Book picks similar to
Spacer by J.A. Sutherland


sci-fi
science-fiction
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Shades of Learning


T.S. Paul - 2016
    A new terror group calling themselves the Cabal is plaguing the galaxy. Former Imperial Navy Ensign Tisiphone thought returning home was going to be easy. Life on the farm was still incredibly boring. Her home planet is still recovering from the recent revolution. They have been attacked from space and thousands are dead. A new and effective Military is what they need. To be the best officer she can be she needs to go to the Academy first. Will the Cabal give her planet time to learn to combat them? Or will a new threat from Old Earth come into play?

A Tangled Road to Justice (Paladins of Distant Suns #1)


Olan Thorensen - 2019
    When former soldier Everett Cole signed on to help colony planets prepare for joining the Federation, his employers were disconcertingly vague about their identity and his duties. Yet, the pay was good and it got him off Earth and on the way to a fresh start. More reservations arose when - 11 light-years from Earth - he met his partner, Edgar Millen, an enigmatic man with a penchant for violent solutions and a fetish for the mythology and language of the American Wild West. It wasn’t until they reached the colony world of Astrild that the mission became somewhat clearer. They were players in multi-faceted efforts to steer colony worlds in preparation for joining the Federation. Unfortunately, not all obstacles were amenable to diplomatic, political, or economic solutions. Cole and Millen were agents, troubleshooters, hired guns - or whatever you wanted to call them - tasked with removing impediments to civilized law and order - the methodology left open-ended. Millen and Cole’s first mission to test their partnership? The backwater town of Justice was under the control of a strongman and his henchmen. All they had to do was convince the cowed citizens to rise against their tormenter. Formal authority and backup? None. Millen was blasé at the assignment. Everett’s first thought was, “What the—!”

The Worst Man on Mars


Mark Roman - 2016
    Legend. Role model. He’s none of those.Blunt Yorkshireman and reality TV show winner, Flint Dugdale, has used his large frame and ‘persuasive personality’ to take charge of Britain’s first mission to Mars. Little does he know that the base, built by an advance party of inept robots, is far from ready, with no food, water or doors. And the ship’s scanners are picking up strange signals. There is life down there. But will it be pleased to see him?

Bring the Thunder


Jonathan Yanez - 2017
     When others run from danger, Riot runs toward it. When others throw up, she throws down. And when there’s a brawl in a bar, well … she’s probably the one who caused it. But now, the person voted least likely not to blow stuff up by her unit has been given another mission: explore the universe and forge bonds with new alien races in order to save earth from another invasion. Backed by her ride or die crew - the only guys she’d trust on a mission such as this - and a scientist, because, well, science, Riot blasts off in a spaceship headed to distant galaxies, the fate of the planet resting on her shoulders. Bring the thunder is a fantastical space marine adventure with rollercoaster-like action and the kind of snarky humor you’ve come to love in movies like guardians of the galaxy. If you like the whiplash action of The Ember War and the ridiculousness of We Are Legion (We Are Bob), then you’ll be obsessed with the War Wolves series. Get your copy today to blast off to non-stop fun and war-games.

Refuge: The Arrival: Book 1


Doug Dandridge - 2012
    The dimensional gates open to another world, a world of magic, where our dreams of fantasy are real. The evil Emperor of the Ellala sees the millions of transplanted humans as soul energy to forward his scheme for immortality. He orders his armies to capture the newcomers, to place them in concentration camps where they can be harvested. But the Germans, French, Polish and other peoples or Earth have other ideas. With the help of their American allies and the modern weapons of war they will fight back against the magic of the evil elves, while gathering their own allies in the fight for survival. For they are seen by the native peoples as the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy. And they have brought immortals with them to this world. men and women of great power on Earth, who become true demigods on the new world. So it is tank against mage, attack helicopter against dragon, and nuclear warheads against impregnable fortress, as the humans must use their technology while they still have it, and gain a foothold on a world beyond their understanding.The first book of a series about the establishment of a human Empire on a world of magic, led by their immortal king, Book 2 is also out, book 3 in the winter of 2013.

Betrayal


Pippa DaCosta - 2015
    Rated: R. Restricted. Contains space battles, killer AI, intergalactic ass-kicking. Read at own risk.She is programmed to kill.He’ll do anything to survive. Ex-con Captain Caleb Shepperd believes being good is overrated. All he wants is to smuggle illegal cargo through the nine systems and live a prosperous (likely short) life on the wrong side of the law.But there's a problem with that plan. The priceless synthetic stowaway on his ship is a distraction he doesn't need.Torn between selling her and tossing her out the airlock, Shepperd fails to realize the synth is a killer, and he's the one locked in her sights.In a world where only one thousand synthetics were built, synthetic number One Thousand and One should not exist. She is no ordinary synth. Memories locked inside her code could bring Shepperd—and the entire nine systems—to its knees.Captain Shepperd and the oppressive corporations are about to learn that you can't hide from the sins of your past, especially when that past has orders to kill.WARNING: 18+ only. Contains adult content, including sex, drug use, violence, and swearing.Older cover editions of this ASIN can be found here & here.

Be More Chill


Ned Vizzini - 2004
    Day after day, he stares at beautiful Christine, the girl he can never have, and dryly notes the small humiliations that come his way. Until the day he learns about the "squip." A pill-sized supercomputer that you swallow, the squip is guaranteed to bring you whatever you most desire in life. By instructing him on everything from what to wear, to how to talk and walk, the squip transforms Jeremy from Supergeek to superchic. Now an off-Broadway musical!Alternate cover: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

Starship Alexander


Jake Elwood - 2016
    A worn-out ship. A crew of green cadets. And they're Earth's only hope. The Alexander is the last true warship, a relic from the days of interstellar war. She's destined for the scrapyard, and her captain, Richard Hammett, is about to retire. Their last mission is a training run with a ship full of cadets. It's supposed to be a routine hop through a wormhole Gate. But Gates have been going offline, one after another, and Hammett knows in his bones it means trouble. The kind of trouble only a real warship can handle. Defying orders, he takes the Alexander through another Gate, and puts the ship smack dab in the path of an alien invasion. Now a captain at the end of his career will have to take dozens of terrified cadets and forge them into a crew of warriors, because the Alexander is all that stands between the Earth and the swarming ships of the Hive.

Gabriel's Journey


Steve Umstead - 2011
    Military science-fiction adventure at its best!---GABRIEL'S REDEMPTION, Book OneNorth American Federation Navy Commander Evan Gabriel was dishonorably discharged after losing his covert team on a far off world called Eden. Now, he’s being offered an opportunity to command a new team, on a new world, with a new mission, but the true motives behind the mission are unclear.From the decaying Caribbean to politically-charged South America, from the slums of Mars to a tiny colony on a planet six hundred light years from Earth, Gabriel's Redemption is a near-future military science fiction story of a personal journey seen from the perspective of a soldier who has lost everything; one who desperately needs to redeem himself not only in his government’s eyes, but also his own. Interstellar action and political intrigue mix with one-on-one battles on the surface of a frozen planet in this exciting tale of salvation.Approximately 66,000 words.GABRIEL’S RETURN, Book TwoOn the far-off icebound planet of Poliahu, North American Federation Navy Commander Evan Gabriel suffered the loss of several team members in order to free a native species and save his brother. Now he is being called away on a new mission by a friend in trouble, and by a name from his distant past. He and his surviving team must again travel across the galaxy to the planet where he lost his naval command, and his original team, so many years ago: Eden.Evan Gabriel must face three distinct threats on Eden: the well-armed terrorist group that has been raiding Eden City, the dangerous planet itself, and his own haunting memories of his past.Gabriel's Return continues the epic science fiction/adventure trilogy with characters new and old, devious political intrigue on the moon and Mars, and deadly jungle combat on Eden.Approximately 87,000 wordsGABRIEL’S REVENGE, Book ThreeA missile has no conscience. It is an inanimate steel object: cold, emotionless. But once ignited, it burns white hot inside, and cannot be shut off. Fired in combat, it has but one objective: the total destruction of its intended target. And it will only stop when its objective has been achieved, or it runs out of fuel.Not all missiles are made of steel.North American Federation Navy Commander Evan Gabriel thought it was over. Returning from a mission on the far-off world of Eden, he finds that Mars is in a state of political upheaval. Two major dome cities are now under the control of ambitious and ruthless men backed by the scheming South American Republic. Friends are in trouble, Renay Gesselli is missing, and the future of a world is in flux while rival governments bicker behind closed doors. From the ice-bound planet of Poliahu, to the dangerous jungle world of Eden, and back to his adopted home of Mars, Evan Gabriel has witnessed death follow him. Now, he's turning the tables, and no force would stand in his way.Approximately 80,000 wordsREVIEWS:“The action in this series rocks, complete with super-cool weapons and technology. Umstead takes a complex cast and gives them each a distinct personality that makes the team dynamic just great.” - L. Petersen“I am a huge fan of well-written science fiction, and the Evan Gabriel series hasn't disappointed... layered with dimension and feeling unlike quite a few other sci-fi titles out there.” - N. Holderby“Umstead has created what I can only describe as a Tom Clancy-esque world a few hundred years into the future.” - W.E. Linde

Regan's Reach


Mark G. Brewer - 2014
    The buyer, aerospace and defence giant USDynamics want a share of Arteis, her new cyber defence system. Plus they've picked out Regan as a fresh creative genius and want in on whatever she has planned next. Washed out from negotiations and cash rich Regan decides to take a long planned break and go bush, to disappear for six months and freshen up her thinking. Tramping off track, top of New Zealand’s South Island she accepts a shock Satphone call for help. Doing the right thing finds her the rescuer of a comatose man, human but strangely alien. Within hours her life has changed. While in orbit at the mercy of a quirky artificial intelligence and nursemaid to the injured alien she finds out traitorous moves have been made against her company by foreign business powers. Unable to do anything about it in her present situation she instead messages her team to warn them then embarks on the journey of a lifetime assisting the AI to return the man while leaving her trusted team to deal with the attack at home. The two month interstellar journey see’s a developing relationship with the AI and a formidable partnership established. They arrive at their destination in the middle of political unrest. At home her team find themselves collateral damage in a corporate war full of intrigue, murky politics, and betrayal. Will she survive the trip across the galaxy? How will her friends deal with the threats and will the company survive the attack? And who would want to be in Regan Stein's sights if she returns at all?

Echoes of Angels


Matt Larkin - 2013
    Then they enslaved us. Yet five hundred years after the angels vanished, humanity continues to obey. Professor Rachel Jordan dared to defy 3000 years of angelic doctrine, teaching that the ancient angels were never the saviors they claimed to be. The Redeemers, self-appointed guardians of angelic law, branded her a heretic. Hunted by zealots who would brainwash her back into the angels’ good graces, she flees to the edge of civilized space. But not to hide. Rachel’s only hope is a fabled lost book of the Codex, written by a rogue angel: the Sefer Raziel. Tracking the book to a desolate former prison world, she delves into the criminal underworld to ferret out its location. But her search draws the ire of greedy megacorporations, shadowy puppet governments, and the zealots who chased her there in the first place. As conflicting forces close in, Rachel must rely on dangerous allies and question the limits of her moral code to be the first to claim the Sefer Raziel. Even if it kills her. Because the only fate worse than death is knowing that her failure doomed humanity to eternal servitude. Echoes of Angels is the first book of Sins of Angels, an epic space opera series set 3000 years after the fall of Earth. With the scope of Dune and the adventurous spirit of Indiana Jones, Sins of Angels delivers a conflict that spans galaxies and rests on the spirit of a single brave researcher. Follow the complete saga, and watch as the fate of our species hangs in the balance.

Nethereal


Brian Niemeier - 2015
    A precision killer inspired by the dream of his captain. The last member of a murdered race, fighting to avenge his people against the might of the Guild…and the dark powers behind it. The Sublime Brotherhood of Steersmen holds the Middle Stratum in its iron grip. Jaren Peregrine, last of the Gen, raids across fringe space with Nakvin—her captain’s best pilot and only friend, apprentice steersman Deim, and mercenary Teg Cross. Hunted by the ruthless Master Malachi, Jaren and his crew join a conspiracy to break the Guild’s monopoly with an experimental ship. But when its maiden voyage goes awry, the Exodus flies farther off course than its crew could have imagined.

The Alien's Winter Gift


Kate Rudolph - 2018
    They'll have to work together to make winter on Honora Station a reality, even as someone on the ship seems determined to ruin the new holiday.

Steamborn


Eric R. Asher - 2015
    These towering barriers keep the Deadlands creatures at bay, but the monsters move higher into the peaks every year. More and more, they breach the defenses of the Lowlands while the Highlands rest easy. A swarm overruns the walls and wreaks utter devastation on the Lowlands. Charles, the old tinker, suspects the attack may not be natural. With help from Jacob's closest friend, Alice, and Samuel, one of the city's elite spider knights, Jacob and Charles will uncover a terrible darkness at the heart of their city.

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars


Christopher Paolini - 2020
    Now she's awakened a nightmare. During a routine survey mission on an uncolonized planet, Kira finds an alien relic. At first she's delighted, but elation turns to terror when the ancient dust around her begins to move.As war erupts among the stars, Kira is launched into a galaxy-spanning odyssey of discovery and transformation. First contact isn't at all what she imagined, and events push her to the very limits of what it means to be human. While Kira faces her own horrors, Earth and its colonies stand upon the brink of annihilation. Now, Kira might be humanity's greatest and final hope...