Book picks similar to
The Weight of Stars and Suns by Dawn Christine Jonckowski
completely-freaking-wonderful
female-author
futuristic
science-fiction
Star Nomad
Lindsay Buroker - 2016
It should be a time for celebration, but not for fighter pilot Captain Alisa Marchenko. After barely surviving a crash in the final battle for freedom, she's stranded on a dustball of a planet, billions of miles from her young daughter. She has no money or resources, and there are no transports heading to Perun, her former home and the last imperial stronghold.But she has a plan.Steal a dilapidated and malfunctioning freighter from a junkyard full of lawless savages. Slightly suicidal, but she believes she can do it. Her plan, however, does not account for the elite cyborg soldier squatting in the freighter, intending to use it for his own purposes. As an imperial soldier, he has no love for Alliance pilots. In fact, he's quite fond of killing them.Alisa has more problems than she can count, but she can't let cyborgs, savages, or ancient malfunctioning ships stand in her way. If she does, she’ll never see her daughter again.
We Are Not Prey
Taki Drake - 2016
This science fiction adventure blends magic and technology with the adventures of Ruth, a normal human, pushed into extraordinary situations. Ruth’s transformation takes her from Earth to worlds and situations of which she never dreamed.
Jaran
Kate Elliott - 1992
The volatility of these alien overlords is something with which Tess Soerensen is all too familiar. Her brother, Charles, rebelled against them at one time and was rewarded by being elevated into their interstellar system—yet there is reason to believe they murdered his and Tess’s parents.Struggling to find her place in the world and still mending a broken heart, Tess sneaks aboard a shuttle bound for Rhui, one of her brother’s planets. On the ground, she joins up with the native jaran people, becoming immersed in their nomadic society and customs while also attempting to get to the bottom of a smuggling scheme she encountered on her journey there. As she grows ever closer to the charismatic jaran ruler, Ilya—who is inflamed by an urgent mission of his own—Tess must choose between her feelings for him and her loyalty to her brother.Jaran is the first volume of the Novels of the Jaran, which continues with An Earthly Crown, His Conquering Sword, and The Law of Becoming.
Lords of the Sith
Paul S. Kemp - 2015
We are indeed hunted." Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, is just a memory. Darth Vader, newly anointed Sith Lord, is ascendant. The Emperor's chosen apprentice has swiftly proven his loyalty to the dark side. Still, the history of the Sith Order is one of duplicity, betrayal, and acolytes violently usurping their Masters—and the truest measure of Vader's allegiance has yet to be taken. Until now. On Ryloth, a planet crucial to the growing Empire as a source of slave labor and the narcotic known as "spice," an aggressive resistance movement has arisen, led by Cham Syndulla, an idealistic freedom fighter, and Isval, a vengeful former slave. But Emperor Palpatine means to control the embattled world and its precious resources—by political power or firepower—and he will be neither intimidated nor denied. Accompanied by his merciless disciple, Darth Vader, he sets out on a rare personal mission to ensure that his will is done. For Syndulla and Isval, it's the opportunity to strike at the very heart of the ruthless dictatorship sweeping the galaxy. For the Emperor and Darth Vader, Ryloth becomes more than just a matter of putting down an insurrection: When an ambush sends them crashing to the planet's surface, where inhospitable terrain and an army of resistance fighters await them, they will find their relationship tested as never before. With only their lightsabers, the dark side of the Force, and each other to depend on, the two Sith must decide if the brutal bond they share will make them victorious allies or lethal adversaries.
Psion
Joan D. Vinge - 1982
Named an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, Cat's story has been continued by Hugo-award winning and international best-selling author Joan D. Vinge with the very popular Catspaw and Dreamfall. Now, 25 years later, this special anniversary edition of Psion contains a new introduction by the author and "Psiren," a story never before included in any trade edition of Psion. This tough, gritty tale of an outsider whose only chance for redemption is as an undercover agent for an interstellar government that by turns punishes and helps him, is as fresh and powerful today as it was in 1982.
Galaxy's Edge, Part IV
Jason Anspach - 2019
Fight to win. Survive the future. With the galaxy in turmoil, the Legion initiates Article Nineteen, a hard reset designed to halt the corruption and ineptitude that continues to spill forth from the Galactic Core. But when the House of Reason aligns itself with the bloodthirsty zhee extremists, the Legion has no choice but to commit to a savage campaign of Total War. As Legion Commander Keller attempts to coax the Republic and Black Fleet into a winner-take-all battle at the heart of the Galactic Core, Wraith uncovers secrets from Tyrus Rechs’s past. Determined to liberate his crew from the clutches of a dormant fleet controlled by a hostile AI, the soldier-turned-rogue comes face to face with the galaxy’s greatest threat. Meanwhile, Captain Chhun and Victory Squad follow intelligence that could land a powerful blow against Goth Sullus and his fledgling empire, and Exo and Wraith, in an tenuous alliance, move toward a slumbering fleet that could permanently alter the delicate balance of power among Legion, Republic, and Empire - or could just as easily eradicate the galaxy altogether. Chhun and Kill Team Victory find themselves taking on new roles inside the Legion, and the fight for control of the Galactic Republic hits its zenith with the arrival of the malevolent Cybar.©2018 Jason Anspach and Nick Cole (P)2019 Podium Publishing
Kneel or Die / We Will Build / It's Hell to Choose
Michael Anderle - 2016
(Kneel Or Die - TKG 07 Review) What you know about Vampires and Werewolves is wrong. So Very, Very Wrong! Continue to adventures of one of Amazon's best loved series... Reviewer MistyDawn: "I'm surprised. I thought when I read the first book in this series, that it couldn't get better.... I was wrong. I read almost continuously, and for the past year and a half, I haven't read a series (or even one) book that I've loved as much. With such loyal characters, friendship, and badassery... just don't wait to start reading these. So just, just wow." **Please note, as mentioned in a review, there is flagrantly foul language in these novels. The main character does not have a problem with cussing, just uninspired cussing. Another note: This book is part of a series and MUST be read in order. Series includes: Death Becomes Her - The Kurtherian Gambit 01 Queen Bitch - The Kurtherian Gambit 02 Love Lost - The Kurtherian Gambit 03 Bite This - The Kurtherian Gambit 04 Never Forsaken - The Kurtherian Gambit 05 Under My Heel - The Kurtherian Gambit 06 Kneel or Die - The Kurtherian Gambit 07 We Will Build - The Kurtherian Gambit 08 It's Hell To Choose - The Kurtherian Gambit 09 Release The Dogs of War - The Kurtherian Gambit 10 Sued For Peace - The Kurtherian Gambit 11 We Have Contact - The Kurtherian Gambit 12 My Ride is a Bitch - The Kurtherian Gambit 13 (coming soon)
Denver Moon: The Minds of Mars
Warren Hammond - 2018
Luna is uninhabitable. Mars is our last chance.Once considered humanity's future home, Mars hasn't worked out like anybody hoped. Plagued by crime and a terraforming project that's centuries from completion, Mars is a red hell.Denver Moon, P.I., works the dark underbelly of Mars City. While investigating a series of violent crimes linked to red fever--a Martian disorder that turns its victims into bloodthirsty killers--Denver discovers a cryptic message left by Tatsuo Moon, Mars City co-founder and Denver's grandfather. The same grandfather who died two decades ago.Twenty-year-old revelations force Denver on a quest for truth, but Tatsuo's former friend, Cole Hennessy, leader of the Church of Mars, has other plans and will stop at nothing to keep Denver from disclosing Tatsuo's secrets to the world.Hell-bent on reclaiming her grandfather's legacy, Denver--along with her AI implant, Smith, companion android, Nigel, and shuttle pilot, Navya--set out on a quest to find the answers they hope will shed light on the church's true agenda, the origin of red fever, and the mysteries surrounding Tatsuo's tragic death.
Farthest Shores of Ursula K Le Guin
George Edgar Slusser - 1976
An examination of Le Guin's career, from her obscure beginnings in the science fiction magazines to her rapid rise to the top in the 1970's.
Martian Plague
Brandon Ellis - 2019
Maybe humans were lucky to leave Earth as cowards...or maybe they should have died trying to save it from the aliens. Because what's now arrived on this red rock may be worse than death. Aliens destroyed humanity and seized Earth. Now they have sent a terrible, unstoppable disease to the last human outposts on Mars. The doomsday clock is ticking and only criminal archaeologist Ozzy Mack can decipher the clues buried in the ancient Martian ruins...clues to the cure and the salvation of humankind. Unless it's already too late.
The Messengers
Lindsay Joelle - 2020
A soldier and a pilot are tasked to deliver a package. A messenger and a refugee decide to work together on a dying alien planet. A love letter is lost that could be the key to a new future. A dark comedy about the messages we carry in our bones.
Freddy Anderson's Home
John Ricks - 2010
Freddy Anderson used that ability working to save the world from a world ending disaster. However, the human race is now at war. Aliens have attacked and captured many of our top people including Freddy Anderson and are headed back to their home world. They are trying to extract from his mind information that will help them understand how the humans destroyed their greatest ship and how to annihilate the entire human race.
Fluency
Jennifer Foehner Wells - 2014
They kept the Target under intense surveillance for decades, letting the public believe they were exploring the solar system, while they worked feverishly to refine the technology needed to reach it. The ship itself remained silent, drifting. Dr. Jane Holloway is content documenting nearly-extinct languages and had never contemplated becoming an astronaut. But when NASA recruits her to join a team of military scientists for an expedition to the Target, it’s an adventure she can’t refuse. The ship isn’t vacant, as they presumed. A disembodied voice rumbles inside Jane’s head, "You are home." Jane fights the growing doubts of her colleagues as she attempts to decipher what the alien wants from her. As the derelict ship devolves into chaos and the crew gets cut off from their escape route, Jane must decide if she can trust the alien’s help to survive.
Conquered By the Alien Prince
Rebel West - 2018
Only problem? He's an alien.When a confidential mission sends Doctor Cali Taylor to Luminar, her project is thrown in jeopardy and more than one life, including her own, is at risk.The one constant? The alien prince and a scorching interplanetary rendezvous. But can their budding romance withstand the danger that threatens to tear them apart?Enjoy the first book in the Luminar Masters Series by Rebel West. The books are interconnected and can be read in any order. Guaranteed HEA and no cheating!Note: This book contains elements of dominance, submission, BDSM elements including corporal punishments. If this material offends you, please do not buy this book.
Rocannon's World
Ursula K. Le Guin - 1966
Earth scientist Rocannon is on that world, and he sees his friends murdered and his spaceship destroyed. Marooned among alien peoples, he leads the battle to free this new world - and finds that legends grow around him even as he fights.