Book picks similar to
The Stingwisher: Cigar Smoking Jerks from Outer Space (Paperback) by Loren Blowers
alien
cliffhanger
kick-ass-female-lead
sci-fi
Panic/Shock/Psychosis/Mutation
K.R. Griffiths - 2014
But even the most carefully laid plans can fall apart...Wildfire Chronicles is the acclaimed horror/science fiction series from K.R. Griffiths. This compilation collects book 1 to 3 in one package.Panic (#1)Michael Evans is only in rural St. Davids to maintain a low profile after his time spent as a city cop ended in disaster. The town is perfect for him: isolated. A tiny population. Virtually no crime.Until the night the strange canisters fall from the sky and the town priest starts killing people with his teeth. To Michael, the bloodbath looks like a murder case that the quiet town's two police officers can't possibly handle.But this isn't just a crime scene.And the priest is just the beginning...Shock (#1.5)The team had been told it would be a straightforward mission: enter St. Davids, now little more than a ghost town, retrieve the target and return to base.Trouble is, the target is a man named Victor, and it looks like somebody else got to him first.And St. Davids is anything but a ghost town...Psychosis (#2)Michael Evans, crippled survivor of the massacre at St. Davids, has only one goal left: to find his young daughter. And that means journeying north and discovering that during the five days he spent comatose in an underground bunker the world has changed dramatically.And worse, it's still changing.Struggling to come to terms with a world steeped in shocking violence and ever-present danger, Michael must adapt quickly to a new reality: the virus has already infected the population. But it isn't stopping there...Mutation (#3)The only thing the survivors of the catastrophe in South Wales wanted was a safe place to ride out the apocalypse. The castle looked perfect: high walls and natural defenses that even the infection could not breach.The problem was that someone had beaten them to it. Someone who would stop at nothing to maintain control.Someone with a dark secret that could change everything...
The Northern Star Trilogy
Mike Gullickson - 2015
. . a fantastic book to read." 2058. As superpowers squabble over the remaining oil, and civilization limps on in a virtual universe, a cunning and ruthless genius uses the digital connectivity of our world to manipulate governments, subliminally sway the masses - and even kill - in his quest for immortality.The first bionic soldier - now mentally broken, a prodigy hacker abused as a weapon, a psychopath seeking redemption, and the CEO who created the cyber universe - and unwittingly - the means to rule both, are all that stands in his way.
Annihilation
Alex Garland - 2018
Following on from the success of his thriller, Ex Machina, Alex Garland returns to cerebral sci-fi with his adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer's cult novel -a tale of a biologist attempting to uncover the mystery of her husband's disappearance into a restricted zone.What she and her fellow scientists discover is a world populated by mysterious life forms that might offer answers, but which exposes them to madness and death.Beside the screenplay, the book also includes 20 pages of behind-the-scenes photos.
The Spread
Sean Deville - 2018
They were wrong. They call it Lazarus. A virus so deadly that it kills and resurrects virtually everybody it infects. Bangkok becomes the first city to fall to the unstoppable army of the undead…but this is only the beginning. By the time the news channels are reporting on the devastated Thai capital, the virus has already spread around the globe. Growing, infecting…spreading. One by one reports come in from other countries. The dead are getting back up… and they’re killing everything in their path. In the UK, clandestine government agent Nick Carter and his team find themselves faced with their deadliest enemy yet as they are forced to deal with the countries first outbreak. Yet in the depths of this tragedy, they find a glimmer of hope. A woman, a single survivor from the outbreak, someone whose blood might hold the secret to defeating the virus. Could she be humanities only chance of salvation? Or is it already too late? The Spread, a zombie novel, is the first book in the Lazarus Strain Chronicles. If you enjoy reading about the fall of man under the relentless onslaught of the zombie hordes, then you will enjoy this no-holds-barred story.
Aliens Volume 6: Rogue
Ian Edginton - 1995
The horror of nature is dwarfed by the terror of a man who would toy with it.
Harper's Ten
J.G. Cressey - 2015
But as they drop through the atmosphere of the uncharted planet Capsun 23, Cal can’t shake the feeling that something is off about this mission. Three data drones have previously touched down but quickly went dark. And now, all communication with a group of civilian researchers has been lost. Intel suspects scavengers are to blame—or at worst pirates. But Cal’s instincts are telling him otherwise. All that’s known about Capsun 23 is that the gravity is within acceptable limits, the air is breathable, and water is abundant. Three things to encourage life…but what kind of life? Cal has never been one to back away from a potential fight, but if his instincts are right, a lone team simply won’t cut it. Not by a long shot. "Fast paced and gripping sci fi. If you liked Aliens you'll love this." Amazon reviewer'Harper's Ten' is the prequel to the Fractured Space series.
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.
Velocity
B.V. Larson - 2010
V. Larson! This 60,000 word book is an Anthology of short stories. Most are Science Fiction mixed with Horror. Others might be called Dark Fantasy... Many have been published previously in various magazines.The Barrier – What does it take to go faster than light?Symptoms of Godhood – How far can you modify a body and still call the results human?Discharged – A long war and an even longer stay in an automated hospital.Teeth at Bedtime – Technology follows us everywhere.The Insect Requirement – Great sacrifices are required for Earth’s early colonists.Blind Eyes – If we can design our own children, how far will we go?TA96 – Do our genes belong to us?Zundra’s Movies – A future where video is created with the mind, and insanity is fun to watch.Pinball – A young man builds his own watchdog.Love Aboard the Kamadeva – A love triangle between two desperate souls and a digital mirage.Starplay – A window into the universe becomes a door.The One-Way Gang – Leaving Earth is easy, but you can never come back.Rusted Metal – What has spent the last century in the basement?Lunar Lotto – Death comes instantly to outlaws in vacuum.The Rollers – Crime has been mostly eliminated by removing all forms of cash... Mostly.
Interstellar Wars - Pike Chronicles Box Set Books 1-5: Sol Shall Rise, Book 1 - Prevail, Book 2 - Ronin, Book 3 - Ghost Fleet, Book 4 - Interstellar War, Book 5
G.P. Hudson - 2018
1,000+ pages of military science fiction action adventure. Book 1: Sol Shall Rise The Sol System was conquered and humans lived as slaves for 500 long years. Now, after years of brutal warfare, humanity has been liberated. Liberation, however, comes at a cost, and the Sol System has become nothing more than a puppet state for a vast galactic empire. For Jon Pike, a war hero who has lost everything, there is no substitute for freedom. He blames the aliens for humanity’s troubles, especially the one living inside him. But when he is sent on a top secret mission into unexplored regions of the galaxy he discovers that humanity’s troubles are just getting started. Can he find freedom for himself and humanity? Book 2: Prevail A battle weary Captain fighting for redemption. An impossible search for a scattered crew. Marines pushed beyond their limits. A heinous alien race bent on annihilation. When all is lost, a brave few dare to hope, and continue to fight for freedom. Do they struggle in vain? Or will they prevail? Book 3: Ronin A tenuous alliance. A brazen power play. A looming alien threat. A planet's future held in the balance. In a galaxy where danger waits at every turn, will former enemies be doomed by their past? Or can they fight together in the name of freedom? Book 4: Ghost Fleet A planet surrounded. A homeland in peril. A fleet outgunned. A prophecy to fulfill. With half the galaxy on the brink, can a fledgling alliance offer hope? Or is it doomed to perish in the pyres of war? Book 5: Interstellar War A homeland in ashes. A merciless ancient enemy. A vicious new foe. A galaxy convulsing with war. With humanity on the brink of annihilation, only one option remains, Interstellar War. Can Jon Pike achieve victory, and revenge, for himself and humanity? Find out in Interstellar War, Book 5 of The Pike Chronicles. As a matter of principle, all my books are DRM free. The Pike Chronicles is an epic space opera adventure with space fleet and space marine battles, galactic empires, and alien invasions. For fans of John Ringo, David Weber, Jon Scalzi, David Drake, Joe Haldeman, Vaughn Heppner, B.V. Lasrson, Jay Allan, M.R. Forbes, Ken Lozito, Isaac Hooke, Nick Webb, Richard Fox, Marko Kloos, Evan Currie, Robert A. Heinlen, Isaac Asimov, Orson Scott Card, and Ryk Brown.
Last of The Nighthawks: A Military Space Opera Adventure
Greg Dragon - 2018
Chosen for a coveted slot in the glorious Nighthawks, Special Forces, she will certainly be able to prove herself as more than a half-alien outcast. But when her team deploys to the moon of Dyn, tragedy strikes and Helga is put to the ultimate test--survival. Facing insurmountable odds and escaping torture, Helga and her mentor, Cilas Mec, are forced to face a fate worse than death. Battling brain-eating aliens and human pirates, the odds are stacked against them in every way. The rescue should be coming. Unless the Alliance is involved in this botched mission... Can Helga survive the odds to get out alive, or will she be the last of the Nighthawks?
Spartan Guile: An Orion Porter Novel (Spartan Trilogy Book 3)
Toby Neighbors - 2019
The need for the rare element Ignatius Xelum is as great as ever. And Humanity’s Space Fleet will stop at nothing to get the IX gas reserves from the primordial planet of Apex Venandi where five intelligent species wage war on a daily basis. Spartan Company barely survived their first drop onto the hostile world, but they have to go back. The future of the Fleet depends on getting the rare IX gas crystals, but nothing comes easy on a world where everyone and everything is anxious to kill you. In Spartan Guile, Orion Porter must find a way to keep his friends alive, get the treasured gas for the Fleet, and discover what is at the heart of Aurora’s reluctance to accept his affection. It’s the thrilling conclusion to the Spartan Trilogy, an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride that will answer all your questions in ways you never see coming. If you only read one Sci-fi book this year, Spartan Guile is it. This must read novel is an exciting Space Opera that will take you to all new places in a rich Science Fiction world full of aliens, military adventure, and constant danger. Spartan Guile is not just a worthy installment of a great series, it’s the satisfying conclusion to the first assignment of Orion Porter’s legendary career.
Crimson Worlds Refugees: The First Trilogy
Jay Allan - 2017
An endless struggle.Three hundred ships. Trapped. Relentlessly pursued by the genocidal Regent and its vast robot battlefleets.Terrence Compton is one of Earth's greatest admirals, a warrior almost without equal. He and his forces saved Earth from invasion by the cybernetic legions of the First Imperium's insane computer Regent. But now he and his fleet are far from home, lost and cut off, with nowhere to flee but deeper into the darkness of uncharted space.Compton and his fleet must find safety...and ultimately a new home. Their journey will take them deep into the heart of the First Imperium, to the silent, windswept worlds where the ancient race that built the Regent once dwelled...and uncover the lost secrets of its disappearance 500,000 years ago. And find a way to destroy the Regent, to rid the universe of the insane machine once and for all.Includes the full novels Into the Darkness, Shadows of the Gods, and Revenge of the Ancients.Crimson Worlds Refugees Reading OrderInto the Darkness (Book One) - part of this collectionShadows of the Gods (Book Two) - part of this collectionRevenge of the Ancients (Book Three) - part of this collectionWinds of Vengeance (Book Four)Storm of Vengeance (Book Five) - Coming 2017
Flight of the Javelin: The Complete Series: A Space Opera Box Set
Rachel Aukes - 2021