Book picks similar to
Carson of Venus: The Edge of All Worlds by Matt Betts
fantasy
science-fiction
sci-fi
sword-and-planet
The Ship of Ishtar
A. Merritt - 1924
Merritt. Abraham Grace Merritt (January 20, 1884-August 21, 1943) - known by his byline, A. Merritt - was an American editor and author of works of fantastic fiction. Merritt's writings were heavily influenced by H. Rider Haggard and Gertrude Barrows Bennett (writing as Francis Stevens), with Merritt having "emulated Bennett's earlier style and themes." Merritt's stories typically revolve around conventional pulp magazine themes: lost civilizations, hideous monsters, etc. His heroes are gallant Irishmen or Scandinavians, his villains treacherous Germans or Russians (in accordance with the politics of the time) and his heroines often virginal, mysterious and scantily clad. What sets Merritt apart from the typical pulp author, however, is his lush, florid prose style and his exhaustive, at times exhausting, penchant for adjective-laden detail. Merritt's fondness for micro-description nicely complements the pointillistic style of Bok's illustrations, and often serves to highlight and radicalize the inherent fetishistic tendencies of pulp Sci Fi.
Will Save the Galaxy for Food
Yahtzee Croshaw - 2017
With the invention of Quantum Teleportation, space heroes aren't needed anymore. When one particularly unlucky ex-adventurer masquerades as famous pilot and hate figure Jacques McKeown, he's sucked into an ever-deepening corporate and political intrigue. Between space pirates, adorable deadly creatures, and a missing fortune in royalties, saving the universe was never this difficult!From the creator of Mogworld and Jam!Benjamin Richard "Yahtzee" Croshaw is a British-Australian comedic writer, video game journalist, author, and video game developer. He is perhaps best known for his acerbic video game review series, Zero Punctuation, for The Escapist.
Thongor and the Wizard of Lemuria
Lin Carter - 1965
The ancient dragon kings have deemed that the hour is right to regain their dominance over Earth—and only Thongor and his companions, aided by the science and magic of the wizard Sharajsha, stand between mankind and the night of doom!
Three Novels of Ancient Egypt: River God / The Seventh Scroll / Warlock
Wilbur Smith - 2003
Horror in Honduras
Benjamin Wallace - 2012
Blessed with the physique of a demigod and one of the world’s foremost minds, he travels the globe on a quest to confront evil and punch it in the face. At his disposal is a vast fortune, an endless array of gadgets and loyal friends. Now, one of those friends has gone missing in a Central American jungle and the only clue is the grotesque image of a demonic tribal mask. Dam and his trusted valet Bertrand rush headlong into danger and go face-to-face with evil incarnate to save their missing friend and attempt to destroy the Horror in Honduras.
Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi
Charles Soule - 2021
Intrepid hyperspace scouts expand the reach of the Republic to the farthest stars, worlds flourish under the benevolent leadership of the Senate, and peace reigns, enforced by the wisdom and strength of the renowned order of Force users known as the Jedi. With the Jedi at the height of their power, the free citizens of the galaxy are confident in their ability to weather any storm. But even the brightest light can cast a shadow, and some storms defy any preparation.When a shocking catastrophe in hyperspace tears a ship to pieces, the flurry of shrapnel emerging from the disaster threatens an entire system. No sooner does the call for help go out than the Jedi race to the scene. The scope of the emergence, however, is enough to push even Jedi to their limit. As the sky breaks open and destruction rains down upon the peaceful alliance they helped to build, the Jedi must trust in the Force to see them through a day in which a single mistake could cost billions of lives.Even as the Jedi battle valiantly against calamity, something truly deadly grows beyond the boundary of the Republic. The hyperspace disaster is far more sinister than the Jedi could ever suspect. A threat hides in the darkness, far from the light of the age, and harbors a secret that could strike fear into even a Jedi's heart.
Knight Errant
John Jackson Miller - 2011
. . The Republic is in crisis. The Sith roam unchecked, vying with one another to dominate the galaxy. But one lone Jedi, Kerra Holt, is determined to take down the Dark Lords. Her enemies are strange and many: Lord Daiman, who imagines himself the creator of the universe; Lord Odion, who intends to be its destroyer; the curious siblings Quillan and Dromika; the enigmatic Arkadia. So many warring Sith weaving a patchwork of brutality—with only Kerra Holt to defend the innocents caught underfoot.Sensing a sinister pattern in the chaos, Kerra embarks on a journey that will take her into fierce battles against even fiercer enemies. With one against so many, her only chance of success lies with forging alliances among those who serve her enemies—including a mysterious Sith spy and a clever mercenary general. But will they be her adversaries or her salvation? Includes a special, full-color excerpt from the Dark Horse comic Star Wars: Knight Errant
No Hero
Jonathan Wood - 2011
Because Arthur is no hero. He's a good cop, but prefers that action and heroics remain on the screen, safely performed by professionals. But then, secretive government agency MI37 comes calling, hoping to recruit Arthur in their struggle against the tentacled horrors from another dimension known as the Progeny. But Arthur is NO HERO! Can an everyman stand against sanity-ripping cosmic horrors?
Deathworld 1
Harry Harrison - 1960
They had to be. For their business was murder...It was up to Jason dinAlt, interplanetary gambler, to discover why Pyrrus had become so hostile during man's brief habitation...
The Complete Aliens vs Predator Omnibus
Steve Perry - 2016
Little did she know that she would defend it with her life. For the entire unarmed human settlement lies smack between two varieties of monster, one spider-like, one human-like, but infinitely stronger. Monsters who will simply never stop…HUNTER’S PLANET by David BischoffOn Hunter's Planet, populated by genetically engineered creatures of all kinds, it seems that Predators have begun to seed Aliens. This is bad, real bad, for business, which is why Machiko Noguchi is sent in to confront the Predators she once considered friends. The only way for her to win is to take control of the most deadly planet in known space…WAR by S. D. PerryMachiko Noguchi is an outcast being tracked by the Predators who used to be her hunting band. Jess, Lara, and Ellis are the remnants of a bug-hunting team that wiped out an infestation in a Company space station. All four humans must join a desperate fight on the swamp planet Bunda, where fearsome Predators are at war with a ferocious colony of aliens.
The Worlds of Anne McCaffrey - Restoree, Decision at Doona, and The Ship Who Sang
Anne McCaffrey - 1981
Triumff: Her Majesty's Hero
Dan Abnett - 2009
Adventurer. Fighter. Drinker.Saviour?Pratchett goes swashbuckling in the hotly anticipated original fiction debut of the multi-million selling Warhammer star.Triumff is a ribald historical fantasy set in a warped clockwork-powered version of our present day … a new Elizabethan age, not of Elizabeth II but in the style of the original Virgin Queen. Throughout its rollicking pages, Sir Rupert Triumff drinks, dines and duels his way into a new Brass Age of Exploration and Adventure.
Survivor
Dean Crawford - 2014
A species doomed to wander the cosmos. A lone survivor feared by all, her voice silenced and her face veiled behind a metal mask. The Atlantia is all that remains of humanity: a former fleet frigate turned prison-ship now hunted by a terrifying force and haunted by escaped convicts threatening the survival of her beleaguered crew and civilians. Trapped in orbit around a foreign world, damaged and low on supplies, the crew of the Atlantia are forced to make a deal with the devil to forge an alliance of murderous convicts, exhausted soldiers and terrified civilians in a last-ditch attempt to confront the technological horror that has consumed mankind. Humanity’s last stand begins here, and only one woman stands between annihilation and our future…
Empire
Michael R. Hicks - 2009
Nightmarish female warriors with blue skin, fangs, and razor sharp talons, the Kreelans have technology that is millennia beyond that of the Confederation, yet they seek out close combat with sword and claw, fighting and dying to honor their god-like Empress. Captured and enslaved, Reza must live like his enemies in a grand experiment to see if humans have souls, and if one may be the key to unlocking an ages old curse upon the Kreelan race. Enduring the brutal conditions of Kreelan life, Reza and a young warrior named Esah-Zhurah find themselves bound together by fate and a prophecy foretold millennia before they were born.
The City of the Beast or Warriors of Mars
Michael Moorcock - 1965
Instead of sending him to a room across the laboratory, it flung Michael Kane helplessly through time and space —to the red planet where savagery ruled!Deadly menace faced the citizens of Varnal as the ravaging hordes of the Argzoon—the dreaded Blue Giants—swept ruthlessly across the hills and plains. Kane became their sole defender because of his all-conquering love for Shizala, beautiful Queen of the Kanala. And he was determined to win her love in return— in spite of the space-time barriers between them— even though to do so he had to face death many times from a remorseless and incredibly powerful foe!