Book picks similar to
Embark by Jon Justice


sci-fi
fantasy-sci-fi-military
first-in-series
indie

Citadel 32: A Tale of the Aggregate


Tom Merritt - 2015
    But someone wants to stop him from pursuing it. Meanwhile on Earth, a monk of the Citadel discovers a strange ancient artwork. Could it lead to truth of the myth of the Moon Men? Finding out the truth could kill him.

Union Station 1, 2, 3: Three Book Bundle


E.M. Foner - 2017
    EarthCent's diplomats are learning on the job - but the galaxy doesn't come with instructions. Get a running start on the funny and heartwarming Union Station series with a three book bundle at the special introductory price. Kelly Frank is EarthCent's top diplomat on Union Station, but her job description has always been a bit vague. The pay is horrible and she's in hock up to her ears for her furniture, which is likely to end up in a corridor because she's behind on rent for her room. Sometimes she has to wonder if the career she has put ahead of her personal life for fifteen years is worth it. When Kelly receives a gift subscription to the dating service that's rumored to be powered by the same benevolent artificial intelligence that runs the huge station, she decides to swallow her pride and give it a shot. But as her dates go from bad to worse, she can only hope that the supposedly omniscient AI is planning a happy ending.

Syndicate Wars: First Strike


Justin Sloan - 2017
     With an alien invasion and survival of the human race at stake, service in the Marines was no longer simply about honor and duty, it was a matter of life and death. This was especially true for Quinn, a Marine sergeant who was hell-bent on ensuring that her young daughter had a world to grow up in. No one stands a chance, but the invasion isn't what it seems. The others don't see this, but one thing separates Quinn from the others: She’s a certifiable badass. And as the aliens will learn, it’s tough to keep a good woman down. "A space opera with heart, great characters, and neverending action, the set-up will suck you in and the characters and story, including a very cool time-travel hook, will keep you wanting more." -- Stephen L'Heureux, SOLIPSISTFILMS (Sin City: A Dame to Kill For) WARNING: There is not over-the-top swearing, but there is swearing. They are Marines, after all.

Starfighter Rising: An Epic SciFi Adventure (Starfighter Rising Series Book 1)


Daniel Seegmiller - 2020
    The galaxy needed him.Sixty years ago the Nolvarics nearly conquered Earth. They were defeated by starfighters.Konran dreamed of becoming a starfighter, but he blew his one shot five years ago. Now his life is stuck in neutral as a glorified rock hauler.He didn’t expect to find Nolvarics lurking in deep space. They didn’t expect him to survive the confrontation.Now all eyes are on Konran as he is plunged into a whirlwind of space battles, peril, and conspiracy. The Nolvarics will stop at nothing to catch him, dead or alive.Destiny hangs in the balance. Can Konran rise and claim it?“Starfighter Rising accomplishes what many fiction novels don’t. It guides you swiftly into a believable universe of fantastic space battles where the laws of physics are described in ways I’ve never read before. You suddenly feel as if you are experiencing the story yourself.”- Ryan G.“I picked it up on a Friday night thinking I would read a few chapters. By Sunday morning, I had finished the entire book.”- Brad S.

Blue Sun Armada


Scott Moon - 2021
    The last thing he expected was for his allies to turn on him.With a new civil war brewing, the Duke and his family have one option to survive the king’s wrath—They must flee.Will they survive the political games of their past? Can they escape their doomed planet and find a new place to thrive before their once great house is destroyed… forever.Blue Sun Armada is the first in a new epic space opera set in the far-flung future. Legendary mech battles, intense fleet engagements, and deadly politics all make Blue Sun Armada a magnificent read.

Wings of Honor


Craig Andrews - 2021
    Their success is unparalleled, and for years they have held the invading Baranyk at bay. But when the alien enemy develops a new weapon that renders the fleet's drone fighters inoperable, humanity is on the verge of destruction.Callan "Coda" O'Neil joined the Terran Fleet Academy with dreams of becoming a prestigious drone pilot and restoring honor to his disgraced family. Fleet Command, however, has other ideas.To counter the alien weapon, Commander Chadwick Coleman, a legendary pilot from the early days of the Baranyk War, is assembling an experimental new squadron that will place real pilots in the cockpit of real starfighters. And he wants Coda to be part of it.With the enemy pressing in, and forced to train under impossible conditions, Coda and his fellow wingmen must learn to fly as one. Failure means the destruction of the human race.And time is running out.

Prominence


A.C. Hadfield - 2017
    Or way of life. They tried to send us into extinction. But we, the Coalition, fought them and won. That was a decade ago. We had assumed they were beaten for good. We were wrong. They’re known as the Host: a cabal of aliens seeking to dominate our sector of space. And they’re back—with help from a powerful new enemy. Against their wrath, we must stand. We’re outnumbered and unprepared. If we lose, we lose everything. But there is hope. An ancient race of long-dead but technologically advanced aliens called the Navigators have a ship called the Blackstar that could potentially turn the tide. That is if I, Kai Locke, a humble ship racer, can find it and learn how to harness its power in time. If I fail, the Coalition will fall, and the Host will consign us to a distant memory. I refuse to let that happen. I will fight to my last breath for the Coalition’s survival.

Commando


James Evans - 2019
     A colony is under invasion. It’s time to send in the Commandos. When the Royal Marines are called to New Bristol, they’re expecting their mission will be just another insurgent hunt. What they face when they arrive is anything but a spot of local trouble though.After a brutal firefight, Lieutenant Warden finds himself leading the remaining Commandos in defence of the colonists. Their enemy has superior numbers, weaponry and armour. They see the colony as a soft target, but they weren’t counting on facing the Royal Marine Space Commandos. Warden must bring the fight to the enemy, and bring it with all the fire and fury he can summon. With only their basic weapon packages and equipment available, it’ll be a tough fight.Can one young Lieutenant and a score of Marines bring an end to the invasion?

The E. E. 'Doc' Smith Omnibus


E.E. "Doc" Smith - 2007
    Then the enemies are forced to become allies when everyone becomes lost in an unfamiliar region of the galaxy and must fight their way back through primative planets and against alien fleets. As always with Smith, romance and action are equally mixed. The Seaton is forced back into action to stop a menace that threatens every civilized planet in the galaxy, but to do it he must create the greatest starship ever conceived. Finally read Triplanetary, the story that helped launch the Lensmen series. A brainy man and heroic woman fight against ruthless space pirates for life and love.

Dark of the Void


Anthony James - 2021
    The enemy warships are seemingly invulnerable and able to act with impunity, killing and destroying at will. Billions of lives are at risk, along with the new technology the Kilvar have come to steal.Against this opponent, the years of preparation seem useless. And yet…the alliance military has plenty of veterans who never learned how to give up.Lieutenant James Vance – a soldier of many past conflicts - thinks he’s seen the worst of the universe. The Kilvar will prove him wrong.Captain William Flint – his heavy cruiser Loadout is about to come face-to-face with an enemy he can’t possibly overcome.Fleet Admiral Carl Recker is the most decorated officer in the alliance. All his experience may not be enough to handle what lies ahead.Hardened by years on the frontline and endless past conflicts, humanity and the Daklan must figure out a way to defeat the Kilvar. The solution will, perhaps, be far more deadly than the enemy. With new technology comes new risks, and what the alliance has discovered may well be the most terrible weapon of all.Dark of the Void is a traditional-style science fiction action adventure and the first in the Forged Alliance series. Inside this book, a reader will find space combat, ground combat, ruthless aliens, incredible tech and lots more.Author’s Note: Forged Alliance is set twelve years after the Savage Stars series of books. Dark of the Void is welcoming to new readers, with no requirement to read the first series, but if you want to learn the history of this universe, by all means start with the Savage Stars Book 1: War from a Distant Sun.

The Dotari Salvation


Richard Fox - 2018
     They are trained to improvise, adapt, overcome and win every fight. A deadly disease threatens the Dotari, Earth’s allies, with extinction. The cure lies in deep space, and Lieutenant Hoffman and his team will join the starship Breitenfeld as it journeys into the void and makes a desperate attempt to save the dying race. Lurking in the abyss is a threat that’s waited with inhuman patience. Hoffman must lead his Marines through a gauntlet and evade a foe designed to hunt and kill them. The Dotari Salvation is an action-packed military science fiction adventure set in the best-selling Ember War universe.

Infiltration


A.K. DuBoff - 2019
    Clandestine political dealings. Disappearances. Connections all trace back to MTech’s newest research lab on Kira’s homeworld.As the Tararian Guard's sole telepath, Kira goes undercover to get to the bottom of the mystery. Hints point to a brewing stellar civil war, but she needs to gather proof. Except, the mysterious forces behind the conflict already have their own plans for Kira that will change her life forever.Set in the internationally bestselling Cadicle space opera universe, the standalone Mindspace series is perfect for fans of sci-fi with superhuman abilities, political intrigue, military action, and devious aliens.

Into Neon


Matthew A. Goodwin - 2019
    When he discovers a familial connection to the stranger, Moss leaves the comfort of his home with his best friend for the sprawling megacity.There, he joins a group of ruffians dedicated to freeing people from the yoke of the evil companies. Police-for-hire, motorcycle gangs and betrayal threaten them at every turn.Can Moss help this small group of rebels fight the power before it’s too late? Find out in Into Neon: A Cyberpunk Saga.

High Strangeness


Eric Bickernicks - 2018
     Ken Wakeman, a skeptical UFOlogist who seeks the truth about paranormal phenomenon, struggles to discredit the myriad of crackpot theories out there. Melissa "Mel" Howard, a reporter for a small Cape Cod newspaper, copes with the seasonal tourist invasion and its accompanying anxieties. When the Cape becomes the national focus over a rash of UFO sights, they join forces to get to the bottom of it. Despite denials from town officials and the military that UFOs have landed, mass hysteria overcomes the seaside community. In addition to the frantic humans, Astro (Ken’s Golden Retriever) has also been acting strangely. Joining the invasion is Klick, the promiscuous leader of a spandex-clad UFO cult whose members want to “amalgamate” with the Fornacisians when their spaceship lands. Mel learns that when dealing with wing nuts, the truth isn’t necessarily “out there”. Tom Frasier, an infamous proponent of crashed saucers and frozen alien bodies, claims the local military base houses some intriguing secrets. After a visit from the FBI gives legitimacy to Tom’s story, Ken will ultimately decide how far he’s willing to go to witness humanity’s greatest close encounter.

Love for Sail


C.L.R. Dougherty - 2014
    Experience her anxiety; feel her fear. Watch her survive by her wits. Connie has recruited her friend, Paul Russo, to serve as cook and first mate. Paul can't join her on her maiden voyage, so Connie is forced to rely on pick-up crew for her first two weeks at sea. Trouble erupts aboard Diamantista as soon as she leaves shore. Anticipating that Paul will join her in the Virgin Islands before their first guests arrive, Connie stays in touch with him during her voyage. As they converse, neither one will acknowledge that their growing attraction is deeper than friendship. Love for Sail is the first book in the Connie Barrera Thrillers, a romantic thriller series from the author of the best-selling Bluewater Thrillers. The next Connie Barrera Thriller will be published in the fourth quarter of 2014. If you enjoyed the Bluewater Thrillers, you'll see a different side of some of your favorite characters when they appear in the Connie Barrera Thrillers. Connie Barrera first appeared in C.L.R. Dougherty's Deception in Savannah. She discovered her Love for Sail in Bluewater Ice and Bluewater Betrayal. Now she has her own stories to tell. Welcome aboard!