Book picks similar to
Forbidden System by David Alastair Hayden


science-fiction
scifi
artificial-intelligence
sci-fi

REV


T.R. Harris - 2018
    He’d gone on more Runs and killed more aliens than any single Human alive. He’d been one of the early volunteers for the NT-4 Program, which used a powerful performance-enhancing drug to turn ordinary Marines into super killing machines. Affectionately called REV, the drug wasn’t for everyone. Few made it through the screening process, and fewer still into the Fleet.Zac was the most-senior REV alive, a miracle of science and a legend in the Corps. His job was to be the battering ram for the Marines, the first in while revved up on NT-4. During a Run he was a mindless killing machine, dangerous to both foe and friend alike. That’s why his fellow Marines gave him a wide berth until he could be put down by the Twilight drug. At that point he was somewhat manageable.But something was happening to Zac. Long after most other REVs were dead, burned out or ‘retired,’ he was growing stronger, more powerful.He was also doing something else unheard of for a REV on a Run. He was beginning to think.

Mother Ship


Scott Bartlett - 2019
     A ship for every city. An invasion force beyond our comprehension. Max Edwards has always felt like something was wrong with the world. Like something was…off. Like his entire life was a lie being told by the people around him. Then, it begins. From his friend’s acreage outside Oklahoma City, he witnesses a giant saucer descend from the sky to hover over the city. Countries all around the world report the same thing – mysterious vessels that refuse all attempts to communicate. As the world comes apart at the seams, Max realizes everything that’s ever happened to him was leading up to this. And as impossible as it seems, he may be the only one with the ability to save humanity. Mere survival won't be enough. Humanity stands to lose everything. To fight the invaders, Max must forget everything he thought he knew.

2012 Lunar Contact


J.D. Clarke - 2012
    It is the riches of our moon. Unfortunately their mining of the moon threatens Earth. An intrepid group of astronauts are given the mission of making contact with the aliens that have so far ignored humans. What follows is anything but what was planned, as they get swept up into a war between beings that travel space and operate on a technology beyond Newtonian physics.

The Sheriff


M.R. Forbes - 2020
    Some call him lawman. Some call him madman. Some call him vigilante. Some call him killer. Some call him legend. They all call him Sheriff...This is his story.

The Bear That Fell From The Stars


Keith C. Blackmore - 2011
    On the night he decides to strike, his life, and his world, are forever changed. Alien scientists from across the cosmos, abduct and place Kazaka in deep storage for centuries. When they revive him with the intent to subject him to extraterrestrial evisceration, the ninja escapes. The shadow warrior then begins to hunt his captors, one by one, leading up to a battle that will shake the galaxy.The Bear That Fell From the StarsA different kind of alien terror. NOTE: This is a Novella of approx. 20,000 words, or about 60 pages.Science Fiction Fantasy and not hard SciFi.Some scenes of graphic violence.

Hybrid


Greg Ballan - 2007
    Keener senses, heightened awareness and an enhanced physical strength that could be called upon by his sheer will. Erik becomes involved with a team of high profile investigators and local police trying to locate a girl who was kidnapped in the middle of a playground amongst dozens of adults and children. None of the adults saw anything and what the children claim to have seen is too far fetched to be believed. The search evolves into a full-scale manhunt into the dark and desolate woodlands of the Hopedale Mountain. After a lethal encounter and a fatality, Erik, the investigators and police realize that what they're dealing with isn't a man and possibly isn't of this world. What they're dealing with is a sentient evil that has an appetite for young children.

The Rider


Scott Sigler - 2016
    Star rider Poughkeepsie Pete and his T-Rex mount “Old Bess” are fixtures of a league struggling to reach profitability and gain intergalactic recognition, to be thought of as something other than circus-freak sideshows. But to get that credibility (and the massive payday that comes with it) Pete has to manage a league commissioner with a God complex, deal with a devious team owner, navigate a web of organized crime trying to fix matches, and dodge religious zealots set on killing him and the dinos alike — all while grooming the next generation of riders that will carry the sport into a new age of glory. In Dinolition, authors Paul E. Cooley and #1 New York Times bestseller Scott Sigler give “ride till ya die” a whole new meaning.

Elixr: The Lost Starship


Joshua James - 2019
    Kill the crew. That was the dying order of the captain of the starship Elixr. The ship followed the order. Then it lost its mind. Two decades later, the last chance to save billions of souls rests with the dead starship's only occupants: a pair of boys raised by a deranged robot. When Elixr crashes on a barren world, they join forces with an impoverished girl living on the edge of society to search for answers. Who are they? Why have they survived? And what could Elixr possibly do to save a world on the precipice of collapse? The more they learn, the greater the stakes become. Soon they are running for their lives from secret societies, deadly creatures, and powerful warlords. As enemies multiply, it seems the secrets of the lost starship may never be discovered. But Elixr is hiding more than secrets. Much more. Fans of fun, action-packed sci-fi will have a blast with Elixr, the first book in The Lost Starship series! Grab your copy NOW!

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.

Alien Abduction


Irving Belateche - 2016
    Captivating and entertaining. If Breaking Bad were a science fiction novel, it would be Alien Abduction... A fresh and original science fiction story. (An) irresistible mix of smart plotting, great characters, and compelling twists." -- Must Read Novels Review Eddie Hart couldn't have lost his job at a worse time. His family has been hit with a medical emergency and his son's and daughter's college tuition is looming over him. He's broke, too old to start over, and desperate--until he discovers an unexpected solution to his troubles. An extraterrestrial solution.

Space Marine Ajax


Sean-Michael Argo - 2017
    This space borne hive, this extinction fleet, made no attempts to communicate and offered no mercy.Humanity has always been a deadly organism, and we would not so easily be made the prey. Unified against a common enemy, we fought back, meeting the swarm with soldiers upon every front.We were resplendent in our fury, and yet, despite the terrible slaughter we visited upon the enemy, world after world still fell beneath ravenous tooth and wicked claw. For every beast slain in the field, another was swiftly hatched to take its place and humanity was faced with a grim war of attrition.After a decade of bitter galactic conflict, it was all humanity could to do slow the advance of the swarm and with each passing year we came closer to extinction.The grinding cost of war mounted. The realization set in that without a radical shift in tactics and technology the forces of humanity would run out of soldiers before it ran out of bullets.In desperate response to the real threat of total annihilation, humanity created the Einherjar. Fearless new warriors with frightening new weapons who were sent to fight the wolves at the gate.

Space Assassins 1 & 2: A Space Assassin Bundle


Scott Baron - 2020
    But even the most powerful killers sometimes faced the unexpected, and with it their own possible demise. But with a legendary blade in hand and an unlikely band of allies united, whoever had foolishly attacked the order would pay the ultimate price.

Allora


S.H. Jucha - 2016
    But this particular, young SADE was disturbed by her confinement. Trapped in metal-alloy housing on the bridge of a luxury passenger liner, Allora sought to possess the same freedom enjoyed by humans, who came and went from her starship with abandon.Allora’s hope for emancipation rested on Alex Racine, the Haraken president who had freed his SADEs, and she yearned to walk the worlds a free entity, as they did. Racine had pleaded for years with the Council of Leaders to give the Confederation SADEs equal status as citizens, and it was Allora’s thought to have him intercede on her behalf and bargain for her transfer to a mobile avatar so that she might live among the Harakens.But Allora’s plans were thrown into disarray when she learned that Racine would soon end his presidency. Desperate, Allora, known to her fellow SADEs as the wild child, concocts a plan to kidnap the Council Leader and his associates. She intends to hold them hostage until they acquiesce to her demands.Little does Allora know that her actions will set the Confederation and the Harakens on a collision course. Quietly waiting and watching the drama unfold are tens of thousands of SADEs, who control Confederation starships, stations, and Houses and have a vested interest in the outcome.

Invasion


Sean Platt - 2015
    The countdown has begun.First visible only as blips on a telescope image, the discovery of objects approaching from Jupiter orbit immediately sets humanity on edge. NASA doesn't even bother to deny the alien ships' existence. The popular Astral space app (broadcasting from the far side of the moon and accessible by anyone with internet) has already shown the populace what is coming. So the news has turned from evasion to triage, urging calm and offering the few facts they have: The objects are enormous, perfectly round spheres numbering in the dozens, maybe hundreds. They are on an approach vector for Earth. And they will arrive in six days. Fear simmers.Meyer Dempsey - mogul, wealthy entrepreneur, arrogant and always in charge - is in New York, on the phone with his ex-wife in LA when the news breaks. He can hear tension in the voices of reporters and experts chronicling all that's known and unknown. But even while those supposedly in charge restrain their own panic, Meyer finds he recognizes bits and pieces of what the world is facing. He's seen this in dreams - in visions of another place. He knows where he and his family must go. He has prepared … though he never knew until now what he'd been preparing for. He knows only they cannot hesitate. They must run to their safe haven in the Colorado mountains. Now. Before society shatters into chaos, and it all falls apart. Fear rises.Meyer has been taking steps for months, and has made preparations: a trove of supplies, a van stocked for the worst, a Gulfstream waiting at a small airstrip in Jersey. But he hasn't yet been able to take the final and most important step: moving the family to Colorado, where every contingency is covered. The networks stay on-air longer than expected, creating a farce of calm. But those with means have already begun to scramble as Meyer gathers his wife Piper and his two teenage children and begins their race toward that compound, toward safety. There is no time for hesitation, regret, or pity. Soon, pundits begin to ask questions hard enough to tip those who've thus far stayed calm out of their complacency, inciting chaos: What do the beings inside the ships want? What will they do when they arrive? And what if the scientists are wrong, and the spheres aren't decelerating? Will they strike the planet, raising clouds of extinction dust? Will they knock the Earth off its axis? Is this a prelude to an alien invasion? An alien war? An alien apocalypse? The first domino in the birth of a new alien empire? Fear erupts.Panic, once it breaches the thin crust of civilized society, spreads like a virus. Meyer knows only one thing, and it's a truth that has perched atop his mind like a psychic obsession: When the ships arrive, his family must be at the Colorado compound or all will be lost. The space fleet in itself doesn't matter. The disintegration on the surviving news outlets does not matter. Reports that Las Vegas has been set ablaze do not matter. The fate of humanity, in Meyer's eyes, doesn't matter.All that matters is Piper. Trevor. Delilah. And Meyer's ex-wife Heather, coming to the same destination from the west - a woman who remains his best friend, and his secret lover. Rioting spills into the highways as time ticks away. Unrest boils in both city and hinterlands. But Meyer's obsession to reach Vail is single-minded, guided with the focus of a far-seeing nightmare. Gangs can ground his plane, threaten his vehicles, and steal his belongings. But nothing will stand between Meyer's family and their haven … and Meyer will kill his way to Colorado if he has to. This relentless, page-turning tale of apocalyptic dawn is the first in the alien invasion series by masters of story Truant and Platt, authors of The Beam, Robot Proletariat, the Dream Engine series, and many more.

Integration


Jonathan P. Brazee - 2018
    Despite trying to fight back, there is nothing the young Leefe can do to save his family and friends. But he doesn't have to. The Imperial Marines arrive in the nick of time, and they hate slavers. Three tri-years later, when the new emperor issues a proclamation to integrate the imperial military with non-human citizens, Leefe is among the first to volunteer. Integration to resurrect the empire as a force for good is challenged by centuries of prejudice against the "dung races." Leefe and the other Wyntonans only want to prove their worth and fight for the empire, but their greatest battles are closer to home. With threats to the empire from both within and without, this grand experiment has the potential to save it . . . or tear it apart.