Books like 'Empires Ascendant: A Space Opera Anthology'
Readers who enjoyed Empires Ascendant: A Space Opera Anthology by Jay Allan, Jason Anspach, Daniel Arenson, J.N. Chaney, Joshua Dalzelle, Ken Lozito & Jasper T. Scott also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
sc-fi space military, war & conflict space-opera space-travel first-contact space-fleet soldiers military aliens
-
Remnant Faction by Glynn Stewart
11 ratingsIt is the first and final duty of any warship to put herself between the innocent... and the enemy.Henry Wong and Sylvia Todorovich have gathered the interstellar powers of the Ra Sector into a tentative alliance—an alliance that is tested by the return of the Sector’s former rulers: the Kenmiri Remnant...Categorized as:
space-opera military aliens soldiers galactic-empire colonization first-contact space-fleet -
![Ice World by B.V. Larson]()
Ice World by B.V. Larson
12 ratingsLong before Earth began conquering her neighboring stars, Legion Varus was deployed on Tau Ceti. Valuable and highly illegal treasures were stolen during the campaign, but McGill never gave it a second thought.The Tau haven’t forgotten him, however. For decades they’ve hunted and plotted, and at last they’ve found the pirate who robbed them. Tau agents invade Earth seeking revenge and profit...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers -
![Junkyard Veterans by Jamie McFarlane]()
Junkyard Veterans by Jamie McFarlane
12 ratingsWith a price on their heads, grumpy old vets will risk everything to bring alien assassins to justice.Someone is killing off the old team of vets who repelled Earth’s first Korgul invasion. With the end of a war precious few even knew was happening, life’s been peaceful...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact invasion military soldiers space-opera -
![Imperial Command by D.J. Holmes]()
Imperial Command by D.J. Holmes
8 ratingsTrapped behind enemy lines, the survivors of the raid on Jaranna have been forced to flee deeper into enemy territory. Behind them Karacknid fleets gather to exact revenge. With danger at every turn, Admiral Lightfoot must find a way to get his ships home or Earth will be left defenceless.On Earth the Empire has been formed and is bringing the outlying colonies into its fold...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet -
-
![Judgment Day by Rick Partlow]()
Judgment Day by Rick Partlow
10 ratingsWe’ve won a battle…but we’re losing the war.Travis Miller, his image reformed from the moron who screwed up our first contact with aliens to one of the heroes of the Battle for Eden, is given a new assignment: retake the occupied colony of Brigantia. Losing it would be a glancing blow to the Tahni Imperium, but it would Earth’s first solid strike against them, a chance to go on the offensive...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers -
![Return Fire by Rick Partlow]()
Return Fire by Rick Partlow
10 ratingsEarth is in turmoil.The enemy is bearing down on us with every warship they have, and our only allies are in chaos.Our one hope for survival is Andy Clanton - a hack science fiction writer trying to convince some aliens that humans are worth saving.It’s an uphill battle, because to the aliens, we are the monsters...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet space-opera -
![Gravity Flux by Toby Neighbors]()
Gravity Flux by Toby Neighbors
10 ratingsThe Modulus Echo is the most wanted ship in the galaxy. When Ben rebuilt the Echo from salvaged parts on the junk world of Torrent Four, he never imagined that he would become a wanted man, or that he would ever return to his home planet. Yet somehow, that is exactly what happened...Categorized as:
aliens exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military space-fleet space-opera -
![The Colossus by Jay Allan]()
The Colossus by Jay Allan
10 ratingsThe Hegemony strikes again… The Confederation and its allies have won their first victory, retaken their capital from he forces of the Hegemony. But the enemy is not beaten, far from it, and they are back, with an unstoppable weapon, a vast superbattleship, a deadly hybrid of imperial and Hegemony technology, called the Colossus...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers -
![The Forever War by Raymond L. Weil]()
The Forever War by Raymond L. Weil
10 ratingsFrom USA Today Best Selling Author Raymond L. Weil comes the fourth book in the Star Cross series. The Vorn have returned with a massive fleet and are once more harvesting the intelligent worlds of the galaxy for food. Every fleet placed in front of them has been annihilated by the Vorn’s superior weapons. The Vorn seem unstoppable as they harvest world after world...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers -
![Galaxy in Peril by Raymond L. Weil]()
Galaxy in Peril by Raymond L. Weil
10 ratingshe situation in the galaxy is growing desperate. Every day the Vorn are harvesting world after world to be used as food for their Queens. The Vorn ships are nearly indestructible and destroying every fleet that dares to oppose them.Lakiam Fleet Commodore Dreen is trying to form an alliance to try to stop the Vorn, but he needs a victory to bring other Protector Worlds to his side...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers -
![The Others by Jay Allan]()
The Others by Jay Allan
12 ratingsFrom the deepest darks of unknown space, evil comes… Admiral Tyler Barron and the Confederation navy face a new threat, darker and deadlier than any that have come before...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers -
![Direct Fire by Rick Partlow]()
Direct Fire by Rick Partlow
12 ratingsFrom street criminal to war hero.From outcast to Marine officer.The journey has been a long one, but now it’s reaching the end.Cam Alvarez leads his platoon of Drop-Troopers into the Tahni Imperium, into the final days of the war and the bloodiest battles yet...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers -
![Into the War by James Rosone]()
Into the War by James Rosone
12 ratingsHumanity stumbles into a galactic war……a war of survival, a conflict with no endEarth has united under the banner of the Republic. Humanities brightest minds have deciphered the secrets to the alien technology and begin to reverse engineer it. An elder race takes notice of humanities strides and intervenes...Categorized as:
aliens colonization first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet -
![The Lost Supernova by Vaughn Heppner]()
The Lost Supernova by Vaughn Heppner
12 ratingsAndroids used to mingle among us, pretending to be human. Then an alien puppet-master altered their programming. Unknown to us, androids began leaving human society, burning their clothes and peeling off their skin to reveal the chrome-colored bodies underneath. They gathered in a system were a star had exploded, blowing away the atmosphere of a Jupiter-like planet...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet -
-
![Earth Ascendant by Raymond L. Weil]()
Earth Ascendant by Raymond L. Weil
12 ratingsFrom USA Today Bestselling Author Raymond L. Weil comes the second book in a new military science fiction series.The war between the seven alien races of the Confederation and Earth heats up as the two come into direct conflict over the former Human Empire. The people or Earth are determined to free it, and the Confederation is determined to keep it under their strict control...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers -
![Storm World by B.V. Larson]()
Storm World by B.V. Larson
14 ratingsJames McGill is sent to the Core Worlds! In an unprecedented first, Earth sends a message to Mogwa Prime. Unfortunately, the messenger is not met with enthusiasm. Misunderstandings soon threaten all of Humanity. Forced to prove Earth can serve the Empire better than any rival, McGill does his best...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers -
![Alabaster Noon by Chris Kennedy, Mark Wandrey]()
Alabaster Noon by Chris Kennedy, Mark Wandrey
6 ratingsThe invasion of Earth is a broken dream, a victim of Peepo’s ability to play the long game better than anyone thought possible. With Alexis Cromwell shot in the back by her XO and the fleet in ruins, the Humans have run back to New Warsaw to lick their wounds, but the Merc Guild now knows the location of their hidden base, and they are in hot pursuit...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers -
![Empire's Gambit by D.J. Holmes]()
Empire's Gambit by D.J. Holmes
6 ratingsThe Karacknid assault on Earth has been turned back at great cost to both sides. Only the intervention of the Kulreans saved Humanity’s homeworld from certain destruction. Yet the Kulrean worldships cannot be used for offensive operations. This means Humanity and her allies have only a few months of respite before the Karacknids can make good their losses...Categorized as:
colonization exploration galactic-empire military soldiers space-fleet space-opera space-travel -
![Leviathan's Fear: A Military Sci-Fi Series by Craig Martelle]()
Leviathan's Fear: A Military Sci-Fi Series by Craig Martelle
6 ratingsTrapped in Ga’ee space, Leviathan runs for its life.And the lives of its crew.Declan Payne and Harry Wesson decide to go on the offensive. They have no choice.They can’t go home. It only delays the inevitable.The Ga’ee march relentlessly into the space of the seven races while turning an inward eye toward the interloper, the ship they call God1...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers -
![Dark World by B.V. Larson]()
Dark World by B.V. Larson
16 ratingsTwo expanding interstellar powers are about to meet in battle. After the collapse of the Cephalopod Kingdom, Humanity claimed the three hundred rebellious worlds they left behind. But many light years away on the far side of disputed region, a rival power has begun to move. They're stealing our planets, one at a time...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers -
![Raven's Flag by Glynn Stewart]()
Raven's Flag by Glynn Stewart
7 ratingsIn times of peace, alliances wither and are forgotten.In times of war, honor must reforge them in fire and steel!The United Planets Alliance fought the Kenmiri Empire with a hundred allies at their side. Bound in common cause until genocide broke the Kenmiri—and Kenmiri schemes broke the alliance in turn—those one-time allies still left deep debts of blood and friendship behind...Categorized as:
military aliens exploration space-opera invasion soldiers galactic-empire colonization -
![Siege of Earth by D.J. Holmes]()
Siege of Earth by D.J. Holmes
8 ratingsThe Flex-aor invasion fleets have been stopped, but at great cost. Human colonies lie in ruins, fleets have been decimated and the economies of the major space powers have been stretched to breaking point. Yet one nation stands unaffected. Hidden behind their borders, the Russian Space Federation is stronger than ever...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet -
![Mutineer by D.J. Holmes]()
Mutineer by D.J. Holmes
8 ratingsThe Flex-aor have returned, putting in motion a chain of events that will thrust humanity into a galactic war, the scale of which no human has seen before. Banished in all but name, James’ political enemies have assigned him to the protection of humanity’s colonial frontier as a ploy to rid themselves of the hero of the Siege of Earth...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet -
![A.I. Rescue by Vaughn Heppner]()
A.I. Rescue by Vaughn Heppner
8 ratingsDespite being all alone—the only one of his kind—Bast Banbeck has generously helped humanity time and again against the death machines, saving us from extinction. Years ago, Jon Hawkins promised Bast that he would hunt for and save the Sacerdotes in return. But the homesick Bast is losing hope, drowning his sorrows in extended drinking bouts...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers -
-
![A.I. Armada by Vaughn Heppner]()
A.I. Armada by Vaughn Heppner
8 ratingsYears ago, Main 54’s brain-core had to flee his exploding planet-sized warship because of the treachery of Jon Hawkins. Later, Main 54 gained special processors, a new warship—something changed in him…greater clarity of purpose and superior combat skills.He has been taking over the AI Dominion around here ever since...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers -
![A Fiery Sunset by Chris Kennedy, Mark Wandrey]()
A Fiery Sunset by Chris Kennedy, Mark Wandrey
8 ratingsThe Revelations are over, and the war to end all wars has begun. The plot by the Galactic Union’s Mercenary Guild against the Four Horsemen has culminated in an invasion of Earth. Faced with an overwhelming force, the Human mercs had no choice. They’ve fled, leaving Sansar Enkh to go to the Mercenary Guild headquarters on Capital Planet to stand trial for humanity...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers -
![Carthage Prime: Ace Evans Series book 2 by Toby Neighbors]()
Carthage Prime: Ace Evans Series book 2 by Toby Neighbors
8 ratingsThere’s nothing like flying in the most advanced battle mech in the galaxy. But Ace Evans is still a rookie Operator, and trouble is brewing on Carthage Prime.The second installment in the Ace Evans trilogy is here! With his training almost complete, Ace and his team of Titan MBS Operators are getting called into action... -
![Primary Targets by Rick Partlow]()
Primary Targets by Rick Partlow
8 ratingsOld Marines never die... they just become Space Marines I thought the hard part of helping the Helta defeat the rampaging Tevynians would be the fighting. How wrong I was. To the Helta, we Earthers look just like the Tevynians, their mortal enemies. And convincing their government to ally with humans may be even beyond the crew of the starship James Bowie...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet space-opera -
![Phantom Deadfall by Christopher Hopper, J.N. Chaney]()
Phantom Deadfall by Christopher Hopper, J.N. Chaney
8 ratingsThe gods have been angered.Hell will rain down.After Wic and the Phantom’s successful operation on Karkin Four, the team learns of the enemy’s plans for a swift retaliation: an all-out assault on New York City.Together, Wic must rally the team’s resources to plan an emergency counterassault that will push the Phantoms to their limits... -
![Explorations by Raymond L. Weil]()
Explorations by Raymond L. Weil
8 ratingsDisaster has struck the Human Federation of Worlds. The Eternals have finally found Earth and are preparing to destroy it and the rest of the Federation. They begin gathering a massive fleet to overwhelm and destroy all of the Human worlds...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers -
![Fire Base by Rick Partlow]()
Fire Base by Rick Partlow
10 ratingsDeath stalks the edges of human space.Cam Alvarez and Vicky Sandoval have pursued the renegade, Tahni Zan-Thint, to his refuge in the outlaw cartels of the Pirate Worlds. On a planet of endless ocean and volcanic fury, Zan-Thint is coming ever closer to learning the secrets of the ancient alien weapons he’s discovered...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers -
![The Forgotten Empire: The Confederation and The Empire at War by Raymond L. Weil, Julie Weil Thomas]()
The Forgotten Empire: The Confederation and The Empire at War by Raymond L. Weil, Julie Weil Thomas
10 ratingsFrom USA Today best-selling author Raymond L. Weil, and his daughter Julie, comes the fifth book in his newest military science fiction series.The war between the Human Empire and the Confederation has reached a turning point as the Humans are now poised to attack the Confederation in their own area of space. Few Humans have ever entered the Confederation and returned alive...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers -
![Galactar by Anthony James]()
Galactar by Anthony James
10 ratingsFollowing decades of war and the recent catastrophic loss of an entire planet, the Human Planetary Alliance is riven by internal disputes and rivalries. The military’s old guard fights for power against those who see a chance to turn things around.After a series of hard-fought victories, Captain Carl Recker is becoming recognized as a man who gets results - a man who knows how to beat the Daklan...Categorized as:
aliens exploration galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet space-opera -
![Oblivion's Light by Raymond L. Weil]()
Oblivion's Light by Raymond L. Weil
10 ratingsTwo more years have passed for the Lost Fleets trapped in the Triangulum Galaxy. It’s becoming more apparent with each passing day that the Dyson Sphere of the Simulins must be destroyed if Fleet Admiral Jeremy Strong and his people want to survive. Rear Admiral Kathryn Barnes sets out on a mission of discovery seeking allies against the Simulins...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers -
-
![Genesis by Raymond L. Weil]()
Genesis by Raymond L. Weil
10 ratingsFleet Admiral Jeremy Strong is determined to preserve the planet Gaia as the new home of the lost fleets. Unfortunately, a new and frightening danger from the destroyed Dyson Sphere threatens to undo everything he has fought for. Kazak, the AI on the Originator ship has his own agenda. The Humans and Altons will either do as he demands or he will destroy them...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers -
![Fulcrum Gun by Anthony James]()
Fulcrum Gun by Anthony James
10 ratingsLost in hostile space and pursued by the most powerful warship in the known universe, Captain Carl Recker is losing hope and running out of options. His battleship Fulcrum is no match for this enemy and the Meklon aliens who might have helped him are dead, killed by the Galactar’s murderous weaponry.Somehow, Recker must find a way to succeed where the might of an alien empire already failed...Categorized as:
aliens exploration galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet space-opera -
![Universe in Danger by Raymond L. Weil]()
Universe in Danger by Raymond L. Weil
10 ratingsThe Lost Fleets have settled on an Originator Dyson Sphere in preparation for their greatest test yet. A great enemy is spreading across the universe conquering galaxy after galaxy.The few surviving Originators have asked Fleet Admiral Jeremy Strong to fight a war against their most hated enemy, the Anti-Life. If he fails to stop their advance, then the entire universe could be in danger...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers -
![Laws of Ancidium by Anthony James]()
Laws of Ancidium by Anthony James
10 ratingsHaving fought his hardest battle, Captain Carl Recker returns to planet Lustre, bringing the alien battleship Fulcrum with him.Recker is under no illusions that he’ll be offered backdated shore leave, but his feet don’t even touch the ground before trouble shows up. A heavily armed fifty-thousand-metre Meklon interstellar drops out of lightspeed near the planet...Categorized as:
aliens exploration galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet space-opera -
![Search for the Lost by Raymond L. Weil]()
Search for the Lost by Raymond L. Weil
10 ratingsFrom USA Today Best Selling Author Raymond L. Weil comes the second book in the Originator Wars series. The Eternals have decided to conquer Originator space. All that stands between them are the Originator AIs and the Humans, or at least that is what the Eternals believe. In preparation for the invasion, they begin gathering their massive warfleet...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers -
![The Dark Invaders by Raymond L. Weil]()
The Dark Invaders by Raymond L. Weil
10 ratingsFrom USA Today Best Selling Author Raymond L. Weil comes the second book in the Star Cross series. Over fourteen months have passed since Fleet Admiral Kurt Vickers drove the Profiteers from Earth. Eighty million people died while the planet was being ransacked and its wealth stolen. Now a new and deadlier threat comes from intergalactic space...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers -
![Genesis by Rick Partlow]()
Genesis by Rick Partlow
12 ratingsFirst contact gone wrong...It was every starship captain’s nightmare, and for Travis Miller, it was his own personal hell. He’d done everything by the book, but when the Tahni had attacked him and his crew, there was no choice but to return fire and destroy the first alien vessel humans had ever encountered...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers -
![Vigilance by Ken Lozito]()
Vigilance by Ken Lozito
12 ratingsThey’ve spent years exploring this world, but they were living on borrowed time. Only they didn’t know it. Six months ago, Connor learned what the alien race that populated New Earth feared—a mysterious enemy who nearly brought about the collapse of an entire civilization. To help the colony prepare for this new threat, Connor rejoins the Colonial Defense Force...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact invasion military soldiers space-fleet -
![Star Force: The Forever Empire by Aer-ki Jyr]()
Star Force: The Forever Empire by Aer-ki Jyr
6 ratingsJust when you think you've got all your problems in front of you, trouble comes knocking at the back door...galactic style...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet -
![Star Force: Symbiosis by Aer-ki Jyr]()
Star Force: Symbiosis by Aer-ki Jyr
6 ratingsWith the long-anticipated arrival of the Founders in the Temples, Star Force's future will change drastically, one way or another. The time of anonymity is ended. Extra-galactic contact has finally arrived...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet -
-
![When the Axe Falls by Jon R. Osborne]()
When the Axe Falls by Jon R. Osborne
6 ratingsThe clouds of war continue to build…and not everyone is blind… Bjorn Tovesson III, the owner of Bjorn’s Berserkers, is a man tied to the past, but who’s not afraid to innovate. Whether it is new tactics or new equipment, Bjorn is willing to try anything, once, in an effort to grow his company into the status of the fabled Four Horsemen...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers -
![Dirty Deeds by Mark Wandrey]()
Dirty Deeds by Mark Wandrey
6 ratingsOld mercs don't die, you do. Abraham Murdock left his home of Sheridan Arkansas at seventeen to start a merc career that spanned almost 50 years, working for dozens of companies, killing aliens and getting paid across the galaxy. Near the end of his career, he landed a gig with Cartwright’s Cavaliers...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers -
![Dark Moon Arisen by Chris Kennedy, Mark Wandrey]()
Dark Moon Arisen by Chris Kennedy, Mark Wandrey
6 ratingsThe war continues! The Omega War is in full swing. Earth has fallen to General Peepo’s army, and the surviving Human mercenaries have taken refuge at the hidden Winged Hussars’ base in New Warsaw...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers -
![Star Force: Temple Wars by Aer-ki Jyr]()
Star Force: Temple Wars by Aer-ki Jyr
6 ratingshe bell has been rung, and the Return of the Reignor has come...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet -
![Hell's Reach by David VanDyke, B.V. Larson]()
Hell's Reach by David VanDyke, B.V. Larson
6 ratingsUSA Today bestseller B.V. Larson and Dragon award finalist David VanDyke have released book six in their epic military space opera! The Breakers find a new home among the stars: Utopia. An engineered planet that is vast beyond comprehension with plenty of room to grow. They set up trade routes and work as mercenaries for their supplies… but trouble lurks. Pirates strike their merchant lanes...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers -
![Alpha Contracts by Chris Kennedy, Mark Wandrey]()
Alpha Contracts by Chris Kennedy, Mark Wandrey
6 ratings“Before CASPers were the lords of the battlefield, men tested their metal against aliens one-on-one.” First contact has been made, and Earth’s militaries and its premier mercenary companies stand ready to take their first tentative steps outside the Solar System...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers
Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.
