Book picks similar to
Venus in Red by Therin Knite


science-fiction
short-stories
action
sci-fi

Star Bourne (Star Man #1)


I.G. Roberts - 2016
    When he wakes, he is in another place and, it seems, another time. Colin is a very long way from home, on the Ship FNS Destiny with no way to return. When he visits the devastated colony of Zafar, he becomes a changed man, a man with a new purpose in life. Pirates attacking planets and Star-Ships quickly show him the universe is not the friendly place he once thought it was. The idea that people who are as technologically advanced as these will be peaceful and benevolent is only partly true. These Aliens must still maintain a military to defend themselves against their enemies. After pirates attack the ship he is travelling on, the entire command structure is out of action, leaving only Colin to guide the repairs and help the crew steer the ship safely back to home port. Along the way he must rescue innocent civilians from the pirates and help the Federation of Sentient Peoples (FSP) to survive. He learns that the very actions he must take to save the ship and crew could also see him branded a pirate if he is successful. While the FSP is by no means a utopian society, its leaders are smart enough to know they are in trouble and who they should ask for help. Can Colin save the ship and her crew? If he does, will the Federation authorities put him in prison for doing so?

Agents of the Planetary Republic Books 1-10


Jaxon Reed - 2021
    Treaties are signed, trade is restored. But spies and diplomatic turmoil lead to a high-tech cold war of epic proportions. Ex Space Marine Gina Wilcox finds herself in a law enforcement career after the war, but life can be just as dangerous on the streets as the battlefield. Sleeper cells activate, assassinating government officials. Crime syndicates flourish. And a certain high-tech android has been stolen by the League, spirited off world for unknown purposes. Into this milieu a band of Marine outcasts join the fight. They spent more time in the brig than on the battlefield, yet racked up admirable wartime kill ratios. These renegades are quietly recruited by Republican Naval Intelligence to lead black ops against the League. Gina Wilcox will join their leader Commander Hamilton Wolf in a risky interstellar quest to retrieve an android who doesn’t even realize she’s not human. The fate of two civilizations hangs in the balance . . .

Six Seconds (Adrian Tarn)


E.R. Mason - 2020
    Adrian Tarn and R.J. Smith are persuaded to escort two scientists to a landing there to investigate. What they find has unexpected consequences for Earth and every person on it. Join Adrian Tarn, R.J. Smith, and Danica Donoro as they fight to close Pandora's box before Earth becomes a new asteroid belt.

Life as an Independent Space Hauler


Jason Hill - 2021
    Everything was taken from him and he was pressed into military service as a fighter pilot. A few years later, Jace has gotten out of military service and worked on a corporate freighter. He has grown to love space and plans to never return to earth. Dissatisfied with the corporate life, Jace finds the necessary backing to go independent. Thus, he begins the life of an independent freight hauler. This story is inspired by Nathan Lowell's Golden Age of the Solar Clipper series, Firefly, and some anime.

MetaGame


Sam Landstrom - 2009
    Winners earn immortality, while losers are condemned to aging and death. D_Light, a gifted player, knows this all too well and he’s willing to do anything to win—even kill. It is no wonder then that when given the chance to enter a MetaGame—an exclusive, high-stakes, anything goes contest—he’s quick to jump at the opportunity. The MetaGame starts out well enough for D_Light, the first quest being to hunt down a dangerous fugitive, but through his own ambition, the tables turn and D_Light finds himself the renegade. Now, D_Light pits himself against his world to find the truth behind “The Game” and must decide between winning it and saving what’s left of his humanity. This book blends emerging political and cultural trends, such as gaming culture, globalization, and the ever-increasing hegemony of corporations, with technological trends, such as genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality. Oh, and if that is not enough, there's even some romance!

The Phantom Fleet


Julien Boyer - 2015
    A massive invasion fleet suddenly appears off the corner of the solar system, headed towards Earth. The nearest patrol ship is sent to investigate, with little chance of survival.

Three Feet of Sky


Stephen Ayres - 2012
    with a peculiar talent.After years of destitution, Adam Eden's life is finally on the up. But, whilst out celebrating his recent good fortune, Adam unwittingly chooses death over embarrassment.Awaking in a future of leisure, luxury, and immortality, Adam suffers serious shrinkage and is branded an 'undesirable'. Shunned by family and neighbours for his first-life sins, can he find respect and redemption in this tightly controlled world? Facing a grim eternity, Adam wants out.A randomly chosen day trip changes everything.Though cruel and heartless, they always let you choose your weapon.

The Second Dark Ages Boxed Set: The Complete Series


Michael Anderle - 2019
      Now, the most powerful male Vampire the world had ever known is back. Grab your copy of the Second Dark Ages Boxed Set today! The Dark Messiah, Book 1 Now, the most powerful male Vampire the world had ever known is back. The problem?  The world went through an Apocalypse and what little honor and justice that previously existed, is gone. Further, his love has left to the stars somewhere, fighting for those on Earth.Now, Michael has to figure out where he is, where he needs to go, help those who need help and figure out how to follow in his love's path. Because if there is one thing that Honor Demands, it is that he make good on his promise to Bethany Anne.Those feeding themselves on the backs of others have very little time to realize an important fact. This Dark Messiah has little compunction about killing. The Darkest Night, Book 2 Michael just wants a little sleep. The last few days has been a bit of a learning overload after coming back a hundred and fifty years after he was blown apart by a backpack nuke.The world destroyed itself, there are anti-gravity cars and ships, and his love is in the stars... somewhere.Plus, there is a Vampire trying to make Europe his personal fiefdom. Akio and Yuko are trying to find him, and he has a young female Wechselbalg and male Vampire to keep on the straight and narrow. Michael has his own brand of justice, and this world is now understanding the Patriach is back. Nothing will be the same. Darkest Before The Dawn, Book 3 Michael continues to work to fulfill the promise to his love, but the world isn't the same place. Now, there is a mistake he made centuries in the past walking around he needs to rectify. To complicate matters, there is a group out of England believing Michael’s blood will be just what they need for their business. While they get nasty Vampires off the street at the same time. Further, the effort to pull together the Sacred Clan’s ship parts are starting to come together. Unfortunately, no one wishes to give Michael and his new family any help. What is a man with a hair problem supposed to do? Michael has his own brand of justice, and this world now understands the Patriarch is back. Nothing will be the same. Dawn Arrives, Book 4 It’s dark outside, but hope will not be defeated. Michael, Akio, Yuko and the rest are searching for the pieces necessary to put together a craft which Michael hopes will take him to Bethany Anne.

Collision


Peter Cawdron - 2016
    For hundreds of years, the danger of collision has been ignored as mere crackpot theories, until now, and now it's too late. Collision is a short story commissioned by Vanquish Motion Pictures for development in film and television, and is the first in a series of character-rich, mystery-driven science fiction grounded in science fact.

Coldfall


Dirk Patton - 2017
    The FBI claims the men were part of an anti-government militia group, but Joseph and Tanya know that wasn't the case. They join forces to find the truth as a cabal of the wealthy and political elite work to create a false crisis in order to justify the suspension of the US constitution. Finding evidence that proves their fathers’ innocence and exposes the lie told to the American people, they are forced to flee a team of the Cabal's hired mercenaries. Now, they must stay alive as a group of former special forces soldiers races to save them and reveal the truth to the world.

The Zanari Inheritance (Children of Zanar, #1)


Niall Teasdale - 2017
    The colony where she had grown up, her family, was gone, dead under circumstances the authorities seemed keen to hide. To find the truth, Kaya must team up with a mercenary and a rag-tag group of smugglers. And the truth is something which will change her life forever.

First Admiral


William J. Benning - 2012
    And, in a desperate attempt to protect the secret of the potentially dangerous Trion technology - the ability to manipulate the fundamental particle of the universe - their leader sends one last covert mission to Earth. The mission goes horribly wrong, leaving Billy Caudwell; an overweight, acne-scarred 14 year old, with the Mind Profile of a military genius, a huge battle fleet and a mission to unite the intelligent species of the universe in a Universal Alliance. With people to rescue, space fleets to battle and villains to defeat, Billy has to overcome his own inhibitions, insecurities and a vicious bully before he can start saving the universe. Welcome, dear readers, to the exciting universe of First Admiral.

Bread Alone (Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number 34)


Sharon Lee - 2021
    Bread is a good start for sustenance.Don Eyr and Serana were survivors who came to Low Port – it gave them air, water, a place to stand and a place to make bread. The place to sleep meant they needed a certain amount of safety and to get that they founded a bakery at the corner of Crakle and Toom, brought in others seeking to survive in the midst of the poverty and ignorance, and built a tiny bastion of a self-sufficient community dedicated to raising competent, alert children who understood decency.Low Port toughs tried to break the bakery and a planet-shaking blast from the skies nearly did it in, but the bakery was hope, and people who have hope will fight to keep it.This chapbook collects four stories about sustenance, all about the bakery, its people, and its influence. ″Degrees of Separation,″ ″Fortune’s Favors,″ and "Block Party" are reprints. The novelette ″Our Lady of Benevolence″ appears here for the first time.

Galactic - Ten Book Space Opera Sci-Fi Boxset


A.C. HadfieldMelissa Lason - 2016
    One thing is for sure, though, you’re in for a wild ride! The Atlantis Ship - by A.C. Hadfield Carson Mach, a former war hero turned freelancer, seeks the biggest payday of his life when he’s tasked to hunt down a ghost ship that has echoed through the centuries. The legendary Atlantis ship has become a reality, appearing at the Commonwealth frontier, and obliterating an orbital station. Failure to stop it is not an option! Prelude to Resistance - by Nick Webb Fighter Pilot Lieutenant Jacob Mercer learns the leader of the Resistance, Admiral Pritchard, has a secret that could change the course of the war. The question is, will he live long enough to find out what it is. The Terran Gambit - by Nick Webb Lieutenant Jacob Mercer likes fast motorcycles, faster women, and screaming space fighters. When Jake is put in the captain's chair of the most advanced warship in the galaxy, he has to face down a psychopathic Imperial Admiral bent on utterly destroying the Resistance and Earth itself. Hollow Space: Venture - by T.F. Grant & C.F. Barnes Forced to hyperjump during a brutal ambush, Sara Lorelle, navigator of the last human colony ship, discovers they’ve jumped to somewhere that shouldn’t exist. Trapped inside a pocket universe known only as Hollow Space, where technology inexplicably fails, Sara and her crew have to defy all odds to survive. Attack on Phoenix - by Megg Jensen Two hundred years ago, an interplanetary expedition crashed on a deserted planet. They caught the attention of the dragzhi, an aggressive alien species, and found themselves in the midst of a war they were doomed to lose. Unless Torsten Vikker, a soldier who’d rather read than fight, can find a way to stop them. Icarus - by Matt Verish Cole Musgrave’s dream of interstellar travel is about to become a nightmare. When a high-profile delivery is compromised aboard a state-of-the-art cargo vessel, the newly appointed captain finds himself embroiled in a deadly assignment far above his pay grade. But this unorthodox cargo pilot won’t go down without a fight—even after he is faced with a choice that will alter the course of his life forever. Containment - by Susan Kaye Quinn The Mining Master of Thebe is all alone… not counting the scavenger drones, foundry nanites, and magtread tractors. So when a spindly tower of rocks mysteriously appears at the pole, reporting it could mean reassignment to the Outer Belt… but probing the mystery further threatens to unlock something that might have been better left... contained. Light of the Earth - by Annie Bellet Ian and Jack Talley and the Prometheus Space Program set a record for the fastest manned flight to Jupiter. But the journey ended in disaster, crippling Jack and killing the rest of the team. Ten years later, an eccentric multi-billionaire offers them all his money, and a second chance, if they'll fly him to Pluto, which asks the question: are they making history? Or repeating it? The Hunted - by Melissa Lason On the dusty streets of Sentos thugs and thieves abound. One man who used to call those same streets home is sent into clean them up. Kyro is a bounty hunter of great reputation but when he returns to Sentos, his skills are truly tested.

Tales of the Apocalypse Volume 1: A Duck & Cover Collection


Benjamin Wallace - 2016
    From the pages of the best-selling Duck & Cover Adventures comes thirteen stories of those who survived the apocalypse. Some would go on to be heroes, others villains, some were dogs and will stay dogs, but they all must contend with the horrors of the new world and find a way to survive in the wasteland that was America. HOW TO HOST AN INTERVENTION Long before he was a knight in the apocalypse, Tommy was preparing for the end of the world. His friends grew concerned for his well-being and planned to intervene. It wasn’t so much that he was preparing, it was what he was preparing for. GONE TO THE DOGS Fidget and Sasquatch were loyal companions to the end. Now that the end has arrived, they must say goodbye to the only home they’ve ever known. If they can figure out how to open the door. BUNKED UP They took refuge in a homemade bomb shelter when the end of the world began. There they were safe from the bombs and the fallout. But they were never safe from each other. PACK HUNTERS Fidget and Sasquatch are on their own, a situation neither of them are really comfortable with. They decide to join a pack for safety, for food and for friends. Now all they have to do is find one. ANIMAL’S CALLING Before the world ended, Jackson drifted from job to job, never settling on anything that could be called a career path. But with the new world comes new opportunities. This is what he was born to do. LAST BAND OF THE APOCALYPSE Caught between county fair gigs during the apocalypse, the members of a cover band find themselves the last band left in the world. Getting gigs should be easy. Should be. PRISONER’S DILEMMA The Librarian has seen his fair share of “wasteland justice.” Now he’s chained to the floor of a grocery store with a man he must face in court. In a battle to the death. Naturally. ALPHA DOG Sergeant Satan was genetically enhanced to be the world’s best military scout. He was designed to be smarter, faster and more than a match for any dog this side of the apocalypse. Of course, his creators had never met Fidget. THE TRIAL OF HARMEGGEDON They’ve got a new name. They’ve got a new act. And they are ready to rock your face off. Now all the last band in the world needs is a gig. WILLIE AND COY RIDE AGAIN Willie and Coy aren’t the brightest. Or the best looking. Or very likeable. No one would ever accuse them of being hard workers. But the pair have found a way to make an honest living in the apocalypse. If they can get enough people to watch. IN A PERSON PACK Tired of looking for a pack to join, Sasquatch and Fidget reminisce about the joys and delights of life in a people pack. NO QUARTER Deep in the swamp of New Orleans awaits a terror many refuse to believe exists. It’s a monster of myth and rumor so horrible that it could not possibly be real. On the trail of a kidnapped woman, The Librarian must seek out and confront this monster of myth. EVE OF THE APOCALYPSE Man is the true monster. Unless there is a man who is a monster that also makes monsters. Then he’s the truest monster and only a post-apocalyptic nomadic warrior can bring this monster’s monster-making to an end.