Book picks similar to
The Beasts of Kohl by John Rackham


science-fiction
scifi
fiction
scifi-fantasy

The Dark Element (The Elemental Saga Book 1)


Mason J. Torall - 2015
    The stars brought aliens to Earth. Claiming both cost us everything. A hungry alien empire known as The Collective has betrayed humanity. Earth is taken. Day-by-day, the ruthless Over-Seer harvests the planet we worked so hard to save, and only a mysterious group of individuals have found any success against him. The Elementals. Damien Vilan is one of these human enigmas. Able to spawn black holes and even smother light, he is the first man to ever command tangible darkness. While Damien stands lonely in the crumbling Seattle Islets alongside his adopted alien brother and an eccentric AI, the occupying aliens are hunting him. When a botched ambush on an enemy patrol wounds Damien’s brother, the trio is forced to test the weapon they’ve been building. If it works, it could change the downward spiral of the war, but if it fails and Damien’s dangerous powers are exposed? It could bring the Over-Seer himself crashing down on them. The tyrant would love to get his hands on such a powerful man, and he'd surely use Damien to find the elusive island sanctuary where other Elementals are gathering... When every chance of success has faded with the light, who better to turn to than the man who wields darkness? HOPE IS BORN IN DARKNESS

Blue Collar Space


Martin L. Shoemaker - 2018
     Martin L. Shoemaker, author of “Today I Am Paul”, presents stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary work. Planning, exploring, constructing… living and growing and dying… across the Solar System. Includes these award-winning stories: Scramble (second place, Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award, 2012) Unrefined (third place, Writers of the Future, 2014) Racing to Mars (first place, Analog Analytical Laboratory award, 2016) Plus seven more stories!

Venom


Christian Cantrell - 2011
    Gabriel Kane goes from a struggling architect to one of the most powerful men in the world; Armonía Solorsano -- a young Hispanic girl who grew up in a dilapidated suburban McMansion-turned-tenement -- invents one of the most important and influential pieces of technology in history; a non-profit organization goes from a charity to a decentralized domestic terrorist group; and the greatest democracy in the world finds itself falling into the ever-tightening grip of a dictator.As five people come together with the shared goal of changing the world, they discover that their approaches are fundamentally and irreconcilably at odds. Their partnership becomes a bitter political and high-tech rivalry from which only one of them can emerge.This novella by Christian Cantrell (about 16,000 words) portrays an intersection of politics and technology which is both extremely relevant, and frighteningly feasible.

Galactic Empire Wars: The Beginning Books 1-3


Raymond L. Weil - 2016
    Weil comes a chilling story of the future.To the Kleese, the Earth is nothing more than a planet full of conscripts to be used to fight in their numerous wars of aggression against other planets. The Kleese are one of several large Galactic Empires that control the majority of the galaxy. To them, Earth is a dangerous planet due to the aggressiveness of the humanoid species that inhabits it. This is a species that cannot be allowed to spread out into the galaxy. Once they have taken their handful of conscripts, the planet will be destroyed.Unknown to the Kleese, their attack against the human homeworld will ignite a war that will spread across the known galaxy. Billions will die in their quest to free themselves from the heartless alien race. Can the human race rise up and lead the few worlds willing to fight against the Kleese? Find out in the Galactic Empire Wars.

The Peace Warrior Trilogy - Omnibus


Steven L. Hawk - 2013
     ************************************************************* Book #1: Peace Warrior It’s the mid-21st century when Sergeant First Class Grant Justice is killed during an ambush on an enemy tank column. Six hundred years later, his body is retrieved from the frozen, arctic lake where he perished. Re-animated by a team of scientists, Grant awakens to a civilization that has abolished war. A civilization that has outlawed violence and cherishes Peace above all else. A civilization that has been enslaved by an alien race called the Minith. Grant is humankind’s final hope against the alien menace. He must be the… Peace Warrior. ************************************************************* Book #2: Peace Army It’s been six years since Grant Justice was brought back to life to help the Peaceful citizens of Earth defeat the Minith. Life should be good. The Minith are gone. Grant now has a loving wife and a remarkable son. He is a hero to the society that once shunned him. But Grant hasn’t been taking life easy. He’s been recruiting fighters away from Peace. He’s been cobbling together an army from the dregs of society and training them to fight. Which is a good thing, because another alien Mothership is heading their way. It will reach Earth in less than a week. Grant and his small army have been preparing for this day. They must be the… Peace Army. ************************************************************* Book #3: Peace World Reanimated after six hundred years, Grant Justice has become the leader of Earth's new army. Unwilling to sit back and wait for the next attack, Grant decides to take the fight to the enemy. He and a mothership full of his best fighters are headed toward Waa, the aliens' new home world. Unknown to Grant, a fleet of alien motherships is headed toward Earth—intent on punishing the planet for destroying Minith. Who will win the battle for supremacy—the alien slavers with a thirst for war, or the humans struggling to survive and save their way of life? Who will finally rule the… Peace World. ************************************************************* REVIEWS FOR THE PEACE WARRIOR TRILOGY "I'll get right to the point: Peace Warrior is a flawlessly-written science fiction adventure with sympathetic characters and a fast-paced plot. Though billed as military science fiction, Peace Warrior cuts across genres and subgenres by incorporating cultural issues of nature and nurture, war and peace. Complex heroes like Grant Justice and complex issues like these hit the page with the force of an alien mothership biting the dust. " Isabella Morales, The Scattering Blog "Steven Hawk has written a sci-fi masterpiece. Each of the three books is a great story in and of itself. Together they achieve greatness. Hawk writes with the straight-forward, action-driven style of Asimov, and at the same time brings an inventive, provocative point of view like Orson Scott Card. If you like great science fiction with compelling characters, you'll be glad you connected with this trilogy. You will get a real kick out of the hero and ancient warrior Grant Justice, and your perspective on the concept of "peace" will be stretched.

Mike's War: Sequel to Jesse's Starship


Saxon Andrew - 2014
    Humans have been forced by Aliens to live in peace for fifteen years and things are not going well on the planet. Conditions have not improved and the Elected Leaders are doing little more than lining their own pockets with exorbitant taxes. The crazies are killing people, who no longer have a way to defend themselves and technology has stagnated. Now the Aliens have asked the unthinkable and Mike Sanders is faced with a decision that will divide Earth. Humans are going back to war against an enemy that the Aliens are unable to defeat. Will Earth decide to do their bidding or continue in peace? If they decide for war, it will be Mike’s war to win or lose. Excerpt from; Mike’s War Derek arrived with the three companies at the Gracken Barracks. The Gracken were rushing out of the barracks when he arrived and the companies were firing a barrage of slivers into the building. He shook his head at the speed of the huge Gracken. The ones still in the building were firing their blasters through the openings but slivers would be fired at the source of the beams and they would immediately stop. The large number of Gracken that had escaped before they formed up began attacking from the rear of their formation and from above as they jumped off the buildings on each side of the street. The leapers appeared to have no fear of dying as they dove on the human lines outside their barracks. Derek assigned fire zones to the officers and he watched the buildings. The Gracken actually fell slower than they could run. Derek kept his rifle aimed above the three companies and shot more than twenty huge Gracken who jumped at human formations. The giants would jerk as the slivers punched into their bodies and in a number of instances their dead body would hit one of the soldiers in ranks. The soldier’s personal force field would absorb the energy of the fall and push the huge body to the side but the soldier hit would be staggered by the impact. A Gracken came running at high speed, zig zagging as it approached; it accelerated and hit Lieutenant Patel standing behind Derek. Derek turned, drew his handgun and looked into the contorted face of the Gracken as it ripped Patel’s heart out his chest. The Gracken saw Derek’s face as he pulled the trigger and it knew there was no time to escape. Its head was blown off its shoulders and the Gracken collapsed. Ten Gracken had fallen into the companies while Derek was dealing with the Gracken and he ordered over the main frequency, “Move a platoon back here to hold off the Gracken coming from the rear.” Derek turned back and shot two Gracken falling in on their ranks. Crap, they were fast. “Sir, we’re seeing large numbers of Gracken moving over the roofs. Do we have permission to fire into the buildings?” Derek knew there were civilians in the buildings but the die was cast and hard decisions had to be made. “Take them out.” Derek saw bright flashes start appearing over the tops of the buildings on each side of the streets. Thank God he had taken the time to train a company to use the force fields to keep them in the air. The foils would flex and generate lift keeping the warrior flying. The Flyers were keeping the casualty rate down. Without them, losses would be incredible. This review is from: Jesse's Starship (Kindle Edition) From the beginning, I was glued to this story. I was intrigued by Jesse's tenacity and determination to see to the end the return of whoever or whatever took his family. This story only gets better as you continue to read it. Ten stars to Saxon Andrew for a wonderful story. If only we could live like this.... Visit us at on face book at www.facebook.

Eye Of The Monster


Andre Norton - 1962
    His worst fears were realized when the Terran authorities decided to grant the Ishkurians self-government and withdrew their protective forces from the planet.It turned out that he was right - as soon as the last troops left the "crocs" went on a killing rampage.Cut off from the remaining fortified outposts by miles of jungle and armies of crocs, Rees knew that his only chance for survival was to outwit the cunning reptiles. He had to learn to think like a croc, feel like a croc...and see through the eye of the monster!

The Pregnant Indian Bride (Mail Order Bride Western Romance) (Frontier Women)


Florence Linnington - 2021
    

Galleon


C.J. Williams - 2018
    His only hope for survival is to partner with an alien Artificial Intelligence named Alyssa. She is the brain of the most improbable star ship Gus has ever seen, part ancient sailing ship, part incredible star-faring vessel. But there is a catch. Alyssa’s first priority is to finish an epic yacht race that started twenty-eight thousand years ago. THE WORLD IS CAPTURED BY THE ALIEN DRAMA Every day Gus sends a video love letter to his wife via the lifeboat’s one-way subspace signal where it is automatically posted on YouTube. Few people care until another lifeboat crashes with two young women aboard, both of them celebrities. Their fame turns Gus into a worldwide phenomenon; everyone watches the three castaways fight to carve a life from the tiny island life even though they have little hope of rescue. When disaster threatens, Gus and the girls have no choice but to resurrect the crippled galleon. Their impossible task is to sail Alyssa across an alien sea and then fly her across unimaginable galactic reaches. WHEN ALYSSA FINALLY AGREES TO HELP, SPACE PIRATES STRIKE On live television, the public watches helplessly when a ship of vicious murderers attack the three survivors. The world grieves when the now-famous exiles go silent. At least until Earth's Space Navy reports they are under attack by a ship that is beyond imagination.

Elite: The Dark Wheel


Robert Holdstock - 1984
    Written by well-known fantasy author Robert Holdstock it describes the quest of Alex Ryder, a newly-qualified pilot, to exact revenge for his father's death at the hands of a paid assassin. Along the way he is assisted by the enigmatic Rafe Zetter who links him up with a fugitive pilot who also wishes to eliminate the killer of Alex's father, but for her own reasons.All in all, a good story which, though spoiled by a few irritating character traits and a number of typographical errors, sets up the Elite universe in a cohesive manner.It also covers the combat and trading sides of Elite and the general nature of trading between different systems, buying what's cheap on one world and selling it wherever the demand is sufficient to keep the price high.Interestingly, the back of the BBC novella states that a sequel was planned for publication in 1985, but as far as I know this never came to fruition. Later editions of The Dark Wheel, included in the Sinclair Spectrum and Commodore 64 versions amongst others, sported new artwork

Oblivion Box Set: Books 1-4: Lost Mission, First Contact, Final Invasion, Star Fallen


Joshua James - 2020
    Captain Lee Saito's massive new starship is sent to seal the uneasy truce. But a series of terrorist attacks on Earth and the mysterious acts of a strange cult threaten to derail the fragile peace. When the mission goes awry, Saito must try to salvage what he can in deep space while his estranged son must navigate a conspiracy back on Earth that could implicate the highest levels of government. As it all spirals out of control, the future of humanity hangs in the balance. Includes the first 4 books in the Oblivion series: Lost Mission First Contact Final Invasion Star Fallen Five star reviews for Lost Mission, book 1 in the series: "Plenty of high octane action sequences ... Readers should expect a twisting and curving wild ride." "This is a fast moving book that you won’t want to put down." "A rip roaring tale that does a fine job of world building and character development."

A Heart of Ice (The Great War Book 4)


Ralph Kern - 2020
    

Theft of Fire


Michael Edelson - 2017
    The mission to destroy a domestic terrorist cell in possession of a nuclear bomb sounds like the opportunity he is looking for, until he realizes that his targets are not terrorists, and that what they have is something infinitely more dangerous than a bomb. On the run with Dr. Grace Llewellyn and the device she calls Prometheus, Markus finds himself pitted against the full might of US intelligence and military forces as they mount the biggest manhunt ever conducted on American soil. He quickly learns that Prometheus represents a technological advancement so profound that it can alter the course of history. But there is another such device already in play, and he, Grace and Prometheus are all that stand between it and the end of human civilization as we know it.

The Quantum Series: Box Set Books 1 - 3


Douglas Phillips - 2019
    The quantum world doesn't play by those rules. Daniel Rice is a government science investigator whose specialty is solving seemingly intractable problems through scientific inquiry.But Daniel's intellectual strength is sorely tested by the bizarre realities he finds in the quantum world. Extra dimensions of space trap the unwary, probability replaces cause and effect, and time isn't what anyone imagined. The other side of the mirror is a place full of dangers, but it's also somewhere a dedicated scientist can uncover secrets that connect humans with something greater. If you liked the authenticity of The Martian, the page-turning pace of Da Vinci Code, and the inspirational world views of Arthur C. Clarke and Carl Sagan, you'll love The Quantum Series. A mind-bending journey from the ultra-small to the vast stage of the Milky Way. Acclaim for The Quantum Series Awarded the indieBRAG Medallion for 2018"Dazzling tale of weird science" - Publisher's Weekly"I can't recall when I last enjoyed a hard science series as much as this one. The concepts were astounding, the characters were easily believable, and the action emotionally driven. Very hard to put down. It kept me reading half the night. You'll be thinking about the far out science ideas promulgated in this series for a long time." - Chuck Juzek"A great story, no hatred, no evil people trying to destroy others, just a wonderful adventure with a fantastic outcome." - Ric Mannen"Fermi's Paradox is finally explained." - PE Gwinn"An exciting plot that kept me glued to my chair instead of mowing the lawn." - PE Gwinn"Probably one of the most entertaining and intellectually stimulating stories I've read in a long time... and I read a LOT!" - Jason Blackford"Great story that proves the universe is indeed full of magic!" - Rand"The protagonists have an almost poetic underpinning that had me rooting for their success." - J. Kareski"BTW, all three books show respect and admiration for women scientists as well as men." - Robin C."Mr. Phillips is the only person who explained quantum physics to me in a way that was not only understandable but entertaining." - Edward L. Heins

FURY RISING (Children of the Mountain Book 4)


R.A. Hakok - 2019
     Exiled from Mount Weather, Gabe, Mags and Johnny make their way north, seeking shelter from the coming storms. With the furies awakening across the country they stumble into the middle of a feud between two unlikely adversaries.