Books like 'The Thief and the Sword'
Readers who enjoyed The Thief and the Sword by Mike Maihack also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
futuristic sc-fi action / adventure space mystery children friendship time-travel humor cats
-
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 80 ratingsA lone astronaut.An impossible mission.An ally he never imagined.Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and Earth itself will perish.Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time...Categorized as:
aliens friendship humor space-opera 21st-century action-adventure amnesia apocalyptic -
![Network Effect by Martha Wells]()
Network Effect by Martha Wells
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 58 ratingsMurderbot returns in its highly-anticipated, first, full-length standalone novel... -
![Obsidio by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff]()
Obsidio by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 52 ratingsKady, Ezra, Hanna, and Nik narrowly escaped with their lives from the attacks on Heimdall station and now find themselves crammed with 2,000 refugees on the container ship, Mao... -
![Gemina by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff]()
Gemina by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 60 ratingsMoving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault... -
-
![Skyward by Brandon Sanderson]()
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 72 ratingsDefeated, crushed, and driven almost to extinction, the remnants of the human race are trapped on a planet that is constantly attacked by mysterious alien starfighters. Spensa, a teenage girl living among them, longs to be a pilot... -
![Exit Strategy by Martha Wells]()
Exit Strategy by Martha Wells
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 57 ratingsMurderbot wasn’t programmed to care. So, its decision to help the only human who ever showed it respect must be a system glitch, right?Having traveled the width of the galaxy to unearth details of its own murderous transgressions, as well as those of the GrayCris Corporation, Murderbot is heading home to help Dr... -
![Age of Deception by T.A. White]()
Age of Deception by T.A. White
Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsWar hero and daughter to two Houses, Kira is just beginning to learn how deep the rabbit hole goes. Agreeing to accompany her father’s people back to their homeworld, Kira Forrest prepares for the fight of her life. She’s agreed to undertake the Trial of the Broken, a rite of passage every member of her father’s House must pass... -
![Spaced Out by Stuart Gibbs]()
Spaced Out by Stuart Gibbs
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn this New York Times bestselling novel the moon base commander has gone missing and Dash Gibson is on the case. The second mind-boggling mystery of the Moon Base Alpha series from beloved author Stuart Gibbs.There’s nowhere to hide on the world’s first moon base. After all, it’s only the size of a soccer field... -
![Waste of Space by Stuart Gibbs, Gibson Frazier]()
Waste of Space by Stuart Gibbs, Gibson Frazier
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsTensions are running high when multibillionaire Lars Sjoburg is poisoned and demands to go home and everyone is looking to Dash Gibson to solve the case, in this third and final book in the New York Times bestselling Moon Base Alpha series.Moon Base Alpha was supposed to be an exciting place to live, but Dash didn't expect for it to be this exciting... -
![Artificial Condition by Martha Wells]()
Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 65 ratingsIt has a dark past – one in which a number of humans were killed. A past that caused it to christen itself “Murderbot”. But it has only vague memories of the massacre that spawned that title, and it wants to know more.Teaming up with a Research Transport vessel named ART (you don’t want to know what the “A” stands for), Murderbot heads to the mining facility where it went rogue... -
![Starsight by Brandon Sanderson]()
Starsight by Brandon Sanderson
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 71 ratingsAll her life, Spensa has dreamed of becoming a pilot. Of proving she's a hero like her father. She made it to the sky, but the truths she learned about her father were crushing.Spensa is sure there's more to the story. And she's sure that whatever happened to her father in his starship could happen to her... -
![Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells]()
Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 46 ratingsNo, I didn’t kill the dead human. If I had, I wouldn’t dump the body in the station mall... -
![The Saints of Salvation by Peter F. Hamilton]()
The Saints of Salvation by Peter F. Hamilton
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsHumanity is struggling to hold out against a hostile takeover by an alien race that claims to be on a religious mission to bring all sentient life to its God at the End of Time. But while things may look grim in the immediate aftermath of the attack, mankind is busy playing an even longer game than the aliens may have expected... -
![Miles, Mutants, and Microbes by Lois McMaster Bujold]()
Miles, Mutants, and Microbes by Lois McMaster Bujold
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsContent: Falling free Labyrinth Diplomatic immunity Miles Vorkosigan/Naismith : his life and times.Two complete novels and a short novel in one large volume:Falling Free—The Nebula Award-winning novel. Leo Graf was just your typical efficient engineer: mind your own business and do the job... -
-
![Young Miles by Lois McMaster Bujold]()
Young Miles by Lois McMaster Bujold
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsThe Warrior's Apprentice 1The Mountains of Mourning 373The Vor Game 465Author's Afterword 829IT ISN'T EASY, BEING VOR...Being a Vor lord on the war-torn planet Barrayar wasn't easy. Being an officer in Barrayar's military wasn't easy...Categorized as:
coming-of-age humor space-opera 20th-century action-adventure anthologies audiobook female-author -
![Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells]()
Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 59 ratingsSciFi’s favorite crabby A.I. is again on a mission. The case against the too-big-to-fail GrayCris Corporation is floundering, and more importantly, authorities are beginning to ask more questions about where Dr. Mensah's SecUnit is.And Murderbot would rather those questions went away. For good... -
![Lab Rat One by Andrea K. Höst]()
Lab Rat One by Andrea K. Höst
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsPart 2 of the Touchstone trilogy:In the months since Cassandra Devlin walked off Earth onto another planet, she has grappled with everything from making blankets to helping psychics battle the memories of monsters. Not able to find a way home, she has instead gained friends and a purpose... -
![Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness]()
Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 59 ratingsAs a world-ending war surges to life around them, Todd and Viola face monstrous decisions. The indigenous Spackle, thinking and acting as one, have mobilized to avenge their murdered people. Ruthless human leaders prepare to defend their factions at all costs, even as a convoy of new settlers approaches... -
![Bane of Worlds by Anthony James]()
Bane of Worlds by Anthony James
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 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... -
![Iron Gold by Pierce Brown]()
Iron Gold by Pierce Brown
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 67 ratingsThey call him father, liberator, warlord, Reaper. But he feels a boy as he falls toward the pale blue planet, his armor red, his army vast, his heart heavy. It is the tenth year of war and the thirty-second of his life. A decade ago, Darrow was the hero of the revolution he believed would break the chains of the Society... -
![Miles, Mystery, and Mayhem by Lois McMaster Bujold]()
Miles, Mystery, and Mayhem by Lois McMaster Bujold
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsContains: Cetaganda Ethan of Athos Labyrinth.Diplomat, soldier, spy - Lieutenant Lord Miles Naismith Vorkosigan of the Barrayarayan Empire, a.k.a. Admiral Naismith of the Dendarii Free Mercenaries, is a young man of many parts... -
![The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness]()
The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 62 ratingsWe were in the square, in the square where I'd run, holding her, carrying her, telling her to stay alive, stay alive till we got safe, till we got to Haven so I could save her - But there weren't no safety, no safety at all, there was just him and his men...Fleeing before a relentless army, Todd has carried a desperately wounded Viola right into the hands of their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss...Categorized as:
aliens children coming-of-age friendship action-adventure apocalyptic audiobook book -
![Space Case by Stuart Gibbs]()
Space Case by Stuart Gibbs
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsIt’s a murder mystery on the moon in this humorous and suspenseful space adventure from the author of Belly Up and Spy School that The New York Times Book Review called “a delightful and brilliantly constructed middle grade thriller... -
![Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold]()
Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsA rich Komarran merchant fleet has been impounded at Graf Station, in distant Quaddiespace, after a bloody incident on the station docks involving a security officer from the convoy's Barrayaran military escort. Lord Miles Vorkosigan of Barrayar and his wife, Lady Ekaterin, have other things on their minds, such as getting home in time to attend the long-awaited births of their first children... -
-
![Nyxia Uprising by Scott Reintgen]()
Nyxia Uprising by Scott Reintgen
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn the highly anticipated Nyxia Triad series finale, Emmett and the Genesis team must join forces with a surprising set of allies if they’re ever to make it home alive.Desperate to return home to Earth and claim the reward Babel promised, Emmett and the Genesis team join forces with the Imago. Babel’s initial attack left their home city in ruins, but that was just part of the Imago’s plan...Categorized as:
aliens coming-of-age friendship space-opera action-adventure apocalyptic audiobook book -
![The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera]()
The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThere lived a girl named Petra Peña, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita.But Petra's world is ending. Earth has been destroyed by a comet, and only a few hundred scientists and their children – among them Petra and her family – have been chosen to journey to a new planet. They are the ones who must carry on the human race... -
![The Enemy Within by Joshua Dalzelle]()
The Enemy Within by Joshua Dalzelle
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 27 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... -
![Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold]()
Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsCordelia and Arol Vorkosigan's plans for a peaceful married life (after all the bloodshed and trials recounted in SHARDS OF HONOR) are soon shattered by the polital tumult on Barrayar. Resisting enormous pressure, they struggle to keep their family alive while while protecting the child Emperor from enemies who would murder him and assume absolute power over all of Barrayar... -
![The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold]()
The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsHugo Award Winner! Miles Vorkosigan graduates from the Academy, joins a mutiny, is placed under house arrest, goes on a secret mission, reconnects with his loyal Dendarii Mercenaries, rescues his Emperor, and thwarts an interstellar war. Situation normal, if you're Miles...Categorized as:
coming-of-age humor space-opera 20th-century action-adventure audiobook book classics -
![Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff]()
Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsOur heroes are back… kind of. From the bestselling co-authors of the Illuminae Files comes the second book in the epic series about a squad of misfits, losers, and discipline cases who just might be the galaxy’s best hope for survival.First, the bad news: an ancient evil—you know, your standard consume-all-life-in-the-galaxy deal—is about to be unleashed... -
![Inversion Point by Jenn Burke, Kelly Jensen]()
Inversion Point by Jenn Burke, Kelly Jensen
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsZander and Felix's relationship has been to the brink and back: the Human-Stin War, imprisonment and an actual death/resurrection. Zander's death, to be specific, and the experience has left him…changed. The mysterious race known as the Guardians chose to revive him and appointed him as their emissary...Categorized as:
aliens space-opera action-adventure adult billionaire book fiction friends-to-lovers -
![A Pocket Full of Lies by Kirsten Beyer, Martin Frei]()
A Pocket Full of Lies by Kirsten Beyer, Martin Frei
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 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... -
![Chains of Duty by Anthony James]()
Chains of Duty by Anthony James
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 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... -
![Defending the Galaxy by Maria V. Snyder]()
Defending the Galaxy by Maria V. Snyder
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsYear 2522. Oh. My. Stars.Junior Officer Ara Lawrence here, reporting for duty. Again. It's situation critical for the security team and everyone in the base - including my parents - with a new attack from the looters imminent, a possible galaxy-wide crime conspiracy and an unstoppable alien threat. But this all pales in the face of my mind-blowing discovery about the Q-net... -
-
![The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold]()
The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsBetween the seemingly impossible tasks of living up to his warrior-father's legend and surmounting his own physical limitations, Miles Vorkosigan faces some truly daunting challenges. Shortly after his arrival on Beta Colony, Miles unexpectedly finds himself the owner of an obsolete freighter and in more debt than he ever thought possible...Categorized as:
coming-of-age humor space-opera 20th-century action-adventure audiobook book classics -
![Chasing the Shadows by Maria V. Snyder]()
Chasing the Shadows by Maria V. Snyder
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsYear 2522. Lyra Daniels is dead.Okay, so I only died for sixty-six seconds. But when I came back to life, I got a brand new name and a snazzy new uniform. Go me! Seriously, though, it's very important that Lyra Daniels stays dead, at least as far as my ex-friend Jarren, the murdering looter, knows.While dying is the scariest thing that's happened to me, it morphed my worming skills... -
![Earth Star by Janet Edwards]()
Earth Star by Janet Edwards
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsSequel to Earth Girl.18-year-old Jarra has a lot to prove. After being awarded one of the military’s highest honours for her role in a daring rescue attempt, Jarra finds herself – and her Ape status – in the spotlight. Jarra is one of the unlucky few born with an immune system that cannot survive on other planets...Categorized as:
aliens coming-of-age friendship space-opera time-travel action-adventure audiobook book -
![Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik]()
Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsThe critically acclaimed author of Polaris Rising takes readers on an exciting journey with the start of her brand-new series about a female bounty hunter and the man who is her sworn enemy.Octavia Zarola would do anything to keep her tiny, close-knit bounty hunting crew together—even if it means accepting a job from Torran Fletcher, a ruthless former general and her sworn enemy... -
![Nyxia Unleashed by Scott Reintgen]()
Nyxia Unleashed by Scott Reintgen
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsGetting to Eden brought Emmett and his crewmates one step closer to their promised fortune. But surviving Eden may be the biggest reward of all.Emmett Atwater thought Babel’s game sounded easy. Get points. Get paid. Go home. But it didn’t take long for him to learn that Babel’s competition was full of broken promises, none darker or more damaging than the last one... -
![The Dreaming Void by Peter F. Hamilton]()
The Dreaming Void by Peter F. Hamilton
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsThe year is 3589, fifteen hundred years after Commonwealth forces barely staved off human extinction in a war against the alien Prime. Now an even greater danger has surfaced: a threat to the existence of the universe itself... -
![Clan and Conviction by Tracy St. John]()
Clan and Conviction by Tracy St. John
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe drug Delir is sweeping the Kalquorian Empire, leaving madness and death in its wake. Investigator Dramok Gelan has already lost his enforcer partner in a deadly shootout because of the case. With no clues or suspects, he despairs of putting an end to the epidemic. Then a familiar face enters the picture: new partner and former lover Nobek Wynhod... -
![Earth Force Rising by Monica Tesler]()
Earth Force Rising by Monica Tesler
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThirteen years ago, Earth Force—a space-military agency—discovered a connection between brain structure and space travel. Now they’ve brought together the first team of cadets, called Bounders, to be trained as high-level astronauts.Twelve-year-old Jasper is part of this team being sent out into space... -
![The Bound Worlds by Megan E. O'Keefe]()
The Bound Worlds by Megan E. O'Keefe
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWorlds will collide and fates will be rewritten in the thrilling conclusion to the Devoured Worlds space opera trilogy by award-winning author Megan E. O’Keefe. Naira and Tarquin have found a new home on Seventh Cradle. But the peace they’ve built is short-lived as mysterious assailants ambush the settlement and Naira is haunted by visions of a monstrous future... -
![Vexing Voss by Gail Koger]()
Vexing Voss by Gail Koger
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFor Voss, a Coletti Warlord, conquering the universe is a piece of cake. After all, he's a master of psychic seduction; no one can resist him when he sets his mind to it.Zoey Jones is determined to find her mother's killer. Surrendering to a fierce Coletti warrior is the last thing on her mind... -
-
![Alone by Scott Sigler]()
Alone by Scott Sigler
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn the final installment of an exhilarating sci-fi adventure trilogy in the vein of The Hunger Games, Divergent, and Red Rising, Scott Sigler’s unforgettable heroine, Em Savage, must come to grips once and for all with the perilous mysteries of her own existence.“We thought this place was our destiny—not our doom... -
![Crownchasers by Rebecca Coffindaffer]()
Crownchasers by Rebecca Coffindaffer
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA deadly competition for the throne will determine more than just the fate of the empire in this duology opener.Alyssa Farshot has spent her whole life trying to outrun her family legacy. Her mother sacrificed everything to bring peace to the quadrant, and her uncle has successfully ruled as emperor for decades... -
![Navigating the Stars by Maria V. Snyder]()
Navigating the Stars by Maria V. Snyder
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratings“The answer is no, Lyra,” my mother utters her favorite—I swear—phrase. No means I have to travel with them to another planet—again. No means leaving all my friends fifty years in the past. Thanks, Einstein. Seventeen-year-old Lyra Daniels can’t truly blame Einstein or her parents for their impending move across the Milky Way Galaxy...Categorized as:
aliens friendship humor space-opera time-travel action-adventure archaeology audiobook -
![Insignia by S.J. Kincaid]()
Insignia by S.J. Kincaid
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsThe earth is in the middle of WWIII in Insignia, the first entry in S. J. Kincaid's fast-paced sci-fi adventure trilogy perfect for fans of Ender's Game.The planet's natural resources are almost gone, and war is being fought to control the assets of the solar system. The enemy is winning. The salvation may be Tom Raines. Tom doesn't seem like a hero. He's a short fourteen-year-old with bad skin...Categorized as:
coming-of-age friendship humor space-opera action-adventure audiobook boarding-school book -
![Valor's Trial by Tanya Huff]()
Valor's Trial by Tanya Huff
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe rousing military adventure (Locus) continues with a brand new Valor novel. Gunnery Sergeant Torin Kerr is a Confederation Marines marine. She's survived more deadly encounters and kept more of her officers and enlistees alive than anyone in the Corps... -
![Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner]()
Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsA year ago, Flynn Cormac and Jubilee Chase made the now infamous Avon Broadcast, calling on the galaxy to witness for their planet, and protect them from destruction. Some say Flynn’s a madman, others whisper about conspiracies. Nobody knows the truth...
Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.
