Books like 'The Cruel Stars'
Readers who enjoyed The Cruel Stars by John Birmingham 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 military aliens dystopia space-fleet
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Revolution by Joshua Dalzelle
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsFor thousands of years the ConFed has been the most powerful force in the quadrant. It is the umbrella under which hundreds of planets and trillions of beings live in relative peace ... despite the corruption and waste, it's a system that most accept as preferable to the chaos that would ensue in its absence... -
![Red Bounty by J.N. Chaney, Terry Maggert]()
Red Bounty by J.N. Chaney, Terry Maggert
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsVan left his old life behind, but some things remain the same.Even in space, crime still exists.After taking a Peacemaker job to find missing fuel, Perry finds something far more sinister than simple theft—a voice, crying out in a forge of heat and flame, and the discovery reveals a series of acts so vicious that nothing short of revenge will suffice...Categorized as:
aliens galactic-empire humor military space-fleet space-opera action-adventure adult -
![Citadel by Marko Kloos]()
Citadel by Marko Kloos
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsAn interplanetary battle is renewed in an epic novel of a warring solar system by the author of Ballistic.The war should have been over. But it’s not for a group of nationalists grabbing for control.It’s been two weeks since a missile with a nuclear warhead tore through the planetary defenses in the most blistering large-scale attack ever committed in the history of the Gaia system...Categorized as:
galactic-empire military space-fleet space-opera war action-adventure adult audiobook -
![Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy by Timothy Zahn]()
Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy by Timothy Zahn
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsThe fate of the Chiss Ascendancy hangs in the balance in the epic finale of the Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy from bestselling author Timothy Zahn. For thousands of years The Chiss Ascendancy has been an island of calm, a center of power, and a beacon of integrity. Led by the Nine Ruling Families, their leadership stands as a bulwark of stability against the Chaos of the Unknown Regions... -
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![Brushfire by Craig Alanson]()
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... -
![Armageddon by Craig Alanson]()
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... -
![Livesuit by James S.A. Corey]()
Livesuit by James S.A. Corey
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsHumanity's war is eternal, spread across the galaxy and the ages. Humanity's best hope to end the endless slaughter is the Livesuit forces. Soldiers meld their bodies to the bleeding edge technology, becoming something more than human for the duration of a war that might never end.The first novella set in the universe of James S. A. Corey's epic Captive's War series... -
![Turning Point by Jason Anspach, Nick Cole]()
Turning Point by Jason Anspach, Nick Cole
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsFight to Win. With the galaxy in turmoil, the Legion initiates Article Nineteen, a hard reset designed to halt the corruption and ineptitude that continues to spill forth from the Galactic Core. But when the House of Reason aligns itself with the bloodthirsty zhee extremists, the Legion has no choice but to commit to a savage campaign of Total War... -
![The Worst Spies in the Sector by Skyler Ramirez]()
The Worst Spies in the Sector by Skyler Ramirez
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt sucks being dead...... especially when you're broke. Former Captain Brad Mendoza and former Commander Jessica Lin would be two of the most wanted people in the galaxy, except everyone thinks they're dead. Now, they're desperately trying to find a new way to make a living before they run out of fuel, food, and hope.Enter a mysterious stranger with an offer that's too good to be true... -
![Fortitude by Glynn Stewart]()
Fortitude by Glynn Stewart
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAn offer that no one else could matchA mission that no one else could achieveAn enemy only a few know they share…Commodore Kira Demirci is now the commander of a small but powerful mercenary force—one of the most dangerous in the cluster of stars she now calls home. Her own actions have brought peace to the Syntactic Cluster, though, and a mercenary is in limited demand...Categorized as:
military space-opera galactic-empire space-fleet sci-fi action-adventure soldiers fiction -
![Redemption by Joshua Dalzelle]()
Redemption by Joshua Dalzelle
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsThere is a fine line between right and wrong, good and evil. For years Jason Burke has straddled that line as best he can, always convinced that despite the violence carried out by him and his team they were firmly on the right side of that line. But as he reflects on his time with Omega Force, he begins to have his doubts... -
![Valkyrie by Craig Alanson]()
Valkyrie by Craig Alanson
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsAfter saving the world many times, the Merry Band of Pirates have accepted the inevitable: Earth is doomed. All they can do is try to bring a few thousand people to safety, before vicious aliens arrive to destroy humanity's homeworld. No. There is one other thing they can do: hit the enemy so hard that the aliens will regret they ever heard of humans... -
![Zero Hour by Craig Alanson]()
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... -
![Prisoners of Darkness by Jason Anspach, Nick Cole]()
Prisoners of Darkness by Jason Anspach, Nick Cole
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsThe galaxy is spiraling into all-out war. The Battle of Tarrago was just the beginning. Following Goth Sullus's ruthless onslaughts against the Republic, a desperate House of Reason searches for scapegoats—and finds one, deserving or not, in Commander Ellek Owens. His sentence is cruel, unjust—and final. Unless Victory Squad has anything to say about it... -
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![Fields of Fire by Marko Kloos]()
Fields of Fire by Marko Kloos
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsThe time has come to take the fight to the Lankies.Mars has been under Lanky control for more than a year. Since then, the depleted forces of Earth's alliances have rebuilt their fleets, staffing old warships with freshly trained troops. Torn between the need to beat the Lankies to the punch and taking enough time to put together an effective fighting force, command has decided to strike now... -
![Madame Guillotine by Jason Anspach, Nick Cole]()
Madame Guillotine by Jason Anspach, Nick Cole
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLeave no man behind. On Detron, a simmering protest boils over and turns deadly when militants hiding among the demonstrators deliberately shoot down a group of legionnaires, executing one survivor and taking two for ransom. The only Republic asset the captured leejes can rely on is a lone marine sniper who defies orders in a desperate attempt to save them... -
![Galaxy's Edge: Takeover: Season Two: Book One by Jason Anspach, Nick Cole]()
Galaxy's Edge: Takeover: Season Two: Book One by Jason Anspach, Nick Cole
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsEvery disaster brings an opportunity. Goth Sullus and his empire have fallen. With the Legion and the rest of the galaxy watching from the still-smoldering galactic core, Carter, a former legionnaire turned private contractor, and Jack Bowie, a Navy spy with nowhere left to turn, sign up to work for an enterprising private contractor looking to make a statement on the planet Kublar... -
![Star Force: Origin Series Box Set (97-100) by Aer-ki Jyr]()
Star Force: Origin Series Box Set (97-100) by Aer-ki Jyr
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Origin Series is empire building at its finest, with 100 episodes and over 2.5 million words in the military science fiction serial detailing the rise of Star Force from corporate entity into an interstellar empire over the course of more than a millennium... -
![Star Force: Rift by Aer-ki Jyr]()
Star Force: Rift by Aer-ki Jyr
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe temporary truce between Star Force and the V'kit'no'sat sends shockwaves throughout the galaxy. No one has ever defied the V'kit'no'sat and lived, but now Star Force has and many races are taking notice...including one that no one expects, on either side... -
![Star Force: Excalibur by Aer-ki Jyr]()
Star Force: Excalibur by Aer-ki Jyr
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Zak'de'ron take note of the Rit'ko'sor joining Star Force, making contact and making their wishes known...but in the process they make a critical mistake that will forever alter their relationship with the trailblazers... -
![Breaking Point by David Alastair Hayden]()
Breaking Point by David Alastair Hayden
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSilky, Siv, and Mitsuki are now willing to do whatever it takes to find and rescue Ambassador Galen Vim. But government agents, criminal organizations, and bounty hunters swarm the Titus II system. Getting to the planet alive may be the easiest part of this mission since no one has seen the ambassador since he was captured by Tekk Reapers...Categorized as:
humor space-opera military space-fleet galactic-empire sci-fi audiobook action-adventure -
![Warrior King by Evan Currie]()
Warrior King by Evan Currie
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsBattle-weary after a desperate fight to save Earth from the Drasin alien onslaught, Confederation Captain Eric Weston is tasked with a perilous new mission. He and the crew of the Odysseus must hunt down those who unleashed the hellish attack on his homeworld and that of Earth’s Priminae allies... -
![Fallout by Craig Alanson, R.C. Bray]()
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... -
![Rimward Stars by Glynn Stewart]()
Rimward Stars by Glynn Stewart
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA helpless ally calls for aid A ruthless enemy strikes without mercy The fate of empires turns on even the smallest actions When a minor trade partner sends the Castle Federation a desperate call for aid, they have few resources to spare from their all-consuming war against the Terran Commonwealth...Categorized as:
galactic-empire military space-fleet space-opera war action-adventure adult audiobook -
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![Crusade by Glynn Stewart]()
Crusade by Glynn Stewart
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA newborn Alliance, forged to stop the destroyers of worldsA potential ally, with secrets hidden by a thousand liesA long-doomed star, whose ruins hold a vital answer... -
![Equilibrium by Glynn Stewart]()
Equilibrium by Glynn Stewart
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsPeace forged on the edge of civilizationLies forged in the heart of mankindA legend rises to the final challengeExile to the Syntactic Cluster has been good for Kira Demirci and her friends. Once elite pilots of the Apollo System Defense Force, they now own the most powerful mercenary warship in the entire star cluster... -
![The Xaros Reckoning by Richard Fox]()
The Xaros Reckoning by Richard Fox
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsThe final battle begins.The Xaros Masters destroyed Bastion, the Alliance against the alien invaders has failed. Earth stands against the full force of the enemy's unending drone fleets.With their backs against the wall, Captain Valdar and the Breitenfeld must lead a last ditch mission to end the war against the Xaros...Categorized as:
aliens dystopia galactic-empire military space-fleet space-opera war action-adventure -
![It Ain't Over... by Robert M. Kerns]()
It Ain't Over... by Robert M. Kerns
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsBuy a planet and disappear...That's all Cole wanted.He spent thirteen years hiding on the fringes of society, piloting freighters for criminals and building a stash to do just that.But life happens when you're busy making plans.When Cole chooses to save an ejected castaway and stumbles into a crew of his own, he starts down a path that will force him to choose... -
![Renegades by Craig Alanson]()
Renegades by Craig Alanson
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsThe battle-scarred star carrier Flying Dutchman is finally on her way back to Earth, after an exceptionally successful series of missions that have once again Saved The World. The ship needs a serious refit, and her exhausted crew just wants a break from constant clandestine warfare against a vicious and superior enemy. Wishes come true, right? Not for the Merry Band of Pirates... -
![Governor by David Weber, Richard Fox]()
Governor by David Weber, Richard Fox
Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsA NEW MILITARY SCIENCE FICTION SERIES FROM NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR AND CREATOR OF THE HONOR HARRINGTON SERIES DAVID WEBER AND BEST-SELLING AUTHOR RICHARD FOXSix Billion Dead—And One Man Intent on Putting a Stop to the Killing For more than fifty years, the Terran Republic and the Terran League have been killing one another... -
![Border Wars by Evan Currie]()
Border Wars by Evan Currie
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe mission continues as Sorilla, the Green Berets of the Fifth, and the Lucian Sentinels take their investigation to the colony world claimed by Islamic separatists during the very earliest of Earth's Diaspora period... -
![The Slab by Karen Traviss]()
The Slab by Karen Traviss
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMARCUS FENIX. WAR HERO. LOYAL SON. TRAITOR. Ten years after Emergence Day, as the Locust Horde advances on humanity’s last defended area—Ephyra—in a bloody war that has seen billions die, Marcus Fenix does the unthinkable: he defies orders and abandons his post during a critical battle in a bid to rescue his father, weapons scientist Adam Fenix... -
![Among Enemies by Evan Currie]()
Among Enemies by Evan Currie
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsFor Sorilla Aida, the war has been ongoing. Peace was called, officially, but in the shadows her battles continued. The Alliance and SOLCOM are ready to call an end to it all now, but no one has yet been able to tell her why. Why the fighting began, why her allies, and enemies alike, died. Not even why it was over.She had to know, or at least she had to try to find out... -
![Raven's Peace by Glynn Stewart]()
Raven's Peace by Glynn Stewart
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsTen thousand stars, once chained, taste freedom An eternal empire, once undefeated, falls to pieces An alliance, once united, now lacks a common foe War was hard enough. Peace may be impossible For seventeen years, Colonel Henry Wong and the United Planets Space Force have fought the Kenmiri Empire... -
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![Freefall by Craig Alanson]()
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]()
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... -
![Blue Shift by J.N. Chaney, Terry Maggert]()
Blue Shift by J.N. Chaney, Terry Maggert
Rated: 4.68 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsWhen Van gains rank as a Peacemaker, he becomes a bigger target for the criminals scattered among the stars.And he wouldn’t have it any other way.On a distant world under an alien sun, hunters and their companions—the Rovan—bond in a ritual as old as their civilization. But one of the hunters is missing, and Van, along with his growing crew, knows where to look...Categorized as:
aliens galactic-empire humor military space-fleet space-opera action-adventure adult -
![Orders of Battle by Marko Kloos]()
Orders of Battle by Marko Kloos
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsThe battle against the Lankies has been won. Earth seems safe. Peacetime military? Not on your life.It’s been four years since Earth threw its full military prowess against the Lanky incursion. Humanity has been yanked back from the abyss of extinction. The solar system is at peace. For now... -
![The Warmaster by Dan Abnett]()
The Warmaster by Dan Abnett
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsThe latest novel in the hugely popular Gaunt's Ghosts series.After the success of their desperate mission to Salvation’s Reach, Colonel-Commisar Gaunt and the Tanith First race to the strategically vital forge world of Urdesh, besieged by the brutal armies of Anarch Sek. However, there may be more at stake than just a planet... -
![Ballistic by Marko Kloos]()
Ballistic by Marko Kloos
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsThere is a personal price to pay for having aligned with the wrong side in a reckless war. For Aden Jansen it’s the need to adopt a new identity while keeping his past hidden. Now he’s integrated himself aboard the Zephyr, a merchant ship smuggling critical goods through dangerous space. But danger is imminent on planet Gretia, as well...Categorized as:
galactic-empire military space-fleet space-opera war action-adventure adult audiobook -
![Star Force: Temple Wars by Aer-ki Jyr]()
Star Force: Temple Wars by Aer-ki Jyr
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingshe bell has been rung, and the Return of the Reignor has come...Categorized as:
aliens dystopia galactic-empire military space-fleet space-opera action-adventure adult -
![The Dragonback Series Books 4–6: Dragon and Herdsman, Dragon and Judge, Dragon and Liberator by Timothy Zahn]()
The Dragonback Series Books 4–6: Dragon and Herdsman, Dragon and Judge, Dragon and Liberator by Timothy Zahn
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe final three novels in the Dragonback sci-fi saga from the #1 New York Times–bestselling and Hugo Award–winning author of Star Wars: Thrawn—“Enthralling” (Science Fiction Chronicle). Young fugitive Jack Morgan and alien K’da warrior Draycos are inseparable—quite literally. They’ve been together since a desperate Draycos was forced to bond with Jack as his host in order to survive... -
![Third Moon Chemicals: Adventures of a Jump Space Accountant Book 3 by Andrew Moriarty]()
Third Moon Chemicals: Adventures of a Jump Space Accountant Book 3 by Andrew Moriarty
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsJake's back. He's not the best spy ever. He fails his pilot exam, he can't shoot, and he gets beat up a lot, usually by girls. Next task is to track containers of missing food. What could possibly go wrong? Next thing he knows he's on a strange ship with not one, but two pretty girls, helping them smuggle illegal workers to pirates... -
![Star Force: Dawn of the Apocalypse by Aer-ki Jyr]()
Star Force: Dawn of the Apocalypse by Aer-ki Jyr
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe onslaught has begun and the galaxy must cope with a very slow moving certainty of its eventual destruction... -
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![Star Force: Reclaimers by Aer-ki Jyr]()
Star Force: Reclaimers by Aer-ki Jyr
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsDoes Star Force have enough races in it yet? No...not even close... -
![Shadows of Olympus by Christian Kallias]()
Shadows of Olympus by Christian Kallias
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWith the arrival of a powerful new threat in orbit around Earth, the Alliance is forced to vacate Earth space while a small group stays behind to ensure humanity isn’t enslaved or worse, wiped out. Meanwhile, the rest of the fleet splits into separate missions, each of them vital in rebuilding the Earth Alliance forces and strengthening what’s left of the fleet...Categorized as:
dystopia galactic-empire military space-fleet space-opera action-adventure adult book -
![Fallen Souls by David Alastair Hayden]()
Fallen Souls by David Alastair Hayden
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe Outworld Ranger crew has dodged government forces, criminal guilds, and bounty hunters numerous times since fleeing Ekaran IV. But with the warships of the Dark Messiah closing in on them, their mission has never been in greater jeopardy. Cornered, their options and allies are few. And the Outworld Ranger suffered extensive damage getting them this far...Categorized as:
humor space-opera military space-fleet galactic-empire sci-fi audiobook space-travel -
![Chaos Rising by Timothy Zahn]()
Chaos Rising by Timothy Zahn
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERDiscover Thrawn’s origins within the Chiss Ascendancy in the first book in an epic new Star Wars trilogy from bestselling author Timothy Zahn.Beyond the edge of the galaxy lies the Unknown Regions: chaotic, uncharted, and near impassable, with hidden secrets and dangers in equal measure...Categorized as:
aliens galactic-empire military space-fleet space-opera action-adventure adult audiobook -
![Odysseus Awakening by Evan Currie]()
Odysseus Awakening by Evan Currie
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsDefy the inevitable. Such is the stance of Confederation captain Eric Weston and the crew of the starship Odysseus, patrolling the outer limits of Priminae space, anticipating the Empire’s next attacks. Connected with the Terran FTL tech—the transition drive—humanity might stand a chance against the overwhelming forces. Until the entire planetary system goes dark... -
![Throne of Stars by David Weber, John Ringo]()
Throne of Stars by David Weber, John Ringo
Rated: 4.51 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsBooks 3 and 4 in the New York Times best-selling Empire of Man series: March to the Stars and We Few, both New York Times bestsellers.Prince Roger MacClintock was an heir to the galaxy's Throne of Man and a self-obsessed spoiled young brat - that is, until he and the Royal Marines sent to protect him were stranded by an assassination attempt on the wild and dangerous planet of Marduk...
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