Books like 'There and Back Again'
Readers who enjoyed There and Back Again by Pat Murphy also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
futuristic sc-fi action / adventure space humor space-opera retellings wlw space-travel time-travel
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Layers of Force by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.72 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThe exciting conclusion to the Star Kingdom series!Even though Professor Casmir Dabrowski has been fighting for months to help the kingdom and humanity as a whole, few people in positions of power have appreciated his unorthodox methods. Now he's a captive of the king and being taken back to his home world without his friends or the crushers he relies upon to protect him... -
![Home Front by Lindsay Buroker]()
Home Front by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsCasmir and his allies have struck a devastating blow to the powerful prince who sent invaders into their star system, but war still rages at home. Worse, the prince has escaped with a lethal bioweapon, and he intends to wipe out all human life on Odin. Casmir could lose his parents, his friends, and everyone he holds dear... -
![Planet Killer by Lindsay Buroker]()
Planet Killer by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.65 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsCasmir has survived against impossible odds, and now he longs to return home. But an invasion force is blockading the Kingdom’s wormhole gate, and it would be suicidal to fly through it now. Worse, his family and friends are stuck on the other side, with hostile forces attacking their home world. The only way Casmir can help is to find out who’s behind the invasion… and convince him to stop... -
![Gate Quest by Lindsay Buroker]()
Gate Quest by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.59 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsRoboticist extraordinaire Casmir Dabrowski has a new nemesis: astroshaman leader Kyla Moonrazor. She’s stolen the ancient wormhole gate the king ordered Casmir to retrieve, and she’s entrenched in an underwater base on a forsaken moon. Moonrazor is more educated and more experienced than Casmir, and she has legions of killer robots and cyborg defenders on her side. Casmir has his friends and.. -
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![Crossfire by Lindsay Buroker]()
Crossfire by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsFor the first time in his life, roboticist Casmir Dabrowski is headed to another star system as an advisor for the Kingdom space fleet. He’s being given a chance to prove himself to King Jager by helping find the ancient artifact he inadvertently lost. It’s best not to think about what might happen if he fails.. -
![Hero Code by Lindsay Buroker]()
Hero Code by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsCasmir Dabrowski is finally heading back to his home world, determined to gain an audience with the queen and convince her to tell him the secret of his genes. But the terrorists who have been sending robot assassins after him are still there—and still want him dead. As soon as he lands, the trouble starts... -
![End Game by Lindsay Buroker]()
End Game by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsAlisa Marchenko has reunited with her daughter, and even though she hasn’t figured out how to get Jelena to accept Leonidas yet, she dreams of the three of them starting a new life together. They can return the Star Nomad to its original purpose of running freight and staying out of trouble (mostly)... -
![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... -
![Resolve by Jenny Schwartz]()
Resolve by Jenny Schwartz
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe unmissable conclusion to the science fiction series that has it all—ancient aliens, rogue AIs, beleaguered royalty, semi-repentant pirates, and the chance to go where no humans have gone before (well, not for five hundred years)—all wrapped up in the possibility of a happy-ever-after for everyone (bad guys excluded)... -
![Asylum by Lindsay Buroker]()
Asylum by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAsylum is a stand-alone novel in the Star Kingdom universe. It introduces new heroes, but old fans will enjoy visits with Casmir, Kim, Qin, Laser, Oku, and other favorites from the original series.A young woman with cybernetic upgrades, Mari Moonrazor has decided to flee the restrictive machine-worshipping cult she was raised in... -
![The Star Diaries by Stanisław Lem, Michael Kandel]()
The Star Diaries by Stanisław Lem, Michael Kandel
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsStanislaw Lem's set of short stories, written over a period of twenty years, all feature the adventures of space traveller Ijon Tichy and recount him spinning in time-warps, spying on robots, encountering bizarre civilizations and creatures in space and being hopelessly lost in a forest of supernovae...Categorized as:
humor space-opera time-travel 20th-century action-adventure adult anthologies audiobook -
![Perilous Hunt by Lindsay Buroker]()
Perilous Hunt by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsAfter failing to catch up with her daughter Jelena so many times, Alisa's optimism is battered, but her determination has never waned. She, Leonidas, and their eclectic crew are hunting down a Starseer research station in the heart of the Kir Asteroid belt—Jelena's supposed location. Alisa vows that she will find her daughter if she has to search a million asteroids to do so... -
![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... -
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![Empaths by S.H. Jucha]()
Empaths by S.H. Jucha
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCaptain Jessie Cinders faces a hazardous choice. The murderer of the governor’s nephew stands before him. But, the frightened teenager, Aurelia Garmenti, doesn’t resemble the commandant’s description of the vicious, hardened killer his security forces seek.To complicate matters, Jessie’s mind has felt Aurelia’s mental powers... -
![Space Rodeo by Jenny Schwartz]()
Space Rodeo by Jenny Schwartz
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsOn the galactic frontier, the Federation’s wildest (and most scientific) citizens have gathered to ride in the Space Rodeo. The Navy’s in charge—of the arena. But beyond the naval perimeter, there is only Interstellar Sheriff Max Smith to keep the peace. Fortunately, he has some extraordinary allies. And enemies. And then, there is his girlfriend... -
![The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams]()
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 66 ratingsSeconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of the The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out of work actor...Categorized as:
humor space-opera space-travel time-travel 20th-century action-adventure aliens audiobook -
![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... -
![Duty Calls: The adventure continues by James Haddock]()
Duty Calls: The adventure continues by James Haddock
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsDuty Calls continues the story of Nic, Mal, Jazz and Jade as they fight to hold what belongs to them. The Corporations are becoming more aggressive in their effort to steal their inventions. Our four friends are matching the corporate's aggression blow for blow. The fight has already turned deadly, and the Corporation has shown they aren't afraid to spill blood... -
![Prime Valkyrie by Michael-Scott Earle]()
Prime Valkyrie by Michael-Scott Earle
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAdam has one mission: Hunt down the Magate Order and recover his kidnapped crew before they are lost forever. Unfortunately, his life has been bound to the Prime Valkyrie, and if Adam doesn’t submit to her powerful father, he’ll be executed...Categorized as:
space-opera space-travel romantic-love sci-fi harem paranormal action-adventure military -
![Ship of Ruin by Lindsay Buroker]()
Ship of Ruin by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsAll Casmir Dabrowski wants is to return to his normal life as a robotics professor on the solid ground and agreeable gravity of his home world. No sane person would want to cavort around in space, being chased by mercenaries, soldiers, and knights—not to mention the unidentified organization that’s been sending robot assassins after him... -
![Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold]()
Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsCaptain Ivan Vorpatril is happy with his relatively uneventful bachelor’s life as a staff officer to a Barrayaran admiral. Cousin to imperial troubleshooter Miles Vorkosigan, Ivan is not far down the hereditary list for the emperorship. Thankfully, new heirs have directed that headache elsewhere, leaving Ivan to enjoy his life on Komarr, far from the byzantine court politics of his home system... -
![The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers]()
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 74 ratingsFollow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space-and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe-in this light-hearted debut space opera from a rising sci-fi star.Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer... -
![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... -
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![Knight Protector by Lindsay Buroker]()
Knight Protector by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsA sci-fi romance set in the Star Kingdom universe.The characters from this book will be introduced in book 6 of the series. An arranged marriage she can’t escape. A sexy bodyguard who will protect her at all cost... -
![Deep Space - Hidden Terror by Laurence E. Dahners]()
Deep Space - Hidden Terror by Laurence E. Dahners
Rated: 4.62 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsThis hard Sci-Fi novel is the sixth book in the “Stasis Stories,” a series of optimistic tales of technological innovation in the near future. They follow Kaem Seba, a young man with extraordinary math talents. With his friends, he’s come up with a device that allows time to be stopped within limited volumes of space-time... -
![Rogue World by B.V. Larson]()
Rogue World by B.V. Larson
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsThe Galactics arrived with their Battle Fleet in 2052. Rather than being exterminated under a barrage of hell-burners, Earth joined a vast Empire that spanned the Milky Way. Today, Battle Fleet 921 is returning to Earth. It hasn’t been seen by human eyes since our blissful day of Annexation... -
![To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers]()
To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsIn her new novella, Sunday Times best-selling author Becky Chambers imagines a future in which, instead of terraforming planets to sustain human life, explorers of the solar system instead transform themselves. Ariadne is one such explorer. As an astronaut on an extrasolar research vessel, she and her fellow crewmates sleep between worlds and wake up each time with different features...Categorized as:
romantic-love space-opera space-travel time-travel wlw 21st-century action-adventure adult -
![March Upcountry by David Weber, John Ringo]()
March Upcountry by David Weber, John Ringo
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsPrince Roger MacClintock is a spoiled young princeling hardly worth the space he takes up. Now he must become a man, or the entire galaxy will suffer arrested adolescence... -
![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... -
![Arkadian Skies by Lindsay Buroker]()
Arkadian Skies by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsWith the man who kidnapped her daughter imprisoned aboard her ship, Captain Alisa Marchenko is closer than ever to reuniting her family. But her new guest has been in a coma for weeks, with the secret to her daughter's location locked away in his mind. She must find a way to sneak him into a state-of-the-art hospital on Arkadius, a planet in the heart of Alliance territory... -
![Between Burning Worlds by Jessica Brody, Joanne Rendell]()
Between Burning Worlds by Jessica Brody, Joanne Rendell
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA traitor. A prisoner. A fugitive.Wanted by the Regime. Destined to save the planet.Laterre is on the brink of war. The Third Estate are rioting against the injustices of a corrupt system. The Patriarche, reeling from the murder of his only heir, makes brutal attempts to quash the unrest, while a new militant faction launches a series of deadly attacks...Categorized as:
retellings space-opera action-adventure audiobook book dystopia enemies-to-lovers fiction -
![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... -
![Ghosts of Empire by Terry Mixon]()
Ghosts of Empire by Terry Mixon
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen on deadly ground, fight! Jared and Kelsey won the battle for Harrison’s World, but the enemy holds thousands of Fleet personnel prisoner. They must get their people back without revealing who they really are or the sentient AIs will eradicate the new Terran Empire... -
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![Command Decisions by Terry Mixon]()
Command Decisions by Terry Mixon
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsBetween a rock and a hard place! After winning a hard-fought victory, Commander Jared Mertz and Princess Kelsey discover another insidious foe blocking their way home. A remnant of the Old Empire still exists and seems allied with the savage, AI-dominated Pale Ones... -
![Veil of Shadows by Terry Mixon]()
Veil of Shadows by Terry Mixon
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsVeil of Shadows Book 2 of the Empire of Bones Saga By Terry Mixon It's always darkest before the dawn! Commander Jared Mertz and Princess Kelsey have scored a stunning victory over the savage Pale Ones. Yet they paid a terrible price for it, one that left their ship crippled and changed the Princess forever... -
![Burning Bright by Michael-Scott Earle]()
Burning Bright by Michael-Scott Earle
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe crew of Persephone only has 300 days to find help for the planet of Uraniel. They return to Queen’s Hat Station with hopes of recruiting more people for their ship, or finding any leads about the super-powered aliens threatening the galaxy.But Elaka Nota is waiting for them on Queen’s Hat, and the conflict sets the crew of Persephone on a path that will change their friendship forever...Categorized as:
space-opera space-travel romantic-love sci-fi harem paranormal military shapeshifters -
![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...Categorized as:
space-opera space-travel time-travel action-adventure aliens archaeology audiobook book -
![Cleon Moon by Lindsay Buroker]()
Cleon Moon by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsNow that she’s retrieved the Staff of Lore, Captain Alisa Marchenko can finally dedicate herself and her ship to finding her kidnapped daughter. Her scant clues lead her to Cleon Moon. Unfortunately, since the fall of the empire, mafia clans have taken over the domed cities on the harsh moon, and exploring there isn’t easy... -
![Quarter Share by Nathan Lowell]()
Quarter Share by Nathan Lowell
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsTHE GOLDEN AGE OF SAIL HAS RETURNED -- IN THE YEAR 2351 When his mother dies in a flitter crash, eighteen-year-old Ishmael Horatio Wang must find a job with the planet company or leave the system--and NerisCo isn't hiring. With credits running low, and prospects limited, he has just one hope...to enlist for two years with a deep space commercial freighter... -
![ReDawn by Brandon Sanderson, Janci Patterson]()
ReDawn by Brandon Sanderson, Janci Patterson
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsFrom #1 bestselling author Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson comes the second of three Skyward series novellas, each told from the perspective of a different member of the team back on Detritus. Read Alanik’s story between Starsight and Cytonic.“Don’t trust their lies. Don’t trust their false peace...Categorized as:
space-opera romantic-love sci-fi young-adult fiction audiobook space action-adventure -
![Unreconciled by W. Michael Gear]()
Unreconciled by W. Michael Gear
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsNow in paperback, the fourth book in the thrilling Donovan sci-fi series returns to a treacherous alien planet where corporate threats and dangerous creatures imperil the lives of the colonists.Where does one put a messianic cult of practicing cannibals? That becomes the question when Ashanti appears in Donovan's skies. She was designed for no more than four years in space. It's taken ten...Categorized as:
space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult audiobook book colonization exploration -
![Caveman Alien’s Prize by Calista Skye]()
Caveman Alien’s Prize by Calista Skye
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHe's a nightmare of violence and danger.And he's about to win a prize for it: me.JinxNobody said being abducted by aliens and dumped on a dinosaur planet would be fun.But we five Earth girls are surviving so far, squeezed between two rival tribes of fierce cavemen... -
![Renegade Magic by Jennifer M. Eaton]()
Renegade Magic by Jennifer M. Eaton
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn outer space, there is no right or wrong...unless you get caught.Cal turns to a life of smuggling to escape a death sentence for a crime he didn't commit, and when a galactic law enforcer lands far too close, Cal’s crew kidnaps her in hopes they can prove his innocence.Hey, what could go wrong?Dania, a powerful mage enforcer, is on a mission to eliminate a human trafficking ring...Categorized as:
space-opera space-travel sci-fi action-adventure royalty futuristic aliens colonization -
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![Forbidden System by David Alastair Hayden]()
Forbidden System by David Alastair Hayden
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Benevolency UniverseA superintelligence called the Benevolence has ruled humanity for over three thousand years. Under its guidance we have spread amongst the stars and experienced an unprecedented age of peace, prosperity, and technological advancement. All of that is about the change... -
![The General's Mate by C.W. Gray]()
The General's Mate by C.W. Gray
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWelcome back to the Blue Solace: (Sequel to "The Mercenary's Mate") Leti Ando and Will Hackett are certain about one thing in all the galaxy. They love one another. Now that they are mated, it's time to meet Hack's parents and settle into their new home. In a normal courtship, the two would spend time getting to know one another and reveling in their love. Normal isn't what they get... -
![The Rogue Prince by Lindsay Buroker]()
The Rogue Prince by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsStarseer, pilot, and animal lover Jelena Marchenko wants to prove to her parents that she’s ready to captain her own freighter and help run the family business. When she finally talks them into getting a second ship and letting her fly it, it doesn’t faze her that the craft is decades old and looks like a turtle. This is the chance she’s craved for years...Categorized as:
humor space-opera space-travel action-adventure audiobook book exploration female-author -
![The Bound Prince by Michelle M. Pillow]()
The Bound Prince by Michelle M. Pillow
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsShapeshifter RomanceCat-shifter Prince Falke commands the Var armies, so it’s a little embarrassing when a beautiful female kidnaps him in his shifted form. Since no one knows where to send a rescue party, it’s up to him to use all his training and powers of seduction to find his way back home... -
![Hardship by Jean Johnson]()
Hardship by Jean Johnson
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIt began with a terrible vision of the future. Compelled by her precognitive abilities, Ia must somehow save her home galaxy long after she’s gone. Now Jean Johnson presents the long-awaited epic conclusion to her national bestselling military science fiction series…Demoralized, their ship destroyed, Ia’s Damned must fight their way out of a planet-bound blockade and back into space... -
![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...
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