Books like 'King of the Wastes'
Readers who enjoyed King of the Wastes by Nicholas Sansbury Smith also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical sc-fi action / adventure horror space military, war & conflict apocalyptic post-apocalyptic survival dystopia
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Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks
33 ratingsThe man known as Cheradenine Zakalwe was one of Special Circumstances' foremost agents, changing the destiny of planets to suit the Culture through intrigue, dirty tricks and military action.The woman known as Diziet Sma had plucked him from obscurity and pushed him towards his present eminence, but despite all their dealings she did not know him as well as she thought... -
Endymion by Dan Simmons, Guy Abadia
33 ratingsThe multiple-award-winning SF master returns to the universe that is his greatest success--the world of Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion--to tell a story of love and memory, triumph and terror in a novel even more magnificent than its predecessors.Two hundred and seventy-four years after the fall of the WorldWeb in Fall of Hyperion, Raoul Endymion is sent on a quest... -
The Neutronium Alchemist by Peter F. Hamilton
25 ratingsNot every fallen angel comes from heaven...The ancient menace has finally escaped from Lalonde, shattering the Confederation's peaceful existence. Those who succumbed to it have acquired godlike powers, but now follow a far from divine gospel as they advance inexorably from world to world...Categorized as:
apocalyptic military space-travel 20th-century action-adventure adult aliens audiobook -
The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons
42 ratingsOn the world called Hyperion the mysterious Time Tombs are opening and seven pilgrims risk their lives to petition the entity called the Shrike - a creature that may well control the fate of all mankind... -
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First and Only by Dan Abnett
18 ratingsIn the Chaos-infested Sabbat system, Imperial Commissar Gaunt must lead his men through as much in-fighting amongst rival regiments as against the forces of Chaos. For a thousand years, the Sabbat Worlds have been lost to the Imperium, claimed by the dread powers of Chaos. Now, a mighty crusade seeks to return the sector to Imperial rule... -
Occupied Earth (The Sequel to First Encounter) by Jasper T. Scott
10 ratingsFROM MILLION-COPY BESTSELLER JASPER T. SCOTT THE FORERUNNERS LEFT EARTH IN SEARCH OF INTELLIGENT LIFE, AND THEY FOUND IT. Captain Clayton Cross and his crew encountered the Kyra, an advanced race of avian carnivores. They fled this first encounter, but the Kyra beat them back to Earth by almost a century. Earth lost the war in just a few weeks. Our cities burned, and billions died...Categorized as:
colonization dystopia exploration industrial-era military post-apocalyptic soldiers space-travel -
The Naked God by Peter F. Hamilton
25 ratingsThe Confederation is starting to collapse politically and economically, allowing the 'possessed' to infiltrate more worlds. Quinn Dexter is loose on Earth, destroying the giant arcologies one at a time. As Louise Kavanagh tries to track him down, she manages to acquire some strange and powerful allies whose goal doesn't quite match her own... -
Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
46 ratingsIn one of Robert Heinlein's most controversial bestsellers, a recruit of the future goes through the toughest boot camp in the Universe--and into battle with the Terran Mobile Infantry against mankind's most frightening enemy... -
The Time Machine, The Invisible Man, The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
6 ratingsGathered together in one hardcover volume: three timeless novels from the founding father of science fiction.The first great novel to imagine time travel, The Time Machine (1895) follows its scientist narrator on an incredible journey that takes him finally to Earth’s last moments—and perhaps his own...Categorized as:
dystopia industrial-era military post-apocalyptic steampunk action-adventure adult aliens -
Ilium by Dan Simmons
26 ratingsThe Trojan War rages at the foot of Olympos Mons on Mars—observed and influenced from on high by Zeus and his immortal family—and twenty-first-century professor Thomas Hockenberry is there to play a role in the insidious private wars of vengeful gods and goddesses... -
The Reality Dysfunction by Peter F. Hamilton
29 ratingsIn AD 2600 the human race is finally beginning to realize its full potential. Hundreds of colonized planets scattered across the galaxy host a multitude of prosperous and wildly diverse cultures. Genetic engineering has pushed evolution far beyond nature's boundaries, defeating disease and producing extraordinary spaceborn creatures... -
Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle
31 ratingsTHE LUCKY ONES WENT FIRST…The gigantic comet has slammed into Earth, forging earthquakes a thousand times too powerful to measure on the Richter scale, tidal waves thousands of feet high. Cities were turned into oceans; oceans turned into steam...Categorized as:
apocalyptic dystopia post-apocalyptic survival suspense 20th-century action-adventure adult -
Grass by Sheri S. Tepper
24 ratingsGenerations ago, humans fled to the cosmic anomaly known as Grass. But before humanity arrived, another species had already claimed Grass for its own. It too had developed a culture...... Now a deadly plague is spreading across the stars, leaving no planet untouched, save for Grass. But the secret of the planet's immunity hides a truth so shattering it could mean the end of life itself...Categorized as:
apocalyptic colonization dystopia exploration female-mc post-apocalyptic space-travel 20th-century -
The Amber Project by J.N. Chaney
16 ratingsIn 2157, a mysterious gas known as Variant spreads across the globe, killing or mutating most organic life. The surviving humans take refuge in an underground city, determined to return home. But after generations of failures and botched attempts, hope is beginning to dwindle. That is, until a young scientist makes a unique discovery—and everything changes...Categorized as:
apocalyptic cyberpunk dystopia exploration industrial-era military post-apocalyptic space-travel -
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Under Darkness by Jasper T. Scott, Ben Jaeger-Thomas
10 ratingsFrom the USA Today best-selling author of Dark Space... a series of unrelated stand-alone sci-fi novels; no sequels and no cliffhangers The sun vanished and darkness fell in the middle of the day, and then the meteors began to fall.... Bill Steele is in the trenches, trying to survive in the competitive world of luxury vacation resorts on the island of Kauai...Categorized as:
apocalyptic cyberpunk dystopia industrial-era military post-apocalyptic soldiers steampunk -
Olympos by Dan Simmons
24 ratingsLibrarian's Note: Alternate Edition with same isbn & isbn 13: January 2011THE EXTRAORDINARY AND MAGNIFICENT EPIC CONCLUSION TO THE HUGO AWARD-NOMINATED ILIUMBeneath the gaze of the gods, the mighty armies of Greece and Troy met in fierce and glorious combat, scrupulously following the text set forth in Homer's timeless narrative, but that was before twenty-first century scholar Thomas... -
Eden by Stanisław Lem
19 ratingsA six-man crew crash-lands on Eden, fourth planet from another sun. The men find a strange world that grows ever stranger, and everywhere there are images of death. The crew's attempt to communicate with this civilization leads to violence and to a cruel truth-cruel precisely because it is so human. Translated by Marc E. Heine...Categorized as:
colonization dystopia exploration space-travel 20th-century action-adventure adult aliens -
The Change by K.A. Applegate, Katherine Applegate
18 ratingsTobias has pretty much gotten used to his life. He's a red-tailed hawk with the mind of a kid. It was weird when he first got trapped in morph. But now it's almost okay. After all, how many kids actually get the chance to fly?Now Tobias is about to make a very special choice. A choice that the other Animorphs and Ax know nothing about. And it could mean the difference between being a hawk. . -
Tale of the Thunderbolt by E.E. Knight
16 ratingsAs the Resistance attempts to overthrow their vampiric alien masters, elite Cat force member David Valentine embarks on a terrifying journey in search of a long-lost weapon that will guarantee their victory-and the end of the Kurian Order's domination of Earth...Categorized as:
apocalyptic dystopia industrial-era military post-apocalyptic steampunk action-adventure adult -
The Puppet Masters by Robert A. Heinlein
29 ratingsFirst came the news that a flying saucer had landed in Iowa. Then came the announcement that the whole thing was a hoax. End of story. Case closed.Except that two agents of the most secret intelligence agency in the U.S. government were on the scene and disappeared without reporting back. Then four more follow up agents also disappeared... -
The Daedalus Incident by Michael J. Martinez
10 ratingsMars is supposed to be dead.…Bizarre quakes are rumbling over the long-dormant tectonic plates of the planet, disrupting its trillion-dollar mining operations and driving scientists past the edges of theory and reason...Categorized as:
exploration industrial-era steampunk action-adventure adult aliens alternate-history audiobook -
Armored by John Joseph Adams, David Barr Kirtley
10 ratingsArmor up for a metal-pounding feast of action, adventure and amazing speculation by topnotch writers (including Nebula-award winner Jack McDevitt, Sean Williams, Dan Abnet, Simon Green, and Jack Campbell) on a future warrior that might very well be just around the corner...Categorized as:
dystopia industrial-era military steampunk action-adventure adult aliens alternate-history -
The Android by K.A. Applegate, Katherine Applegate
18 ratingsWhen Marco runs into his old friend Erek he doesn't think too much of it. He's got a couple of more important things to do. Like helping to save the world. But then Marco finds out Erek's been hanging with some of the kids at The Sharing. And he starts to think that something just a little weird is going on.So Marco, Jake, and Ax decide to morph and check old Erek out... -
Beowulf's Children by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle
16 ratingsA new generation is growing up on the island paradise of Camelot, ignorant of the Great Grendel Wars fought when their parents and grandparents first arrived from Earth. Setting out for the mainland, this group of young rebels feels ready to fight any grendels that get in their way...Categorized as:
colonization exploration space-travel 20th-century action-adventure adult aliens audiobook -
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Alien³ by Alan Dean Foster
14 ratingsHere, even the wind screams. Abandoned hulks of machinery rust in the colorless landscape. Dark, oily seas beat against a jagged black shore. And the remnants of a reentry space vehicle crash into the rough waves. In it sleeps Ripley, a woman who has battled the enemy twice. It killed her whole crew the first time. The second time, it slaughtered a spaceload of death-dealing Marines...Categorized as:
cyberpunk dystopia military post-apocalyptic 20th-century action-adventure adult aliens -
Rocannon's World by Ursula K. Le Guin
25 ratingsA world shared by three native humanoid races - the cavern-dwelling Gdemiar, elvish Fiia, and warrior clan, Liuar - is suddenly invaded and conquered by a fleet of ships from the stars. Earth scientist Rocannon is on that world, and he sees his friends murdered and his spaceship destroyed... -
The Secret by K.A. Applegate, Katherine Applegate
18 ratingsThere's something pretty weird going on in the woods behind Cassie's house. The place where Ax and Tobias call home. It seems the Yeerks have figured out one very important thing: Andalites cannot survive without a feeding ground. Visser Three knows the "Andalite bandits" don't feed where he does, so there can only be one other place... -
Ghosts of War by George Mann
8 ratingsGhosts of War picks up the story a month after the end of Ghosts of Manhattan. New York City is being plagued by a pack of ferocious brass raptors – strange, skeleton-like creations with bat-like wings that swoop out of the sky, attacking people and carrying them away into the night...Categorized as:
industrial-era military soldiers steampunk action-adventure adult alternate-history book -
A Red Sun Also Rises by Mark Hodder
8 ratingsA tale of good and evil, where neither is what it seems! Aiden Fleischer, a bookish priest, finds himself transported to an alien world. With him is Miss Clarissa Stark, a crippled hunchback of exceptional ability, wronged by an aristocrat and cast out from society...Categorized as:
industrial-era space-travel steampunk action-adventure adult alternate-history book disaster -
Axiom's End by Lindsay Ellis
26 ratingsTruth is a human right.It’s fall 2007. A well-timed leak has revealed that the US government might have engaged in first contact. Cora Sabino is doing everything she can to avoid the whole mess, since the force driving the controversy is her whistleblower father...Categorized as:
dystopia female-mc suspense 21st-century action-adventure aliens alternate-history audiobook -
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
45 ratingsThe night after a shooting star is seen streaking through the sky from Mars, a cylinder is discovered on Horsell Common in London. At first, naive locals approach the cylinder armed just with a white flag only to be quickly killed by an all-destroying heat-ray, as terrifying tentacled invaders emerge...Categorized as:
apocalyptic dystopia industrial-era post-apocalyptic steampunk suspense action-adventure aliens -
The Unknown by K.A. Applegate, Katherine Applegate
16 ratingsThere's a new rumor in town. Someone has discovered an item that proves life on other planets exists. And they've been hiding it on a base called Zone 91. The Most Secret Place On Earth.Cassie, the other Animorphs, and Ax already know about life on other planets. Too well. They also realize the Yeerks will try to access Zone 91. To find out if what's there will threaten their mission... -
In the Ocean of Night by Gregory Benford
16 ratingsContains Introduction EssayCover Artist: Don Dixon2019: NASA astronaut Nigel Walmsley is sent on a mission to intercept a rogue asteroid on a collision course with Earth. Ordered to destroy the comet, he instead discovers that it is actually the shell of a derelict space probe - a wreck with just enough power to emit a single electronic signal...2034: Then a reply is heard... -
Rogue Moon by Algis Budrys
16 ratingsRogue Moon is a short sf novel by Algis Budrys, published in 1960. It was a 1961 Hugo Award nominee, losing to Walter M. Miller's A Canticle for Leibowitz. A novella-length version of the story was included in the anthology The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume 2, edited by Ben Bova.Before 1969, every science fiction writer wrote his or her own version of the first Moon landing... -
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Nightflyers by George R.R. Martin
18 ratingsNine misfit academics on an expedition to find the volcryn, a mythic race of intersteller nomads, and the only ship available for this strange quest is the Nightflyer, a cybernetic wonder with a never-seen captain...Nine innocents are about to find themselves in deep space, trapped with an insane murderer who can go anywhere, do anything, and intends to kill them all...Categorized as:
dystopia exploration space-travel suspense 20th-century action-adventure adult aliens -
Vostok by Steve Alten
12 ratingsEast Antarctica: The coldest, most desolate location on Earth. Two-and-a-half miles below the ice cap is Vostok, a six thousand square mile liquid lake, over a thousand feet deep, left untouched for more than fifteen million years...
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