killed and Munroe is wounded, separated from his unit and left for dead on an enemy occupied world. With no other choice, he organizes the civilian colonists into a resistance movement and begins fighting against the occupation with limited supplies and no support. As the situation becomes more and more desperate, what began as a high-tech, interstellar conflict will become a war to the knife…

Kestrel Class


Toby Neighbors - 2019
    Living on the junk world of Torrent Four, Ben scours the vast fields of trash, wreckage, and derelict ships in search of anything of value while avoiding the Salvage Scalpers, a gang that takes whatever it wants and enslaves anyone with a knack for finding valuables in the endless mounds of trash. For many people in his position, life is unbearable, but Ben has a secret. Buried deep in the salvage fields, hidden by mounds of rubbish, lies a Kestrel class starship. And after a decade of tireless work, she’s almost ready to fly. The Royal Imperium rules the galaxy with an iron fist. Freedom is just a dream on the hundreds of worlds under their domain. But in space, a person with a fast ship, an able crew, and the right connections can enjoy the last vestiges of liberty, as long as they stay under the radar. Ben Griminski has a ship, but he’ll need a crew and plenty of Zexum to fuel her if they hope to escape their dreary lives on Torrent Four. It’s a challenge worth taking on, and if his luck holds, he might just discover what life is like among the stars. Kestrel Class is the first novel in a new science fiction saga by master storyteller Toby Neighbors. Drawing inspiration from Firefly, The A-Team, and even Star Wars, Kestrel Class is a fast-paced mix of action and character-driven drama. Take the pilot’s seat in the Modulus Echo, join the crew in a heist for fuel, and learn just how depraved the Imperium has become to ensure unquestioning obedience from the masses under their control. If you love space opera, or you’re just looking for the next story that will sweep you away from your ordinary existence, Kestrel Class is the book for you.

The Lazarus Protocol


David Bruns - 2018
    Monster hurricanes … freak sandstorms … roasting wildfires. Species disappear every day. Is humanity next?Though some believe our future lies among the stars, the American President funds the Lazarus Protocol—a last-ditch attempt to reverse Earth’s climate crisis through geoengineering. But the New Earth Order—a mysterious league of reactionary activists with sleeper agents around the world—pursues another outcome: the subjugation of mankind to nature itself.A brilliant billionaire who wants to save the world. A lunar engineer called home to bury her father. A disgraced veteran haunted by yesterday's mistakes. A US Army colonel, desperate to save as many people as possible.Four lives. One planet. And one last chance to save it…

Star Force: Prologue (SF0)


Aer-ki Jyr - 2012
    Take your first step into a much larger world with this prologue and begin your journey to save Humanity from an overpowering enemy. Enlist in Star Force today and see why the series has over 50,000 sales to date.

Orphan Wars


J.N. Chaney - 2021
    Hank Murphy discovers an alien artifact on the Moon, corporate interests are quick to get involved.A discovery like this could change everything, but more importantly, someone stands to make a fortune.But Murphy just wants to understand what this thing is and how it works. After months of research, he finally manages to locate the power source.The gate is soon activated...And Murphy is pulled through.Moments later, he finds himself in a war-torn corner of the galaxy where strangers like him are called Orphans...and they are considered extremely dangerous.Somehow altered by the experience, the archeologist now has enhanced strength, speed, and agility. He is more than human. He is an Orphan. And he must survive a deadly new reality unlike anything he can imagine.Worse still, Murphy is not the only so-called Orphan in this region of the galaxy. There are many others.And not all of them are created equal.

Space Race


Nathan Hystad - 2021
    One grand prize. The Race is on.Arlo Lewis was resigned to his station in life as a supply hauler for one of the Primary Corporations ruling Earth, until an acquisition forces him to re-evaluate his situation.When he’s hand selected to lead SeaTech’s Race team, he struggles to return to the competitive field he abandoned as a teenager.With an eager team, and the promise of a better future, Arlo takes on the challenge, only to find more at stake than the rights to Proxima.Under the threat of a revolution brewing at the finish line, things don’t go as expected.The galaxy will never be the same. But that may be exactly what Arlo needs.Join Space Race today!From the author of The Survivors and Baldwin's Legacy comes a thrilling new series.

Weapons Free


Daniel Gibbs - 2021
    One vicious attack destroys it all.Reservist Lieutenant Justin Spencer loves every minute of flying fighters through space during his annual two-week tour with the Coalition Defense Force. The job back home isn’t nearly as thrilling as blowing up asteroids with the squadron under his command, but it keeps him close to his wife and daughter. After all, joining the CDF was only for the free education. Justin never expected a battle, much less a war.With one shot across his cockpit, peacetime fades into memory.An unexpected enemy emerges with overwhelming force designed to obliterate the Terran Coalition. The League of Sol has a different name, but it’s the same communist regime that chased away much of Earth’s population hundreds of years ago.Illusions of returning home are shattered in a single instant. Simulated battles become all too real, and it’s full-on engagement or permanent elimination. Death and destruction erupt across the Terran Coalition and leave Justin in a protracted war with only one truth remaining.The battlefield will leave no one unscathed.

Banishment


Raymond L. Weil - 2020
    Weil comes the first book in a new military science fiction series. Can Earth save the Human Empire? The Confederation consists of the seven oldest races in known space. They control a vast section of the galaxy. All races in that part of the galaxy are subjects of the Confederation and forced to obey the Confederation’s laws. The Human Empire is well aware of the Confederation and has been careful not to intrude upon Confederation space. However, now the Confederation has decided the Human Empire has grown too large and needs to be brought under control of the seven races. Warfleets are dispatched, and soon massive space battles erupt throughout the Empire. Can the Humans survive or is the time of the Empire over?

Battlestar


T. Jackson King - 2016
    That puts Ensign Jacob Renselaer on the spot. Can he find out why the aliens killed his ship’s officers? Can he take command of the Battlestar? Does he want to be the leader of ten heavily armed starships that never expected to encounter aliens? Deep in the Kepler 22 star system, mutual misunderstanding between two peoples who cannot speak to each other leads to multiple space battles. Somehow Jacob becomes the leader he never wanted to be. His close friend Daisy the pilot helps him, as do other friends on the Battlestar. On the alien side, Hunter One is determined to kill the invaders who threaten his new colony world. His people the Swarm have never been defeated. Now, he faces Soft Skins who do not flee at the loss of their leaders. In a distant star system, people human and alien die, scheme, and fight for survival. None of them have ever faced combat before. But now, both sides learn what it is like to have someone seek your death and the death of your friends!

Gunboat Diplomacy


Jason Córdova - 2020
    Granted, he was a particularly unusual candidate—only six Oogar had ever successfully graduated from the Peacemaker Academy on Ocono, and Hr’ent would be the seventh. Every candidate must pass a commissioning mission in order to graduate, though, and Hr’ent’s is unsolvable. The Pushtal of Vorrhurna were once one of the Mercenary Guild’s 37 races. After a series of disastrous contracts, the tiger-like aliens lost their status as mercenaries, and the MinSha seized their home world for defaulting on their debt. Eighty years later, the seven Great Clans are but a shadow of their former selves and have resorted to piracy to survive. For his commissioning mission, Hr’ent and a small team of bounty hunters must find a way to put a stop to their predations. No one in the Union has figured out how to herd cats to this point, but Hr’ent is a particularly unusual Peacemaker candidate, who isn’t afraid to resort to a bit of gunboat diplomacy to get the Pushtal to listen to what he says, once and for all.

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.