Book picks similar to
Guardian Ship by Mark Wayne McGinnis


sci-fi
science-fiction
space-opera
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Harbinger


Olan Thorensen - 2020
    Nothing will ever be the same.Humanity lurches into an uncertain future, dismissive of warning signs. Only the most naïve believe humanity will step back from the brink. Yet, in a place that doesn’t exist, a riddle, puzzle, hope, fear, danger, salvation—all come together.Zach Marjek has faced death in the far corners of the Earth . . . and survived where others failed. He is about to be thrust into an unimagined situation. Jaded mercenaries, an Inuit wanderer, a murderous Yupik, a young mother, a video game designer, a retired general, a new president, a Chinese marine, mathematics prodigies: these and others whose lives and fates will come together to revolve around a mystery whose consequences could range from disaster to salvation.As the mystery unravels, a danger unbeknownst to the players lurks and prepares to take what cannot be taken. Lives and the future hang by the thinnest of threads.

First Command


Scott Bartlett - 2019
     The memories are still fresh. Of colonies burning. Of millions dying in agony. 50 years later, we’ve built up our strength. Using a wormhole, we colonized both sides of the galaxy. It was the worst mistake we could have made. Our enemy has returned and the wormhole has collapsed. Commander Thatcher finds himself on the wrong side of the divide. Separated from his pregnant wife by countless light years. He’s just been given command of a light armored cruiser. His first command. If he ever wants to see his wife again, he’ll need to do the impossible. To defeat this enemy, he will need to reinvent space warfare. So that’s just what he’s going to do.

Legacy of War: First Encounter


Joshua James - 2020
    Over decades of bitter war, humanity slowly pushed them back.Eighteen months ago, a truce was struck. The aliens disappeared. Humanity stood down.But there are those who will never trust the aliens.The captain of the aging battleship Walker Pierce is one of them.He has spent months in disputed space, against the wishes of his superiors, looking for proof of alien treachery, afraid of what he might find.Because this time, if the aliens return, humanity won't be so lucky.Legacy of War is an enthralling tale of humanity on the edges of the unknown, perfect for fans of Jack Campbell’s Lost Fleet and David Weber’s Honorverse.

Galaxy's Edge: Takeover: Season Two: Book One


Jason Anspach - 2020
     Goth Sullus and his empire have fallen. With the Legion and the rest of the galaxy watching from the still-smoldering galactic core, Carter, a former legionnaire turned private contractor, and Jack Bowie, a Navy spy with nowhere left to turn, sign up to work for an enterprising private contractor looking to make a statement on the planet Kublar. Plans are in motion dating back to the Savage Wars, and as the galaxy rushes to fill in the vacuum created by the fall of the Imperial Republic, the bodies are hitting the floor. But every plan has a reckoning… Takeover is the thrilling aftermath of the final, desperate execution of Article Nineteen and the looming rebirth of the Legion and the galaxy itself as Galaxy’s Edge: Season Two begins! Available now in Audio book format performed by Ray Porter!

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.

Baldwin's Legacy: The Complete Collection (Books 1-6)


Nathan Hystad - 2021
    

The Log of the Gray Wolf


Shane VanAulen - 2011
     “The Log of the Gray Wolf" is a self-published science fiction novel. Readers have found it to be a fast-paced and packed with action. This is a story crafted around a young man becoming a man, an officer, and a hero. It is a story set against incredible odds, where this underdog crew of gray wolves and young pups must somehow escape their world, steal a damaged ship and fight their way through enemy forces while raining pain down on the enemies of mankind. The adventure begins in a future time when Earth has colonized new worlds and has also found new enemies. The Karduans are a race of blue-skinned humanoids ruled by a matriarchal society. The Blues, as they are nicknamed - are aggressive and militant with their female rulers possessing telepathy to control their subservient male population. Most human worlds are ruled by the United Confederation of Earth, which had evolved from the old United Nations format after the Apocalypse War. At this time period, Earth has been at war for several years. Our hero, Mike Collins former midshipmen, now an Ensign, finds himself trapped on a breakaway world that has made a deal with the Karduans. This leads him and his classmates along with a group of retired veterans to plan an escape to rejoin Earth's forces. Join the fight! Note from Author: This book has been revised and re-edited since first self-published. Ratings and comments from early readers about editing are from before latest edits. Please look at reader ratings talking about content as editing has been pretty much fixed. I hope you enjoy it.

Star Crusades Uprising Complete Series Box Set (Books 1 - 6)


Michael G. Thomas - 2017
    This massive volume includes the complete text of the novels SIEGE OF TITAN, TEARS OF KERBEROS, FIRES OF PROMETHEUS, BATTLE FOR PROXIMA, FALL OF TERRA NOVA and FALL OF HYPERION. This epic science fiction series chronicles humanity’s first interstellar confederation, torn apart by religious strife and extremism. The bloody struggle is told through the eyes of an illegal pit fighter named Spartan, who is forced to choose between incarceration or military service in the Confederate Marine Corps. This box-set includes every book in the bestselling Uprising series: SIEGE OF TITAN In the first book of the Star Crusades Uprising series, the bloody struggle is told through the eyes of an illegal pit fighter named Spartan, who is forced to choose between incarceration or military service. Choosing the Confederate Marine Corps over servitude he begins his thirty long weeks of training. Together with his group of marines, they are honed into a force ready to be thrown into the meat grinder on the newest and greatest planet in the Confederacy, Proxima Prime. His term of service will soon become one of violence and carnage, as the entire sector is ripped apart by a brutal and virulent religious movement and its shocking plans. TEARS OF KERBEROS The religious insurgency continues to spread through the weakened colonies of the Confederacy. Spartan, now a sergeant in the Marine Corps and his armoured platoon is rushed to the defence of New Carlos on the planet of Prime. The massive city is besieged by the terrifying biomech shock troopers, its fall is imminent. As the battles rage across the continent enemy agents continue to foment revolt throughout the remaining colonies in their struggle to bring the empire crashing down. FIRES OF PROMETHEUS The sector is entering a short period of calm. There is peace in Proxima Centauri but for how long? The religious insurgency has already exploded throughout the system and one by one the colonies have seceded from the Confederacy, lured to the offerings of the Church of Echidna. Spartan and General Rivers have vanished and are presumed to have been executed at the hands of their Zealot captors for the murder of the President of Kerberos. BATTLE FOR PROXIMA In this latest book of the Star Crusades Uprising series the Confederacy is on its knees. Months of war have lost them most of the populated colonies and more will surely follow. Spartan, now a Lieutenant in the Marine Corps has been given his own special platoon, the Vanguards. Using the best weapons and armour in the Confederate arsenal, his unit is thrown back to the Bone Mill to locate information that could change the war. FALL OF TERRA NOVA The action shifts to Terra Nova, the shining beacon of humanity and the single most important planet in the Confederacy. Guarding access to this isolated planet is the Anomaly. This mysterious location is the gateway to Terra Nova and the rest of the Confederacy. When the Echidna Union begins moving scores of ships to the Anomaly, Admiral Jarvis must make a critical decision that could win or lose the war. Either she continues Operation Perdition and reclaims the lost colonies of Proxima Centauri, or she sends the fleet to take control of the Anomaly and the route to Terra Nova in one final apocalyptical battle. SLAVES OF HYPERION The newly founded Alliance rises from the ruins of the old Confederacy. Scattered groups of the enemy remain, but organised resistance has been crushed. Amnesty has been granted to those still at large and peace has returned to the war-torn colonies. Or has it?

The Thunder of War


Dietmar Arthur Wehr - 2017
    The Tyrell are a race that loves to fight, and they’re very good at it. The harder they fight, the better they like it. Whenever they discover another intelligent race, they force them into combat whether they want it or not. When humans are warned of an inevitable confrontation with the Tyrell, they attempt to form a multi-species Alliance, but the challenges are great, and they know it’s only a matter of time before a Tyrell fleet of massive ships will arrive in Earth orbit. Cate Harrow and Gort Eagleton are two Aerospace Force officers with the kind of strategic and tactical skills that the Alliance needs to win this war, but before they can even begin to defeat the Tyrell, they must survive the incompetent leadership that threatens complete disaster. Defeating the Tyrell will be far more difficult than the Alliance initially believes unless they can discover their one weakness. This action-packed series has lots of space battles and political intrigues, as well as personal triumphs and tragedies. Excerpt: “Flight Ops to Skydiver. You and your squadron have the green light, Commander. Good luck.” “Thanks, Ops. Skydiver to Squadron. We have a green light. Sound off when you’ve undocked in sequence order. Here we go.” She turned and nodded to her co-pilot who would maneuver the corvette out the half kilometer wide maw of the carrier, Ranger, while she monitored the rest of the squadron. As Skydiver gently pulled away from the docking bay then past the baffles and moved towards the opening, Harrow switched one of her displays to the rear external view, using computer enhancement to compensate for the low level of light inside the main hangar space. Each corvette in the squadron was undocking and maneuvering in a specified sequence in order to avoid collisions. “Skydiver is clear of Ranger,” said the co-pilot. As the ship began to accelerate, Harrow watched the carrier start to recede into the distance. Just as she began to shift her gaze, she saw a streak of light hit Ranger from below, penetrate up through the interior of the huge hangar and come out the top of the ship. “FLIGHT OPS! WHAT THE HELL—“ shouted Harrow. “—BEEN HIT! RANGER’S BEEN HIT!” Harrow recognized the voice of the Flight Operations Duty Officer. “OH GOD! BISMARK REPORTS BEING HIT TOO!” Harrow thought fast. The Tyrell had obviously detected the four carriers and were firing their long range, faster-than-light kinetic energy projectiles from below. The mission was clearly compromised, and to her way of thinking, getting the carriers to a safe distance was now not only their top priority, it was their only priority. “SL to Flag!” said Harrow quickly. “We’re kinda busy right now, Commander!” Harrow didn’t know who was replying, but she did know it wasn’t Vice-Admiral LeClair, and that’s who she wanted to talk to. “You tell the Admiral that he needs to order his carriers to jump RIGHT NOW, Goddamit! We’re sitting ducks here!” Without waiting for a reply she turned to the co-pilot. “How many of our ships have cleared the Ranger?” “They’re all out! Do we try to dock again?” “God no! No time for that. We’ll have to catch up with her at the rally point if our carriers bug out in time!” She looked at the display that was still showing a now much smaller Ranger.

Darkest Hour


John Walker - 2019
    Power outages plague key cities and military bases, causing wide spread panic and chaos. Only the Space Agency seems to have a grasp on the situation but with all their combined resources, they’re baffled. Captain Warren Miller races to join his colleagues in the Agency headquarters, hoping to convince his superiors to launch their latest space craft, the battlecruiser Leviathan, which may be able to defy this intruder. In the absence of communication, he hopes a little intimidation might bring about a conversation. But then smaller objects descend upon the Earth, grabbing up people from all over the globe. Captain Miller never makes it back to base, forcing the Agency to scramble for a response. With the weight of an expectant world beating down on them and the alien threat looming above, they have no choice but to engage the enemy or simply witness history in the making.

Dandelion


Philip R. Johnson - 2020
    By the age of fourteen, she has spent her entire life training as a "Ranger," ready for the day when she will be among the first humans ever to set foot on an alien world & build a new civilization.When Dandelion suffers an emergency toward the end of its journey, Amber & her fellow young rangers are evacuated & land on the planet Newhome years ahead of schedule. While the adults left behind on Dandelion slow the ship & turn it around to come back---in eight years---Amber & her friends must build lives for themselves amid revelations that will change Humankind's destiny forever.Meanwhile, aboard the ship, secrets that were buried over three hundred years ago finally come to light...

The Terran Menace


J.R. Robertson - 2021
    But lurking in the shadows are sinister forces intent on tearing his world apart.Without warning or provocation, the mysterious Alarians, a civilization of refugees that fled their home system to escape genocide, launch a coordinated attack on Earth and its colonies. Stranded light-years from his father, Ben must fight to survive the brutal aftermath of the war with the Alarians while uncovering the secrets of his past--secrets that point to him being the weapon that will save humanity from extinction.The Terran Menace is a fast-paced military sci-fi adventure and the first installment in the Terran Menace series. Fans of Chris Fox's Void Wraith series, Joshua Dalzelle's Terran Scout Fleet series, and Marko Kloos's Frontlines series will feel right at home.

Valor's Child


Kal Spriggs - 2017
    Jiden wants more for herself and she is ready to step into a bright future, one which may lead her far from the frontier world of her birth. She has no dreams of following in the footsteps of her military family's heritage, no desire to live a life of hardship.She's just got one obstacle in the path to her dreams: five months of military school. She'll be away from her friends, subjected to long hours and a crushing work load. She'll learn to shoot, to fight... and how to kill.Jiden will need every skill she's learned, because her family's enemies have put her in their sights. She's going to have to rise to the challenges in order to survive. She soon learns that her dreams might not be as good as she imagined. With her life on the line, Jiden will need to fall back on the skills she learned and prove that she's a child of valor.

Intrepid


Nate Johnson - 2016
    What could be better. What was supposed to be a six month cruise of discovery had turned into a glorified baby sitting adventure for a bunch of civilians. Leave it to the Imperial Navy to ruin a good thing. Petty Officer Tanner just wanted to finish the patrol and get back to normal. That, and as far away from the enticing Miss Nora Johnson as possible. All that changed when the ISS Intrepid was threatened with destruction and he quickly became the only thing between these civilians and instant death. Crash landing on the strange new world. Petty Officer Eric Tanner must keep these civilians alive until they were rescued. Heaven knows. they weren't going to do it on their own.

Last Flight of the Acheron


Rick Partlow - 2017
     She joined the Commonwealth Space Fleet to please her mother, a high-ranking military officer; he joined as an escape from the crushing poverty and crime of the Trans-Angeles Public Housing Blocks, and the unlikely friends envisioned boring, peacetime careers as shuttle pilots. The Tahni Imperium had other ideas… Caught in the desperate fury of the Battle for Mars, the two young pilots wind up the last defense against an alien armada, but their war is just beginning. Recruited to fly the Fleet’s newest weapon in this new war, they take the fight deep into the heart of the Imperium and battle not just against the enemy but against incompetent leadership and ineffectual tactics. Can the unconventional strategies of a pair of hotshot young pilots change the course of the war? And when the time comes that a choice has to be made between duty to command and loyalty to a friend, which of the two will be willing to make one last flight alone…