Book picks similar to
Independence by Alasdair C. Shaw


science-fiction
sci-fi
short-story
space-opera

Survivor


Saff - 2014
     During a routine collection, she finds herself dragged into the middle of an alien uprising. The Ancients, merciless beings set on reclaiming the universe, have only one person left to stop them: Nova. She must battle the Ancients, time, and her sanity, in order to stop the annihilation of the human race. Fear the hero who has nothing left to lose. Buy now to join the fight!

The 28th Gate: Volume 1


Christopher C. Dimond - 2018
    He and his partner just had to track down a missing researcher. But when they find her, she’s fled a quarter of the way around the massive ring of twenty-seven gates and Hunter realizes all is not as he was told.That simple realization, and Hunter’s drive for retribution, kick off a series of adventures leading to the most important discovery since the fall of the Gate Age—and put him in direct confrontation with the corp he’s been running from for the past 10 revolutions. Set in a far distant future, The 28th Gate is a series of episodic novelettes, spread across six volumes in three seasons, telling the story of Hunter’s struggles against the AAA corporation that created him. Each episode has the action, character, and plotting of a complete story all crammed into an espresso-like package, with each season chronicling a different arc in the overall epic. Join the adventure now in The 28th Gate: Volume 1, with episodes 1–6 of Season I!

Linesman


S.K. Dunstall - 2015
    No ship can traverse the void without them. Only linesmen can work with them. But only Ean Lambert hears their song. And everyone thinks he’s crazy…Most slum kids never go far, certainly not becoming a level-ten linesman like Ean. Even if he’s part of a small, and unethical, cartel, and the other linesmen disdain his self-taught methods, he’s certified and working.Then a mysterious alien ship is discovered at the edges of the galaxy. Each of the major galactic powers is desperate to be the first to uncover the ship’s secrets, but all they’ve learned is that it has the familiar lines of energy—and a defense system that, once triggered, annihilates everything in a 200 kilometer radius.The vessel threatens any linesman who dares to approach it, except Ean. His unique talents may be the key to understanding this alarming new force—and reconfiguring the relationship between humans and the ships that serve them, forever.

Beacon 23


Hugh Howey - 2015
    It is a lonely job, and a thankless one for the most part. Until something goes wrong. Until a ship is in distress. In the 23rd century, this job has moved into outer space. A network of beacons allows ships to travel across the Milky Way at many times the speed of light. These beacons are built to be robust. They never break down. They never fail. At least, they aren't supposed to.

A Mere Formality


Ilona Andrews - 2008
    When the new heir to the Reigh throne, Lord Nagrad, demands restitution, the phrase “‘a life for a life” turns the intergalactic calamity into an arranged marriage contract between Lord Nagrad and sharply intelligent diplomatic analyst Deirdre Lebed… and the negotiation of terms becomes anything but formal!Warning: this story is one big dirty joke. There is no actual sex, but there is a lot discussion about it. It was written on a dare. Someone told us that we couldn’t write a short story around one particular phrase, and we did. So I recommend this for people 18+. Because you know, we wouldn’t want to corrupt your minors.

Edge of the Future


Andria Stone - 2017
    You’ve discovered the existence of a new enemy combatant, Captain. Since you saw him—he saw you.”• One hundred-fifty years after the last war, humanity has united in exploring space with colonies on Mars and the moon Luna. But the Europa Mission has just failed and 152 people died in space. Nobody knows why.• When military bioscientist Capt. Warren’s hidden research installation gets attacked, he joins forces with armored assault Sgt. Von Radach. They become entangled in a deadly fight to stop the theft of classified military secrets by a lethal female villain, whose devious plans to use enemy cyborgs posing as humans and altering unsuspecting military personnel’s neural implants to accept her commands have every chance of succeeding. Unless…Capt. Warren and Sgt. Von Radach get a chance to end her first.• Edge of the Future is an action-packed Science Fiction military thriller, with everything sci-fi fans love – starships, space colonies, cyborgs, secret military and medical technology and even a bad-ass villain.

Dauntless


Jack Campbell - 2006
    Now its fleet is crippled and stranded in enemy territory. Their only hope is a man who's emerged from a century-long hibernation to find he has been heroically idealized, beyond belief...Captain John "Black Jack" Geary's legendary exploits are known to every schoolchild. Revered for his heroic "last stand" in the early days of the war, he was presumed dead. But a century later, Geary miraculously returns from survival hibernation and reluctantly takes command of the Alliance fleet as it faces annihilation by the Syndics.Appalled by the hero-worship around him, Geary is nevertheless a man who will do his duty. And he knows that bringing the stolen Syndic hypernet key safely home is the Alliance's one chance to win the war. But to do that, Geary will have to live up to the impossibly heroic "Black Jack" legend...

Far From Home: The Complete Series


Tony Healey - 2013
    Nearly 1000 pages long, the Far From Home series has remained in the Top 100 in its respective categories since publication and continues to be a bestelling sensation . . . and a smash hit with readers the world over. Follow the adventures of Captain Jessica King and the crew of the Defiant as they find themselves pulled into a black hole and thrown from everything they have ever known. If you liked Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek and Star Wars then you will LOVE the Far From Home series, an epic adventure unlike anything you've ever read!

War Dogs


Greg Bear - 2014
    Maybe my last.They made their presence on Earth known thirteen years ago.Providing technology and scientific insights far beyond what mankind was capable of. They became indispensable advisors and promised even more gifts that we just couldn't pass up. We called them Gurus.It took them a while to drop the other shoe. You can see why, looking back.It was a very big shoe, completely slathered in crap.They had been hounded by mortal enemies from sun to sun, planet to planet, and were now stretched thin -- and they needed our help.And so our first bill came due. Skyrines like me were volunteered to pay the price. As always.These enemies were already inside our solar system and were moving to establish a beachhead, but not on Earth.On Mars.

Nevertheless, She Persisted: Flash Fiction Project


Diana M. PhoCatherynne M. Valente - 2020
    She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.Three short lines, fired over social media in response to questions of why Senator Elizabeth Warren was silenced on the floor of the United States Senate, for daring to read aloud the words of Coretta Scott King. As this message was transmitted across the globe, it has become a galvanizing cry for people of all genders in recognition of the struggles that women have faced throughout history.Three short lines, which read as if they are the opening passage to an epic and ageless tale.We have assembled this flash fiction collection featuring several of the best writers in SF/F today, including Seanan McGuire, Charlie Jane Anders, Maria Dahvana Headley, Jo Walton, Amal El-Mohtar, Catherynne M. Valente, Brooke Bolander, Alyssa Wong, Kameron Hurley, Nisi Shawl and Carrie Vaughn. Together these authors share unique visions of women inventing, playing, loving, surviving, and – of course – dreaming of themselves beyond their circumstances.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

A Talent for War


Jack McDevitt - 1989
    But now, one man believes Sim was a fraud, and Alex must follow the legend into the heart of the alien galaxy to confront a truth far stranger than any fiction.

Dawn Exodus


Kevin Partner - 2017
    Now they’re back. Generational asteroid ship Dawn arrives at its target to find a brutal federation thriving in the embers of empire. Can the engineers and officers of Dawn survive this encounter? What happens when the Robot Empire returns to human space? Could you stand against them? If you like Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica, you’ll enjoy Dawn Exodus, the first book in the Robot Empire series of science fiction adventures on a galactic scale. “reminiscent of some of my favorite old time SciFi authors. Asimov, Heinlein, Niven. I may have found a new favorite author.” - Mark “The influence of Asimov is quickly felt. An aging colony ship with an agricultural society, robots and a confused crew. The potential is here for inspired world building. I'm ready to read the next book.” - Belle

Hopebreaker


Dean F. Wilson - 2014
    The Regime is replacing the unborn with demons, while the Resistance is trying to destroy a drug called Hope that the demons need to survive. Between these two warring factions lies Jacob, a man who profits from smuggling contraceptive amulets into the city of Blackout. He cares little about the Great Iron War, but a chance capture, and an even more accidental rescue, embroils him in a plot to starve the Regime from power. When Hope is an enemy, Jacob finds it harder than he thought to remain indifferent. When the Resistance opts to field its experimental landship, the Hopebreaker, they find they might just have a chance to win this war.

A Faded Star


Michael Freeport - 2016
    The crew of their newest flagship, the Rampart encounters an alien scout who is being chased by a dangerous foe. The encounter shakes the beliefs held by the people of Lashmere. With the aid of the mysteries of the origin tablet, they discover the true origins of their colony. These may be the last humans in the universe. Can they survive against their ancient enemy? Their only choice is to embrace an unknown past and fight with everything they have.

Walking to Aldebaran


Adrian Tchaikovsky - 2019
    Clarke award-winning Adrian TchaikovskyMy name is Gary Rendell. I’m an astronaut. When they asked me as a kid what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said, “astronaut, please!” I dreamed astronaut, I worked astronaut, I studied astronaut.I got lucky; when a probe sent out to explore the Oort Cloud found a strange alien rock and an international team of scientists was put together to go and look at it, I made the draw.I got even luckier. When disaster hit and our team was split up, scattered through the endless cold tunnels, I somehow survived.Now I’m lost, and alone, and scared, and there’s something horrible in here.Lucky me.Lucky, lucky, lucky.