Books like 'Stars and Bones'
Readers who enjoyed Stars and Bones by Gareth L. Powell also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
sc-fi space mystery action / adventure military, war & conflict space-opera aliens space-travel gods invasion
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Leviathan Falls by James S.A. Corey
29 ratingsThe Laconian Empire has fallen, setting the thirteen hundred solar systems free from the rule of Winston Duarte. But the ancient enemy that killed the gate builders is awake, and the war against our universe has begun again...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion military space-opera space-travel 21st-century action-adventure -
Rebellion by Joshua Dalzelle
14 ratingsThe quadrant is on the brink of all-out civil war, but almost nobody knows it. Now that he knows a malevolent AI that calls itself the Machine has seized much of the ConFed's military apparatus and even controls the Grand Adjudicators themselves, Jason Burke must decide if he risks picking a fight with such an overmatched enemy, or if he runs to hide and fight another day...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact military space-fleet space-opera action-adventure adult audiobook -
The Pandora Paradox by Joshua Dalzelle
12 ratingsIt started with a revolution nobody had even realized occurred…Its cruelty sparked a rebellion that everyone refused to admit existed…Now, the Machine—a terrifying and relentless enemy—reigns supreme in the galaxy, and the real fight is just beginning...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact military space-fleet space-opera action-adventure adult audiobook -
A Night Without Stars by Peter F. Hamilton
20 ratingsThe planet Bienvenido is in crisis. It has finally escaped the Void, emerging into regular space. But it's millions of light-years from Commonwealth assistance, and humans are battling the Fallers for control of their world... -
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Boneshaker by Joshua Dalzelle
14 ratingsMarine First Lieutenant Jacob Brown is bored.For months he's been sitting around on an alien planet, waiting for command to recall his scout team so they could rest and be re-outfitted. The team went through hell during their previous mission, losing both their commanding officer and their ship... -
Mountain of Mars by Glynn Stewart
14 ratingsThe Mage-King of Mars is deadChaos rocks Olympus MonsA new monarch must rise – but she does not stand alone!As the celebration of the victory at Legatus cools, a shuttle accident claims the lives of the Mage-King of Mars and his heir. The Crown and the Mountain fall to the Mage-King’s daughter, seventeen-year-old Kiera Alexander...Categorized as:
aliens invasion military space-fleet space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult -
Sword of Mars by Glynn Stewart
14 ratingsA defector with a dangerous leadA chance to speak for the silentA perilous quest into enemy starsWhen the star system of Legatus was preparing to secede from the Protectorate of the Mage-King of Mars, it was the secret agents of the Legatan Military Intelligence Directorate that laid the groundwork and fought the covert war to make it happen...Categorized as:
aliens invasion military space-fleet space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult -
Infinity Engine by Neal Asher
16 ratingsIn the outskirts of space, and the far corners of the Polity, complex dealings are in play. Several forces continue to pursue the deadly and enigmatic Penny Royal, none more dangerous than the Brockle, a psychopathic forensics AI and criminal who has escaped the Polity’s confinements and is upgrading itself in anticipation of a deadly showdown, becoming ever more powerful and intelligent...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion military space-fleet space-opera action-adventure adult -
Alien Arcana by Glynn Stewart
18 ratingsAn alien ruinA murdered archeologistAn ancient secret—and a conspiracy that will kill to keep it! When a scientist is murdered after finding signs of alien magic in an archeological dig, Mage Damien Montgomery, Hand of the Mage-King of Mars, is sent to investigate both the murder and the alien runes...Categorized as:
aliens invasion military space-fleet space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult -
The Altreian Enigma by Richard Phillips
14 ratingsWhen Mark and Heather Smythe saved Earth from the conquest-hungry Kasari Collective, they thought their work was done. But the world’s vast new government continued its quest to make extraterrestrial contact... -
Judgment of Mars by Glynn Stewart
16 ratingsA war fought in the shadowsA conspiracy shattered in fireA moment of weakness… When politics are played for blood. The destruction of the secret archive of the Royal Order of Keepers on Mars has left Damien Montgomery, Hand of the Mage-King, with his enemies defeated, his lover dead—and his questions unanswered...Categorized as:
aliens invasion military space-fleet space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult -
The Enemy Within by Joshua Dalzelle
16 ratingsThe quadrant is burning. Violent, deadly uprisings are breaking out, seemingly at random, all across the Confederation’s sphere of influence. The response by the powerful Confederation Fleet has been swift and decisive, but for every planet they restore order to, another erupts into chaos...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact military space-fleet space-opera action-adventure adult audiobook -
Voice of Mars by Glynn Stewart
18 ratingsYOU CAN NEVER GO HOMEWhen accusations of piracy and mass murder are laid against his homeworld, Damien Montgomery is sent to resolve the crisis.As counter-accusations fly and an old flame re-enters his life, the newest Hand of the Mage-King of Mars finds himself in the midst of a bloody interstellar shadow war...Categorized as:
aliens invasion military space-fleet space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult -
The Red Admiral by C.R. Daems
8 ratingsAnna's success as the Eastar NIA station chief has catapulted her into the position of Director of NIA Stations. Anna is uncomfortable with the promotion and bored. She has a master chief secretary, a lieutenant aide-de-camp, and fifteen commanders and their staff to do the work. But she suspects not all of her commanders are happy with their new, very young admiral or are doing their jobs... -
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Destiny's Cradle by Paul Crawford
8 ratingsTeenagers Ben Canterbury and Tessa Nyera are harvesting cotton on a warm afternoon when a hole opens up in a nearby meadow—like the doorway to another dimension. The hole disgorges a naked man, barely conscious and clutching a human leg bone, and then vanishes... -
Salvation Lost by Peter F. Hamilton
19 ratingsThe comparative utopia of twenty-third century Earth is about to go dreadfully awry when a seemingly benign alien race is abruptly revealed to be one of the worst threats humanity has ever faced. Driven by an intense religious extremism, the Olyix are determined to bring everyone to their version of god as they see it...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult audiobook -
Salvage Fleet by Kevin Steverson
10 ratingsThey couldn’t afford a ship, much less the cost of registering one…and now they need an entire fleet! Harmon Tomeral, along with friends Clip, Zerith, and the artificial intelligence Jayneen, were heroes...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion military space-fleet space-opera space-travel action-adventure -
Bane of Worlds by Anthony James
10 ratingsFollowing his successful mission to recover the missing warship ESS Crimson, Captain John Duggan finds himself unredeemed in the eyes of his superiors. His duties resume and this time he’s given something easy - escort a cargo ship to a distant planet and bring it home safely. But war is never so predictable and a straightforward mission becomes something much more important... -
Winged Hussars by Mark Wandrey
10 ratingsFor more than a century, Winged Hussars has been the richest of Earth's mercenary companies, as well as the only one to specialize in space warfare. Led by Alexis Cromwell, they have carved out a reputation in the galaxy for being dependable, unflappable, and lethally efficient. Until people began shooting at them everywhere they went...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion military space-fleet space-opera space-travel action-adventure -
Agents of Mars by Glynn Stewart
12 ratingsAn enemy hidden in the shadowsA crack in the armor of secrecyOne chance to find an answerCaptain David Rice and the crew of Red Falcon have spent two years infiltrating the arms smuggling underworld of the Protectorate of the Mage-King of Mars. When the co-opted rebellion on Ardennes reveals a supply chain of weapons intended to fight Mars, this makes them the perfect team to investigate...Categorized as:
aliens invasion military space-fleet space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult -
Mage-Provocateur by Glynn Stewart
12 ratingsVengeance hunts them. Rebellion seeks them. Loyalty commands them. The shadows will fear them. Captain David Rice and Mage Maria Soprano have made their choice, signing up with the Martian Interstellar Security Agency and converting Red Falcon into a covert operations ship for the Protectorate...Categorized as:
aliens invasion military space-fleet space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult -
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:
aliens invasion military space-fleet space-opera space-travel 20th-century action-adventure -
The War Ship: Rise of the Jain, Book Two by Neal Asher
14 ratingsTheir nemesis lies in wait . . . Orlandine has destroyed the alien Jain super-soldier by deploying an actual black hole. And now that same weapon hoovers up clouds of lethal Jain technology, swarming within the deadly accretion disc’s event horizon. All seems just as she planned. Yet behind her back, forces incite rebellion on her home world, planning her assassination...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion military space-fleet space-opera action-adventure adult -
Earth Below, Sky Above by John Scalzi
16 ratingsAt last, the Earth and the Colonial Union have begun formal discussions about their relationship in the futurea chance for the divisions in humanity to be repaired. The diplomats and crew of the Clarke are on hand to help with the process, including Ambassador Ode Abumwe and CDF Lieutenant Harry Wilson, both of whom were born on Earth. But not everyone wants The Human Division to be repaired..Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion military space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult -
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Orbus: The Final Book in the Spatterjay Trilogy by Neal Asher
16 ratingsYet another storming performance from the prolific Asher of high-octane violence, exotic tech, and terrifying and truly alien aliens.”—Daily MailIn book third installment of the Spatterjay series, the Old Captain Orbus, now in charge of a cargo spaceship, flees from a violent and sadistic past. Little does he know, however, that Sniper, a lethal war drone, is a stowaway on his ship...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion military space-fleet space-opera action-adventure adult -
The Silent Fleet by J.N. Chaney, Terry Maggert
8 ratingsRecruit. Fight. Build. As Dash and his team begin expanding the Forge, they must focus on Dark Metal as the one thing that can give them an advantage in the coming war.Using drones and a map from an ancient library, Dash and Leira must seek out the source of a transmission coming from far away...Categorized as:
first-contact military space-fleet space-travel action-adventure adult audiobook book -
Salvage System by Kevin Steverson
8 ratingsThey couldn’t afford a ship or a fleet…and now they have a whole system to defend! Harmon Tomeral, along with friends Clip, Zerith, and the artificial intelligence Jayneen, were heroes. They’d brought back the battlecruiser Salvage Title from an unknown system and had defeated the alien Squilla and saved their home system of Tretrayon, not once, but twice...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion military space-fleet space-opera space-travel action-adventure -
A Pocket Full of Lies by Kirsten Beyer, Martin Frei
10 ratingsThe Full Circle Fleet has resumed its unprecedented explorations of the Delta Quadrant and former Borg space. Commander Liam O'Donnell of the U.S.S. Demeter makes a promising first contact with the Nihydron—humanoid aliens that are collectors of history...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion military space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult -
Chains of Duty by Anthony James
10 ratingsFor Captain John Duggan, it seems like war never ends. Each success brings another mission and more death. Following events at the Helius Blackstar, Duggan is given the Space Corps’ newest warship – a heavy cruiser armed to the teeth with the latest weapons and technology... -
Reconnaissance in Force by Terry Mixon
10 ratingsWhen going to war, it pays to know your enemy. Particularly when they can crush you like a bug.Princess Kelsey Bandar has one slim chance to steal the tech her people needs to survive. Only a bold strike deep into enemy space keeps the New Terran Empire alive.Success gives them a chance. Failure dooms them to death and worse.Kelsey and her friends once again risk everything for their people... -
Confluence by S.K. Dunstall
12 ratingsFrom the national bestselling author of Alliance, linesman Ean Lambert finds himself caught in a dangerous fight for political power... The lines. Mysterious yet familiar: the key to controlling every ship in the galaxy...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion military space-fleet space-opera space-travel 21st-century -
The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle
37 ratingsIn 3016, the 2nd Empire of Man spans hundreds of star systems, thanks to faster-than-light Alderson Drive. Intelligent beings are finally found from the Mote, an isolated star in a thick dust cloud. The bottled-up ancient civilization, at least one million years old, are welcoming, kind, yet evasive, with a dark problem they have not solved in over a million years...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact military space-opera space-travel 20th-century action-adventure adult -
Méridien by S.H. Jucha
14 ratingsThe Méridiens are fleeing to their far colonies—and they have reason to run. Over the course of decades, they have lost hundreds of ships, billions of people, and seven Confederation colonies to an alien enemy: an advancing swarm of silver ships transported in the bowels of a gigantic, spherical vessel...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion military space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult -
Discovery by Ken Lozito
14 ratingsExploring New Earth should be a thrilling undertaking. Instead, the more the colonists learn about the planet, the more alarmed they become. Alien ruins hint at a species who fought great wars among themselves and disappeared centuries ago.When Connor Gates discovers a hidden bunker, he finds something he never expected...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion military space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult -
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Mere Mortals by David Mack
16 ratingsOn Earth, Federation President Nanietta Bacco gathers allies and adversaries to form a desperate last line of defense against an impending Borg invasion. In deep space, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Captain Ezri Dax join together to cut off the Collective's route to the Alpha Quadrant...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion military space-opera space-travel 21st-century action-adventure -
Unidentified: A Science-Fiction Thriller by Douglas E. Richards, Dan Bittner
16 ratingsUFOs are real. When Jason Ridley discovers their shocking agenda, his actions will either transform humanity...or destroy it entirely. Unidentified details the actual evidence that UFOs are here, while offering a mind-blowing fictional take on the reasons why. A riveting pause-resister packed with nonstop action, epic ideas, and astonishing twists...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion military space-travel action-adventure adult audiobook -
War Factory by Neal Asher
16 ratingsThorvald Spear, resurrected from his death over a hundred years earlier, continues to hunt Penny Royal, the rogue AI and dangerous war criminal on the run from Polity forces. Beyond the Graveyard, a lawless and deadly area in deep space, Spear follows the trail of several enemy Prador, the crab-like alien species with a violent history of conflict with humanity...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion military space-fleet space-opera action-adventure adult -
Genesis by Ken Lozito
18 ratingsA mission gone wrong. Innocent lives have been lost. Escaping wrongful imprisonment wasn’t something Connor had in mind, but being put into stasis aboard Earth’s first interstellar colony ship was something he couldn’t have prepared for. For three hundred thousand colonists, the new colony brings the promise of a fresh start…a second chance...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion military space-fleet space-opera space-travel action-adventure -
Exin Ex Machina by G.S. Jennsen
6 ratingsCyberpunk and space opera collide in a thrilling new trilogy from the author of the acclaimed Aurora Rhapsody novels.**Exin Ex Machina is a new entry point for the AMARANTHE series--newcomers are welcome**When man and machine are one and the same, there are many crimes but only one sin: psyche-wipe. The secrets it has buried could lead to a civilization's salvation, or to its doom...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion military space-fleet space-opera space-travel action-adventure -
Starship Revenant by Tripp Ellis
6 ratingsThe extermination of mankind has begun!Lieutenant Commander Zoey Bryant is the best pilot in the fleet. But her loyalty to Captain Slade gets her kicked out of the Navy. She teams up with a ruthless band of mercenaries to rescue the wrongly dishonored captain... -
Starship Guardian by Tripp Ellis
6 ratingsThe invasion has begun. Humanity is doomed!Captain Slade, a legendary hero of the first Verge War, is in command of the last star destroyer in the galaxy. Along with her ragtag crew, she must battle a superior alien fleet as they invade New Earth. To save mankind, Slade will need help from a former enemy.Presley Johnson is a military brat who dreams of becoming a Navy pilot... -
Orion Uncharted by J.N. Chaney, Jonathan Yanez
8 ratingsThe Orion has fallen.After barely escaping with their lives, the crew of the Orion has scattered across an unknown world. With a diminishing hope of returning home, they have no choice but to band together.But between the local wildlife, lack of supplies, a missing crew, and a strange, ominous door that can't be opened, Dean and his new friends will need everything at their disposal to survive...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult audiobook -
Exo-Hunter by Jeremy Robinson
10 ratingsNew York Times bestselling author, Jeremy Robinson, takes readers on a pulse-pounding journey to a dark and twisted future... and makes them laugh.THE YEAR IS 1989Callsign: Dark Horse and his Marine Rapid Reaction Force team have been sent to recover a strange artifact near Antarctica's Soviet-controlled Vostok Station...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion military space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult -
Enigma Tales by Una McCormack
10 ratingsFrom the New York Times bestselling author of The Fall: The Crimson Shadow comes a compelling and suspenseful tale of politics and power set in the universe of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.Elim Garak has ascended to Castellan of the Cardassian Union..Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion military space-opera 21st-century action-adventure adult -
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Crimson Tempest by Anthony James
12 ratingsFifty-three years after it vanished, Earth's only Super-Devastator warship, the ESS Crimson sends out a distress signal... Humanity is fighting against an implacable foe. The Ghasts – a ruthless alien race - seem hell-bent on wiping out mankind. They have a vast warfleet and their technology is advancing at a terrible rate... -
Victory's Price by Alexander Freed
14 ratingsIn the wake of Yrica Quell’s shocking decision—and one of the fiercest battles of their lives—the remnants of Alphabet Squadron seek answers and closure across a galaxy whose old war scars are threatening to reopen.Soran Keize has returned to the tip of Shadow Wing’s spear... -
The Observers by John Scalzi
14 ratingsIn an effort to improve relations with the Earth, the Colonial Union has invited a contingent of diplomats from that planet to observe Ambassador Abumwe negotiate a trade deal with an alien species. Then something very bad happens to one of the Earthings, and with that, the relationship between humanitys two factions is on the cusp of disruption once more...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion military space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult -
The Gentle Art of Cracking Heads by John Scalzi
14 ratingsUnited States Diplomat Danielle Lowen was there when one of her fellow diplomats committed an unthinkable act, which had consequences for the entire planet. Now shes trying to figure out how it happened before it can happen again. Putting the puzzle pieces together could solve the mystery or it could threaten her own life...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion military space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult -
Children of Memory by Adrian Tchaikovsky
14 ratingsThe modern classic of space opera that began with Children of Time continues in this extraordinary novel of humanity's battle for survival on a terraformed planet. Earth failed. In a desperate bid to escape, the spaceship Enkidu and its captain, Heorest Holt, carried its precious human cargo to a potential new paradise... -
Legacy by Ken Lozito
16 ratingsHold the line. After narrowly defeating the invading enemy fleet, there is evidence that the attack isn’t over. Thousands have died and all that stands between human extinction and the invaders are the remnants of the colonial military. Connor must find a way to rally the colony using every scrap of ingenuity to stop the invaders...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion military space-fleet space-opera space-travel action-adventure
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