Books like 'The Big Black Mark'
Readers who enjoyed The Big Black Mark by A. Bertram Chandler also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
sc-fi space action / adventure military, war & conflict space-opera war satire humor aliens invasion
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Adverse Possession by Craig Martelle, Michael Anderle
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA planet in dispute. Farmers vs miners, and no one knows the full story.The Federation sends Rivka and her team to resolve a case of settlers squatting on a remote planet when the owners finally came calling.Not what it seems. Three generations of settlers and more. A planet that isn’t as welcoming as it appears. Crops coming ripe. Miners ready to dig. Tempers flare as the sides face off... -
Rise of the AI by Craig Martelle, Michael Anderle
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Singularity enters the Federation. Its citizens are AIs.And no one knows how to treat them. From collaborations to master-slave, every relationship is different, when they shouldn’t be. The AIs fight back, but on a level none of the other members understand.The fight starts slowly, but when the realization of what’s happening hits too close to home, more extraordinary measures are called for... -
The Interview by Craig Martelle, Michael Anderle
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen the right thing goes wrong, someone has to answer.Dismantling the Blood Trade wasn’t the end, but the beginning. Everything the Magistrates do has been called into question.Do they have probable cause? Are they respecting a suspect’s right against self-incrimination? The ambassadors have questions, and they think they know the answers, but only the Magistrates know the truth... -
Brushfire by Craig Alanson
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsPeacetime can be a rough adjustment for the battle-hardened Merry Band of Pirates.Especially when aliens don’t get the memo that the shooting is over... -
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Deception by Craig Martelle, Michael Anderle
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLies & deceit leading to a domino of crimes.The Trans-Pacific Task Force is getting ready to deploy but they don’t have what they need. Someone’s been skimming. A contract won through mistruths. Incomplete payments limiting the army’s readiness.Colonel Marcie Walton is angry and calling anyone who will answer.Magistrate Rivka Anoa is on the job and thrown into the middle of two shooting wars... -
Dispute by Craig Martelle, Michael Anderle
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTwo races. One war. Perpetual hatred. And the Magistrate crash lands right in the middle of it.Rivka and her crew take a much-deserved vacation, but find themselves on a jungle planet, cut off from the rest of the galaxy. Part by design, but mostly not. Isn’t that what a good vacation is supposed to be, disconnected from the rigors of everyday life? Until no one can hear your calls for help... -
Armageddon by Craig Alanson
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsAfter the Renegade mission by the crew of the starship Flying Dutchman, the UN Expeditionary Force thought Earth was safe for hundreds of years, at least. After there was trouble on the Homefront, and the President had to authorize a nuclear strike on an American city. UNEF decided they did need the Merry Band of Pirates again. So, the Flying Dutchman is sent out on a simple recon mission... -
Forged in Flame by Michael R. Hicks
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThis is the second book of the First Empress saga, following From Chaos Born.Keel-Tath, the child who would unite her people as foretold by an ancient prophecy, has grown to be a young warrior in the confines of the Desh-Ka temple, where she has been sheltered by her old friend and mentor Ayan-Dar from the clutches of Syr-Nagath, the Dark Queen... -
Lunar Crisis: Age of Expansion by Tom Dublin, Michael Anderle
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe Shadows have been blooded and survived. There was no time for celebration as their next mission came upon them like a gangster in the night. Or missiles out of the blue.Captain Jack Marber, the Yollin Tc’aarlat, and Adina Choudhury take the ICS Fortitude to the moons of Taglen... -
Zero Hour by Craig Alanson
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsUnited Nations Special Operations Command sent an elite Expeditionary Force of soldiers and pilots out on a simple recon mission, and somehow along the way they sparked an alien civil war. Now the not-at-all-Merry Band of Pirates is in desperate trouble, again. Their stolen alien starship is falling apart, thousands of lightyears from home... -
Old Dogs, Older Tricks by Jamie McFarlane
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsHe’s a Vietnam vet, with a new lease on life. To fight an out-of-this-world invasion, he’ll need a little help from his friends…Albert Jenkins never cared much for bureaucrats and politicians. So when the Galactic Congress refuses to act on the illegal invasion of Earth by parasitic aliens, he does what any self-respecting vet would do – he steals a spaceship... -
Return by Nathan Hystad, Flynn Earl Jones
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Rift opens once again. The battle for Earth continues. Only the Eureka and her crew can turn the tides. The Eureka returns to Sol through the Rift as an extreme time dilation creates complications. With a familiar face now the Earth Fleet's Grand Admiral, Ace and the others struggle to acclimate to their new reality... -
Fallout by Craig Alanson, R.C. Bray
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsListening time 22 hours 29 minutesThe Expeditionary Force saga continues with Fallout, the eagerly awaited sequel to number one Audible-ranked and New York Times best-selling Breakaway, from an epic sci-fi writer at the top of his game. Join the millions of listeners who have enjoyed R.C... -
Family Law by Mackey Chandler
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsPeople love easily. Look at most of your relatives or coworkers. How lovable are they? Really? Yet most have mates and children. The vast majority are still invited to family gatherings and their relatives will speak to them. Many have pets to which they are devoted. Some even call them their fur-babies... -
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Deep Black by Miles Cameron
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMarca Nbaro had always dreamed of serving aboard the Greatships, with their vast cargo holds and a crew that could fill a city.They are the lifeblood of human-occupied space, transporting an unimaginable volume - and value - of goods from City, the greatest human orbital, all the way to Tradepoint at the other, to trade for xenoglas with an unknowable alien species... -
Haraken by S.H. Jucha
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsNine years of tranquility came to an abrupt end when a Méridien starship entered the Hellébore system, sounding a dire warning for Alex Racine, the Haraken president. Unwanted visitors had arrived again. But this time, they’re not alien; they’re human... -
Freefall by Craig Alanson
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe Alien Legion has a new mission, and this time, they are working for the enemy. Also against the enemy. Like every operation that Emily Perkins plans, it’s complicated... -
Deathtrap by Craig Alanson
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThe human soldiers stranded on the planet Paradise have been recruited into an Alien Legion, to do the dirty jobs that the high-tech species won't do. Their first mission is to kick the enemy off a backwater planet no one cares about. It's a simple assignment, except everyone has a hidden agenda, and the planet could become a deathtrap... -
The Deadliest of Intentions by Marc Stevens
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe Principal Investigator of the Chaalt people, has covertly enlisted the aid of Nathan Myers and the crew of the Legacy. They desperately need help gaining access to their secret Prule research station. The facility has gone dark, and the automated defenses activated... -
Shout of Honor by Sharon Lee, Steve Miller
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCommander Vepal is a Hero. He is also the Yxtrang ambassador to the greater universe. These two facts do not make Vepal's life easy. But they do make it interesting... -
Daisy's War by Scott Baron
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWith powerful forces working behind the scenes, Daisy seemed to be on the path to what may very well be a rousing victory. Or a glorious death, should she fail. For obvious reasons, she hoped for the former rather than the latter.She and her friends had persevered and come out on the other side time and again. Now they just had to pull together one last time to stand against their greatest foe... -
Stardust by Edward W. Robertson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe invaders have arrived. The last battle for humanity is about to begin. STARDUST is the final book in the Rebel Stars series... -
Junkyard Raiders by Jamie McFarlane
Rated: 4.59 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsDumped on a backwater planet, heroic old vets will risk everything to take a stand against vicious alien invaders.On the pastoral, backwater planet of Fimil Alpha, something or someone is eradicating the tribespeople of the Gauder Plains. Back on Earth, Albert Jenkins and his crew are enjoying the short-lived fame that accompanied their last adventure... -
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... -
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Your Life Is Forfeit by Craig Martelle, Michael Anderle
Rated: 4.59 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsRed has a price on his head. Rivka is determined to find those who put it there. Criminals commit crimes. Career criminals do it in secret. They are good at hiding.Rivka’s latest case has her hunting fugitives. Red is on a mission to find them and make them pay for what they’ve done.Her search leads her through dark warrens of political intrigue and ecological disasters... -
Deep Black (Infinite Sky #1) by Samuel Best
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTwo crews return to Titan. Who will survive?Titan. Sixth moon of Saturn. A deadly enigma harboring the greatest secret in the history of humankind.In the wake of the first mission, two companies with very different goals plot a return to that distant moon. Their ships are safer, their technology has improved…and they want answers... -
Losing Mars by Peter Cawdron
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsDisaster strikes in orbit around Mars. A Chinese spacecraft is disabled, stranded near Phobos. Well over a hundred million miles from Earth, their only hope for rescue comes from the American base on the edge of the Vallis Marineris on the surface of Mars... -
Destroy The Corrupt by Craig Martelle, Michael Anderle
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsNo one runs a racket and gets away with it. Not in the Federation and not when it steals business from The Bad Company. Punish the interlopers! But justice must be served. Is it a racket? Or are they just better at business?Send in the Magistrate to investigate and apply the law. What will Rivka uncover? What justice will she deliver?Keep pulling the threads. See what unravels... -
A Problem of Proportion by John Scalzi
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA secret backdoor meeting between Ambassador Ode Abumwe and the Conclaves Hafte Sorvalh turns out to be less than secret as both of their ships are attacked. Its a surprise to both teams but its the identity of the attacker that is the real surprise, and suggests a threat to both humanity and The Conclave... -
Invaders by Laurence E. Dahners
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 15 ratings“Invaders” is about events that occur several years after those in the novel “Disc.” GSI (Gettnor Space Industries) is beginning to investigate our solar system and mine the asteroids. Aircraft and automobile companies are beginning to switch over to thrusters from their more traditional products. New uses for thrusters are popping up in the healthcare and sports industries... -
Deliverer by C.J. Cherryh
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIn the aftermath of civil war, the world of the atevi is still perilously unstable. Tabini-aiji, powerful ruler of the Western Association, along with his son and heir Cajeiri, and his human paidhi, Bren Cameron, have returned to the seat of power. The usurper, Murini, has escaped to the lands of his supporters, but the danger these rebels pose is far from over... -
Gravity Storm: Age of Expansion by Tom Dublin, Michael Anderle
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsDon’t dump the cargo - I paid for it fair and square with money I stole! And so begins the saga of Jack Marber, former Special Assault Marine and his alien band of traders as they cross the galaxy doing the only job that doesn’t leave them homeless. “I need eyes and ears in every system that would benefit the Federation... -
Ronin by Edward W. Robertson
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe Hive has survived their first fleet action against FinnTech. But in the process, they've lost the Hive itself. With their manufacturing base in Finn's hands, it's only a matter of time before they're outnumbered and destroyed. As Rada searches for a path to victory, she stumbles on a horrifying secret: the aliens who've kept humanity confined to the Solar System are about to make their move... -
Stranded by the Alien Bride Lottery by Margo Bond Collins
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHe's not the warrior I wanted. But now we're stranded together, and I can't quit thinking about him.I made it all the way through the Alien Bride Games without being chosen by a Khanavai male, even though I'm certain it's the only way I'll ever find anything resembling love... -
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Rusty Hinges by Alan Black
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsStone’s fist, secure in the combat suit and hidden by camouflage, impacted the Hyrocanian mouth before it closed around the baby. Stone grabbed the helpless piglet with his free hand and tossed it to a startled female. The piglet, the last of her kind on the delivery shuttle, grabbed the baby and ran. Stone twisted his fist, trying his best to break every tooth in the Hyrocanian’s mouth... -
At the Edge by Alan Black
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEnsign Stone’s goals were to make his way in the empire’s navy, make his family proud of him, and make love to his fiancée. No matter which way he turned, someone was conspiring against him. Disgraced and humiliated, he is court-martialed, discharged, and abandoned... -
The Frequency of Aliens by Gene Doucette
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAnnie Collins is back!Becoming an overnight celebrity at age sixteen should have been a lot more fun. Yes, there were times when it was extremely cool, but when the newness of it all wore off, Annie Collins was left with a permanent security detail and the kind of constant scrutiny that makes the college experience especially awkward... -
The Cruel Stars by Christopher G. Nuttall
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA stand-alone set during the Ark Royal Era. The Royal Navy never expected to fight a full-scale interstellar war. Everyone knew the Great Powers would never risk everything on armed conflict, when there was plenty of room for everyone in outer space... -
Star Trek: The Fall: A Ceremony of Losses by David Mack
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsTHE NEEDS OF THE MANYDespite heroic efforts by Thirishar ch’Thane, the Andorian species is headed for extinction. Its slow march toward oblivion has reached a tipping point, one from which there will be no hope of return.THE NEEDS OF THE FEWWith countless lives at stake, the leaders of Andor, the Federation, and the Typhon Pact all scheme to twist the crisis to their political gain—at any price... -
Manxome Foe by John Ringo, Travis S. Taylor
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsIn the midst of recovering from their successful if casualty prone first mission, the crew of the Alliance Space Ship "Vorpal Blade" are suddenly scrambled back into action. All other priorities take second place as word arrives on earth of a gate colony which has fallen to an unidentified alien assault... -
The Eternal Tide by Kirsten Beyer
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAs the Voyager fleet continues its exploration of the Delta Quadrant, investigating the current status of sectors formerly controlled by the Borg becomes a key priority. Two of the fleet's special mission vessels, the U.S.S. Galen and U.S.S...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion space-opera action-adventure adult anthologies fiction -
The City and The Ship by Anne McCaffrey, S.M. Stirling
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTwo novels in one large volume, both set in the same universe as The Ship Who Sang: The City Who Fought: Simeon was bored with running the mining and processing station that made up his "body." Then the invaders came. If anyone was to survive, somehow he must transform his wargaming hobby into the real thing and become The City Who Fought... -
Libre by S.H. Jucha
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe saga of the Rêveur continues in this second novel in The Silver Ships series.The surviving Méridiens have returned to Confederation space, aided by their recently discovered cousins, the New Terrans. They expect a celebration after their 71-year absence. Instead, they’re shocked to find the silver ships have destroyed half the Confederation... -
The Heart of Matter by Evan Currie
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsAfter an epic maiden voyage that introduced Earth to a larger universe—and a cosmos full of terrifying new enemies—Captain Eric Weston and the crew of the NAC spacecraft Odyssey have spent months cooling their heels under their admiral’s watchful eye... -
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The Swarm by Orson Scott Card, Aaron Johnston
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsOrson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston return to their Ender's Game prequel series with this first volume of an all-new trilogy about the Second Formic War in The Swarm.The first invasion of Earth was beaten back by a coalition of corporate and international military forces, and the Chinese army...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion space-opera war action-adventure apocalyptic audiobook -
Double Contact by James White
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsNow, in the latest adventure, the empathic Dr. Prilicla, a veteran of Sector General for years, is put in command of an expedition answering three distress beacons. What he finds is two hitherto-unknown intelligent species, one of which has nearly wiped out the other. And he also finds evidence of a botched first contact--along with a rare opportunity to set matters right... -
Wonderlands by Una McCormack
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAn all-new novel based upon the explosive Star Trek TV series! In a desperate attempt to prevent the artificial intelligence known as Control from seizing crucial information that could destroy all sentient life, Commander Michael Burnham donned the “Red Angel” time-travel suit and guided the USS Discovery into the future and out of harm’s way... -
Invincible by Christopher G. Nuttall
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAll is not well in the Human Sphere. The alliance between the Great Powers is starting to fall apart, the human economy cannot keep up with the urgent need for newer and better starships and politicians are demanding an end to military spending. For the Royal Navy, desperately trying to do too many tasks with too few ships, it is the worst possible time for a new threat to appear... -
Titan: Fortune of War by David Mack
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAn original spin-off novel set in the popular Star Trek: The Next Generation universe from New York Times bestselling author David Mack.Death slumbers in the ashes of silent planets, waiting to be awakened and unleashed… Twenty years have passed since the interstellar scourge known as the Husnock were exterminated without warning by a being with godlike abilities... -
Star Trek: Vanguard: Precipice (Star Trek: Vanguard by David Mack
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsDiego Reyes, courtmartialled Starfleet commodore and disgraced former commander of space station Vanguard, discovers that his role in deciphering the truth about the Taurus Reach is not yet over...
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