Book picks similar to
High Mountain Hunters by William Alan Webb


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Storm Divers (Fractured Republic Saga #1)


Terry Mixon - 2016
    For Adam Hale, the thrill of plunging his tiny ship into the unimaginable maelstroms on the king of planets helps him forget the blood-soaked tragedy that ended his military career. Rachel Price came to Jove Station to find her missing partner, Zane Hale, who is also an intelligence operative for the Republic. To do that, she must convince Zane’s brother—the man responsible for slaughtering dozens of her friends on Mars—to help her. Amid the crowds of the first annual system-wide storm diving competition, they stumble onto an insidious conspiracy that changes everything they thought they knew about each other and themselves. They must overcome the past and work as one or Jupiter will eat their bones.

If Crows Know Best (Mage of Merced, #1)


Aimee Gross - 2014
    In the span of one day, Judian goes from the burden of farm chores to a crushing responsibility for the lives of his family. With his father and brother gone to war, he must keep the others safe and evade the enemy. If only he can trust the guides which appear, seemingly unbidden, he may succeed. Yet, he has so much to learn, and so little time. He struggles to keep to the fringes of the conflict, but the magic he discovers draws him deeper, toward the truth of the war. Mages from a distant land are driving the enemy forces. To what end? Follow Judian as he comes of age in a world of portents and spellcasting. Though life as a farm boy left him longing for more adventure, he must be careful with his wishes during the fateful year he becomes a man.

The Valiant


J.J. Green - 2020
    One of them is Taylan Ellis.Driven from her home in the West Britannic Isles by an invasion and severed from her children, Taylan enlists with the Britannic Alliance, hoping she can help regain her homeland and find her kids.But decades of internal conflict and terrestrial and space warfare have left the BA on the edge of collapse.Then its battleship, the Valiant, picks up a distress signal. The rescuers break into a sealed chamber and find the apparently mummified remains of an Iron Age chieftain. Disappointed, they're about to leave when they discover the ‘mummy’ has a pulse.Taylan suspects she knows who the mystery man is and what he’s capable of. If she’s right, can she convince her superiors and save the BA, her country, and her children?The Valiant is book one in J.J. Green’s new space fantasy series, Star Legend.

Buffer Zone


Connie Suttle - 2018
    A device would be clamped to the backs of our necks and we'd never be able to shift back to human again. It was how they justified their enslavement of us; that we were only animals instead of sentient humans. The Krelk had killed more than two-thirds of the human population, too, but they made the excuse that they'd thought them animal as well, until their High Council, wherever that was, decided otherwise. When I heard the first yelp, even underground, I couldn't breathe. Was that a shifter? Few shifters could take on a Krelk and their weapons and either survive or avoid being stunned. That's how we were captured—frozen and only barely able to breathe while we were caged, tagged and hauled away from the buffer zone. Another yelp—followed quickly by a third. This was no shifter—the Krelk were the ones screaming. Terrified but still curious, I dipped into the watery entrance and slowly made my way out of my cave to peek at the river bank above my head. A dead Krelk dropped into the water nearby, making me jump and squeak in terror. "An otter?" Someone leaned down to look at me. Not a Krelk—I knew their scent. This—I'd never scented someone like this before. I scrabbled backward, afraid of this newcomer, too, even if he did appear humanoid. "Don't be afraid—I killed all of them." I backed all the way into the water and scrambled to swim to my cave before he could grab me. Once there, I refused to come out. "I understand," he said, loud enough that I could still hear him. "Be safe. I'll patrol farther down, tonight." I listened, my heart beating so rapidly I feared it would burst while his footsteps, light as they were, faded as he walked southward. He'd killed six Krelk, and I'd never heard one of their weapons fire. Who could do that? Earth wasn't alone it its suffering. We were just another planet in a large group of suffering worlds, and help was either non-existent or difficult to come by. There'd be no Marines landing here to save us; that hope had died years ago. What we had was a handful of people with unusual talents, helping a few of us stay alive against impossible odds. --Clare Coquina

Helium 3: Fight for the Future


Brandon Q. Morris - 2021
    

Defenders of the Rim: Beginnings


Randal Sloan - 2017
    Our young heroes must discover the evil plot, warn the galaxy, and still somehow survive! Young Lieutenant Jarra Carsean, newly graduated from the Rim Patrol Officer Candidate School, is given a small ship and a crew of misfits, straight out of District Specialist Training. Can their young team come together and survive their first mission, a mission that becomes a much more difficult and risky endeavor than anyone suspects it will be? What they discover has huge ramifications for the whole galaxy and they will have to use every skill their team has to survive. Jarra carries with her a big secret that might well jeopardize her team or it may save them all and the Galactic Empire too. >>The first in the Far Future Sci-Fi Thriller series, Defenders of the Rim: Beginnings is a far future sci-fi thriller in a world that combines science that just might be possible many years in the future with a Galactic Empire, rebels and aliens. Sign up for my Reader's List at http://randalsloan.com/farfuture/

All-Knowing Novice


Kenneth Arant - 2021
    Knowledge is safety. Knowledge is Happiness. But only if you can act on it…In spite of his best efforts, sixteen-year-old Taryn is an outcast. No one in the city will sully themselves by associating with a Clanless, and without someone to jumpstart his Eco core, he’s unable to fulfill his dream of walking the path of a cultivator. However, his life is turned upside down when he finds a journal belonging to an ancient immortal known only as “the Mourner.”The journal was enchanted to pass along the memories and knowledge of the old cultivator to their successor. Taryn is ecstatic, as he suddenly has an abundance of knowledge at his fingertips… Unfortunately, he’s unable to make use of that knowledge without Eco. And the Mourner's spirit has begun showing Taryn visions of a possible future—one where his home is destroyed and the only family he knows dies before his eyes.There’s only one way to prevent this future from coming to pass. The journey will either force him to surpass those who once mistreated him or end in his death, and not even the Mourner has the knowledge of which outcome it will be... From Kenneth Arant, bestselling author of the Snake’s Life Series, comes a brand-new cultivation adventure perfect for fans of xanxia, demon beasts, and mystic martial arts of all types.

Alchemist Apprentice


Dan Michaelson - 2021
    That power has never been found on the edge of the kingdom where Sam and his sister struggle to survive. Until now.A terrible mistake puts Sam at the mercy of a master of the arcane arts who brings Sam to the Academy to help learn what happened to the last of the Alchemists. Posing as a student, and with no magic of his own, he tries to navigate the Academy and discover the secrets of Alchemy. When he discovers a dangerous power that could destroy the Academy, Sam is tested in a way he’d never imagined.Having no magic of his own, his mind and wits might not be enough to stop a dangerous power that has turned its attention upon the Academy—and is now focused on Sam.

Foundations


J.D. Astra - 2020
    His acceptance letter in hand, Jiyong is sure nothing will stand in the way of his dreams.When a street brawl lands him in a coma only weeks into the year, his chances of graduating are all but shot. With an unlikely digital companion, he’ll have to rebuild his magic core and catch up on all his classes, or risk being dropped from the academy at the end of the year.But kingdom life is not like the outer-cities, and kingdom kids are far more ruthless about who they’ll allow to climb to the top. Jiyong will have to train hard and fight for every score to make it in this wealthy academy for powerful families, all while supporting his own from afar.From J.D. Astra, author of Viridian Gate Online: Firebrand, comes a brand-new Cultivation Academy series, bursting at the seams with nanites, martial arts, and LitRPG goodness.

The Voyage Home


D.J. Holmes - 2017
    Sold into slavery. Forced to fly the ship of a ruthless pirate. Sarah knows nothing of her homeworld or her people. Her one longing is to return home. Little does she know humanity is no better off. The Elders, a ruthless alien race rule Earth with an iron grip. When Sarah’s ship is ambushed by an Elder frigate she is thrown into a life and death battle. Survival would send shockwaves throughout the galaxy. Never before has an Elder warship been beaten in one-on-one combat. For Sarah, it would also open up a way for her to return to the home she has never known. The Voyage Home is an adventure & military sci-fi novel that tells the story of one young woman’s quest to find her homeworld and confront a galactic superpower.

First Sight


Boyd Craven - 2017
    I’ve been on the run from the Council of Mages for as long as I can remember. You’d have to ask the Council why, because I have a long memory and don’t know what I or my parents did wrong.  I had everything figured out at one point. Then, I broke one of my own rules.  I had drinks and there was this woman – my main rule is no women, connections and entanglements – it makes for a lonely existence. Now I’m running for my life from the world’s foremost assassin.  He is thought to be immortal, which would make killing him a little tougher than I’d hoped. My nomadic existence has led me to my becoming a prepper. A mage prepper. I can inscribe runes into ordinary objects to give them extraordinary power. I can also see up to five seconds into the future, which comes in handy when you challenge a young rogue alpha werewolf. That scrape was worth it. Not only was I granted my own accorded pack territory, but rescuing that fairy from the Alpha earned me one of my closest friends. When she’s not spewing pop culture references, there are glitter bombs and snark. Another close friend is the Sheriff, and just thinking about her has me wanting to break my own rules.   Topping my “to do” list, though, are divining the future to stay alive and solving my parents’ murder. Maybe some payback, though the chips are stacked against me.

Axis Crossing


S.H. Jucha - 2021
    Naiad, the home world, is a frozen ball, but the colonists persevere and expand through wormholes to remote systems.Navigating the time-space anomalies requires Axis-ships. The expensive vessels are constructed by corporations, and remote worlds are claimed by the companies for their valuable ores and gases.The corporations and Naiads are at odds with each other, and their lives are made more complicated by the arrival of strangers in an alien ship.To understand the nature of the unusual vessel coasting toward Beta Two, the director of operations orders the kidnapping of specialists from other mining worlds. Entire families are scooped up, but two siblings, Escher and Allie, evade capture.Hiding deep below the domes’ surfaces, the siblings are befriended by the orphans of miners. The young mickies don’t possess identification chips or cids, which would identify them as citizens.The gang of mickies and the siblings strike a deal to help each other. Each group is determined to reach Naiad. The mickies seek citizen status and freedom, and Escher and Allie want help rescuing their parents.The beleaguered group’s hastily derived plans bury them in criminal complications. When all appears lost, a second alien vessel exits the dark. The hull is similar to the ship at Beta Two, and these strangers seek their enemies.

The Genius Asylum: Sic Transit Terra Book 1


Arlene F. Marks - 2016
    They're wrong. Sent undercover to set up a covert intelligence operation on Earth's remotest space station, Drew Townsend finds himself managing a crew of brilliant mavericks, making friends with the most feared warriors in the galaxy, and feeling more at home in the controlled insanity of Daisy Hub than he ever did on Earth. Then he learns the truth about his mission there, and it's time to choose. In the coming interplanetary conflict, which side will Daisy Hub be on? Like the clues of a cryptic crossword, each book set in the Sic Transit Terra universe contains a puzzle – perhaps a riddle, perhaps a maze or an anagram – and in each case, the answer to the smaller puzzle brings the reader and characters one step closer to solving a much larger and more important one. The Genius Asylum is ‘1 Across’ – it initiates a multi-book story arc that addresses one of the great mysteries of life: Why are we humans the way that we are? "THE GENIUS ASYLUM is smart, gripping, and breakneck. I'd wait for the movie, except I don't want to wait: I want to read more! A convincingly realized future, smartass cynical policing at its best, and a thorough romp! More, please!" – Ed Greenwood, creator of The Forgotten Realms A list of comparative titles: The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison Pandora's Star (Commonwealth Saga #1) by Peter F. Hamilton Friday by Robert A. Heinlein The Warlock in Spite of Himself by Christopher Stasheff Magic Kingdom for Sale SOLD by Terry Brooks The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein The Warrior’s Apprentice (Vorkosigan Saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold

Pirates


Jim Rudnick - 2015
    Years ago, he proved victorious against a band of aliens. His ongoing fight with his own alcoholism however remains a stalemate. And suddenly, Pirates have appeared on the RIM. They have kidnapped the passengers of many craft and sold them into slavery and Scott is ordered to find them and rescue them. But the pirates aren't acting alone. They are sponsored by a powerful Royal with ambitious plans, and she isn't about to let some Navy captain stand in the way of her mining empire. Scott must rescue the slaves while simultaneously navigating the treacherous space of interstellar politics. If he fails, a Royal will gain more power, the entire Confederacy may unravel, and Scott's alcohol addiction will be the least of his worries…”

Dungeon Bunny


Richard J. Hansen - 2021
    Sometimes all fate gets is a bunny. She is a dungeon creature bound by the rules of the dungeon. Her job is to do bunny things, like eat and hop, and eventually fall prey to larger creatures. A bunny need do nothing more. However, she cannot help herself. Everyday as adventurers pass through the cave that she calls home, she sees them wielding strange and fascinating magic but more importantly hears them talking. Their words are wonderful, and she learns as many as she can while trying to ignore the epic tragedy of her life. She is just a bunny, and there is no way that a bunny could ever be like an adventurer, no matter how many words she knows. This story is inspired by the Dungeon Core and the litRPG/gameLit genres.