Book picks similar to
Harmonica and Gig by R.J. Astruc


science-fiction
thriller
speculative-fiction
writers-of-color

The Emissary


G.J. Ogden - 2021
    

Master Walk


Sharon Lee - 2003
    He faces pirates, politics, police, and plots. All he has to do is survive. . .In Master Walk, award-winning science fiction authors Sharon Lee and Steve Miller bring a new YA universe to life. Introducing The Advocacy, a rough-and-tumble civilization that has a mix of sentient races and a lot to learn."Sharon Lee and Steve Miller are so good, it's scary." -- S. L. Viehl, author of the StarDoc series"Nobody else in the field combines space opera and comedy of manners with the same deftness and brio as these two." -- Debra Doyle, co-author of the Mageworlds novels". . .classic space adventure. . .is full of action. . . The world building is outstanding. . ." -- Booklist

Victory Conditions, Part 2


Elizabeth Moon - 2011
    Now Commander Vatta is backlocked and loaded and ready to win the fight against the marauding forces of ruthless space pirate Gammis Turek. For Ky, its not just about liberating the star systems subjugated by Turek and defending the rest of the galaxys freedom. Theres also a score to be settled and payback to be meted out for the obliteration of the Vatta Transport dynasty . . . and the slaughter of Kys family. But the enemy have their own escalation efforts under wayincluding the placement of covert agents among the allies with whom Ky and the surviving Vattas are collaborating in the war effort. And when a spy ring linked to a wealthy businessman is exposed, a cracked pirate code reveals a galaxywide conspiracy fueling the proliferation of Tureks warship fleet. Matching the invaders swelling firepower will mean marshaling an armada of battle-ready ships for Ky to lead into combat. But a violent skirmish leaves Ky reelingand presumed dead by her enemies. Now, as Turek readies an all-out attack on the Nexus systema key conquest that could seal the rest of the galaxys doomKy must rally to the challenge, draw upon every last reserve of her strategic skills, and reach deep if she is to tear from the ashes of tragedy her most decisive victory.

The Donated (Generation)


William Knight - 2011
    Within five years it had been spliced into the chromosomes of a rhesus monkey, transported through the cell walls by a retro-virus denuded of its own genetic material.Attempting to regrow impaired or elderly tissues, a scientist will one day modify the DNA of human beings by injecting the gene-carrying virus. It is just a matter of time.Before consenting to treatment, you may want to ask a simple question: could there be a situation in which you would want to die but were unable to do so?Journalist Hendrix 'Aitch' Harrison links bodies stolen from a renowned forensic-research lab to an influential drug company.Aided by Sarah Wallace, a determined and beguiling entomologist, he delves into a grisly world of clinical trials and a viral treatment beyond imagining.But Aitch must battle more than his fear of technology to expose the macabre fate of the drugged victims donated to scientific research.

No Room for Regret


Janeen Ann O'Connell
    He could be sailing anywhere, anytime, but he’s not, he’s going to the other side of the world. He could be anyone, but he’s not, he’s the son of a respectable London businessman. His crime? An error of judgement.In England, in 1812, there is no forgiveness. As the ship sails, eighteen-year-old James Tedder’s seven-year sentence to Van Diemen’s Land begins.Rescuing her eldest son from slave traders in Rio de Janeiro is the most difficult thing Sarah Blay has done in the last two years. Leaving England, her life, her mother, to follow her convict husband James to the other side of the world not knowing if he lives, pales in comparison. Will lives rebuild? Will love survive?

Do Overs: A Time Travel Thriller of Sudden Second Chances


Jon Spoelstra - 2015
    And then when you take it--wham--you are faced with a savage choice of do-overs to correct past blunders. Roy Hobbs blew the cash windfall from his best-seller book. Gone was his money, and then his wife Rachel was murdered with the killer never found. Roy chose to pick up the pieces, riding into his sunset as a crime reporter in a smaller market. Then a weird stranger made him a freaky offer. The stranger would pay Roy the same money as his best-seller book in return for Roy to write a book for the stranger. The subject of the book would be secret until after Roy makes a decision. Big payday or walk away?Roy chose big money, and his life hurled into a dimension he could have never imagined. It was there that he faced the most savage do-over that would re-invent his life in stunning ways.Could he truly have do-overs on his biggest mistakes in life? Would he make those same mistakes again, this time knowing the consequences? Could a do-over allow him to rescue Rachel and put an end to the killings?Roy Hobbs wouldn’t be writing this strange new book, he would be living it, and the ending could kill him and kill Rachel again and again.This is a trip you gotta take. You won't guess the twists and turns, and probably not even the final destination, but you'll certainly have fun. Take the trip today.

The Fighting Season


Bram Connolly - 2016
    Matt Rix, the ultra tough commando who led the ambushed platoon, swears vengeance. Rix is one of Special Forces' most lethal operators. He'll neutralise Rapier - whatever it takes.But in Afghanistan's brutal war, not all things are as they seem.'The Fighting Season is military fiction of the first order: as tough as nails and packed with the insider knowledge of someone who has done it for real.' - Matthew Reilly'Action packed, gritty and authentic to the core.' - Merrick Watts

The Barrier


Shankari Chandran - 2017
    The West won the war, the East was isolated behind a wall, and a vaccine against Ebola was developed. Peace prevailed. Now Agent Noah Williams is being sent over the barrier to investigate a rogue scientist who risks releasing another plague. But why would a once-respected academic threaten the enforced vaccination program that ensures humans are no longer an endangered species? Hunting for answers amid shootouts, espionage and murder, Noah will have to confront a fundamental question: In the fight for survival, can our humanity survive too?Set in the year 2040, within a complex, volatile political climate that is wholly immersive and unnerving, The Barrier is a blazing, fast-paced thriller in the vein of Michael Crichton and Matthew Reilly; with the subversiveness of John le Carre. But also, one man's story of overcoming grief in order to recapture his faith.

M.O.D.


J.C. Allen - 2011
    Scott Carver is asked to make this decision when "M.O.D." asks him to help plan a revolution.

Unstolen: You can steal, but you can't hide


Tony Batton - 2018
    Almost.
 He returns stolen items to their rightful owners.
 For a price.

 A man has to make a living, and Jake more than most. Because he's still paying for mistakes made a long time ago. And they weren't even his.

Declination


David Derrico - 2002
    Now, the Confederation's crises are spawned from within, and one brave woman struggles against all odds to keep mankind united amidst a hailstorm of rebellion, war, and moral declination.* * * * *The Lucani Ibron have yet to return, but all is not well within the Alpha Sector. Internal strife, terrorism, and ever-escalating conflicts with several neighboring species have spread the Confederation's resources dangerously thin. Captain Anastasia Mason, together with an eclectic group of humanity's most decorated heroes, struggles to hold the Confederation together against powerful forces that threaten to rip it apart at its very core. Then, at what appears to be mankind’s most desperate hour, an old enemy returns from a ten-year hiatus, casting humanity to the brink of civil war... and outright annihilation.

The Descendant


M.G. Harris - 2012
    The discovery remains a secret, guarded by a US government intelligence agency. Who will be the first to unlock its power? Can anyone save the world from a cosmic catastrophe that no-one but a long-dead civilization could foresee?Written in 2005 when author M.G. Harris was recuperating from a ski injury the story of The Descendant became the foundation of an internationally best-selling young adult series, The Joshua Files, which has been translated into 17 languages.From The Descendant to Apocalypse Moon (book 5) it’s a journey through a twisty and complex plot involving codes, genetics, ancient history, government conspiracies, time-travel, parallel realities and a dystopian future.The question is – who will win the struggle to control the future?First published after The Joshua Files concluded in 2012, The Descendant can be read as a standalone, before or after the five-part Joshua Files. The story mainly takes places chronologically between the events of Invisible City (book 1) and Ice Shock (book 2), and includes characters which appear later in the series. THE DESCENDANTAfter meeting a fellow molecular geneticist at Mexico City airport, Jackson Bennett is passed a secret message, just before his colleague is ‘disappeared’. With the help of archaeologist, Dr. Marie-Carmen Valencia, Jackson must now solve a puzzle which begins with an enigmatic DNA code and ends with a long-forgotten ancient burial chamber in Iraq. The two young scientists are dragged into a race to unlock human powers so ancient that the memory of them exists only in the human genome.Praise for The Joshua Files."As thrilling as a rollercoaster ride, this fantastical world of spies, spirits, ancient prophecies and hidden cities tests Josh to his limits and he comes to understand the conflicting demands of friendship, family, loyalty and duty." The BookTrust"A fast-paced, first-person thriller. Her book’s Mexico setting is richly evoked, and its historical and conspiracy elements are convincingly delineated." Financial Times “A very well crafted saga . . . these files are well worth diving into.” The Bookbag“Gripping, fast-paced and exciting, this is sure to get the adrenaline pumping round the readers’ body.” Lovereading4kids

The Scout


Eric Tozzi - 2012
    It's heading for Earth at twelve thousand miles per hour...and it will land virtually undetected. For Jack McAllister, a young writer who has finally launched a career for himself, it begins tragically: his estranged father, a former NASA engineer, dies suddenly at his home in Merriweather, Indiana, leaving Jack's Alzheimer's-stricken mother a widow. But in the wake of personal heartbreak, he's confronted by an even more astonishing event--the covert landing of an alien machine in the forest just a few miles outside of town. Now Jack must unmask the true purpose of the otherworldly device that has begun a detailed environmental survey of the woods. Aided by the town's young and resilient female deputy sheriff, he soon discovers that the alien scout is only one small part of a much larger operation, and the countdown to a terrifying global catastrophe is about to take place. Drawing deeply from his father’s scientific influence, all while attempting to avoid the snares of a sexy, seductive and scheming local TV reporter, Jack uncovers—and ultimately finds himself an unwilling component of—an alien plan set to terminate life on Earth as we know it.

Condition Black (A novella)


Tom Barber - 2013
    Everyone around him is dead. He has no idea where he is, or who shot him and his squad down.He soon discovers he’s on one of the moons orbiting Mars, not far from the main colony and his transport back to Earth. Two members of a mining team stationed on the moon come out to investigate. They take Miller back to their base where he manages to send out a call for help.He has ninety minutes to wait for rescue.But those ninety minutes are going to feel like a lifetime.Miller quickly realises that something in the station is wrong.There seems to be more to this place than meets the eye.Strange and unsettling events suggest things are not quite as they appear.As the minutes until his rescue tick by and he begins to finally figure out what is going on, Miller is forced to confront echoes from his past as well as his deepest fears in a situation that is becoming more terrifying by the second.And he soon learns that some nightmares don’t stop when you wake up.

Rogue


David Ryker - 2019
    The best of the best. And now he's gone Rogue... His entire life, all James 'Red' Maddox has known is war. He was born on a dust rock called Genesis-526, conscripted into the Federation military with thousands of other recruits, and somehow stumbled into the Mech Corps. It was a moment that changed his life. Mech Corps pilots are the best of the best. They sit in the cockpit of iron beasts that tower into the sky, fighting alongside men and women who have been bred for their task since birth. Perfect reaction times. An almost inhuman level of concentration. The courage to throw themselves into the fight day after day, year after year, knowing that their mechs are sent into the crucible of the fight, into the heart of danger—and expected not just to survive, but to win... But Red is getting real tired of putting down rebellions on colony planets he's never heard of. Of pulverizing alien planets before he ever even learns their name. Of losing friends, lovers, and brothers in the service of an empire that doesn't care whether he lives or dies. Every man has his breaking point. And Red just found his...