Books like 'Cuckoo's Egg'
Readers who enjoyed Cuckoo's Egg by C.J. Cherryh also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary sc-fi space aliens space-opera first-contact
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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 first-contact space-opera 21st-century action-adventure amnesia apocalyptic audiobook -
Tiamat's Wrath by James S.A. Corey
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 48 ratingsThirteen hundred gates have opened to solar systems around the galaxy. But as humanity builds its interstellar empire in the alien ruins, the mysteries and threats grow deeper... -
The Akseli by Dianne Duvall
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSimone has hunted and slain psychotic vampires night after night for hundreds of years and desperately needs a change. When the leader of the Immortal Guardians offers her an opportunity to guard ten mortal women who are venturing to another planet, she dives right in and finds traveling into space and meeting amazing alien races just as exciting as she'd hoped… until an enemy attacks... -
Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 79 ratingsHumanity has colonized the solar system—Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond—but the stars are still out of our reach.Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, the Scopuli, they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted... -
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The Segonian by Dianne Duvall
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsNew York Times bestselling author Dianne Duvall brings readers the second stand-alone novel in a thrilling new sci-fi romance series full of action, humor, and happily-ever-afters.Eliana's life has never been what one might term ordinary. At least, it hasn't been for a very long time... -
In Fury Born by David Weber
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsImperial Intelligence couldn't find them, the Imperial Fleet couldn't catch them, and local defenses couldn't stop them. It seemed the planet-wrecking pirates were invincible. But they made a big mistake when they raided ex-commando leader Alicia DeVries' quiet home work, tortured and murdered her family, and then left her for dead... -
Countdown by Michael Atamanov
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsAt long last, an extraterrestrial civilization reached out and made the First Contact. However, no one on Earth took their communique for the genuine article. In a similar vein, very few people appreciated just how little time our new suzerains had promised to keep our planet safe.Regardless, the end of their message showed humankind how to access a mysterious game... -
Web of Worlds by Michael Atamanov
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCeasefires have one big downside: they eventually come to an end. And when they do, once again game nodes are set ablaze, and platoons of Dark Faction soldiers threaten our customary world with destruction. The enemy has grown stronger and more numerous. To make matters worse, they also got their hands on even deadlier weaponry...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact space-opera action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book -
Between Worlds by J.L. Williams
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsInspired by the likes of James Galloway's Subjugation and John Scalzi's Old Man's War, Between Worlds is a thrilling military sci-fi set in a strange new universe...Jason had thought about punching a Shil’vati... -
2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 74 ratingsOn the Moon, an enigma is uncovered.So great are the implications of this discovery that for the first time men are sent out deep into our solar system.But long before their destination is reached, things begin to go horribly, inexplicably wrong...One of the greatest-selling science fiction novels of our time, this classic book will grip you to the very end... -
Jacinda's Challenge by M.K. Eidem
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsJotham is the King of the House of Protection. He was the youngest male ever to assume the position because of the sudden death of his father in Jotham’s twentieth cycle. In the last forty cycles, he married his life mate, Lata, and lost her in a transport accident. He had two sons and lost one due to his son’s own treachery... -
Dynasty of Evil by Drew Karpyshyn
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsTwenty years have passed since Darth Bane, reigning Dark Lord of the Sith, demolished the ancient order devoted to the dark side and reinvented it as a circle of two: one Master to wield the power and pass on the wisdom, and one apprentice to learn, challenge, and ultimately usurp the Dark Lord in a duel to the death... -
Artifact Space by Miles Cameron
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsOut in the darkness of space, something is targeting the Greatships.With their vast cargo holds and a crew that could fill a city, the Greatships 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... -
Halo: The Fall of Reach by Eric S. Nylund
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsAs the bloody Human-Covenant War rages on Halo, the fate of humankind may rest with one warrior, the lone SPARTAN survivor of another legendary battle... the desperate, take-no-prisoners struggle that led humanity to Halo--the fall of the planet Reach. Now, brought to life for the first time, here is the full story of that glorious, doomed conflict...Categorized as:
aliens space-opera 21st-century action-adventure audiobook book contemporary dystopia -
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DNA by Laurence E. Dahners
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 20 ratings“DNA" is the thirteenth book in a series of near future SciFi/Thrillers. Their heroine Ell Donsaii has a nerve mutation that makes her a genius and provides her some astonishing athletic abilities.In “DNA,” Ell’s five-year-old son Zage has become interested in the effects of certain genes on obesity... -
Columbus Day by Craig Alanson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsWe were fighting on the wrong side, of a war we couldn't win. And that was the good news. The Ruhar hit us on Columbus Day. There we were, innocently drifting along the cosmos on our little blue marble, like the native Americans in 1492. Over the horizon come ships of a technologically advanced, aggressive culture, and BAM! There go the good old days, when humans only got killed by each other... -
Polity Agent by Neal Asher
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom eight hundred years in the future, a runcible gate is opened into the Polity and those coming through it have been sent specially to take the alien maker back to its home civilization in the Small Magellanic cloud. Once these refugees are safely through, the gate itself is rapidly shut downbecause something alien is pursuing them. The gate is then dumped into a nearby sun... -
External Threat by Michael Atamanov
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsThe countdown timer continues to tick, but Earth is still not ready to repel an invasion from space. Gnat is on his voyage with the Shiamiru, all the while trying to find backup for humanity among the great spacefaring races. After all, based on what he’s already seen, he knows not to count on the good sense of his own kind... -
Doctor Galaxy by Jenny Schwartz
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsNew ER doctor Alexi Sur always intended to join an aid agency. She'd just expected to work among humans. But when the Pax Galactica Corps becomes her only option (don't ask - the debts aren't hers, but the family is. Much to her regret), Alexi finds herself traveling the galaxy and learning alien physiology and culture, all while becoming a reality TV star...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact space-opera action-adventure adult book colonization contemporary -
Impact! by Laurence E. Dahners
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 21 ratings“Impact" is the twelfth book in a series of near future SciFi/Thrillers whose heroine Ell Donsaii has a nerve mutation that makes her a genius and provides her some astonishing athletic abilities.In “Impact,” Ell’s been taken off the “Most Wanted” list and is resuming somewhat of a normal life. Her old friend Phil Zabrisk is on his way to Mars... -
Brilliant Starlight by Anna Carven
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsAbbey We're back on Silence, orbiting the Dark Planet while my husband handles unfinished business on Kythia. For some reason, he seems a little bit tense. According to Tarak, Kythian politics can be complicated, especially when the entire Kordolian Empire has just been destroyed. I hope things don't get too complicated, because I don't want to be stuck here for too long... -
Protector by Anna Hackett
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsFighting for love, honor, and freedom on the galaxy’s lawless outer rim… Cool and driven Madeline Cochran made a successful career for herself as civilian commander of a space station orbiting Jupiter…until the day it was attacked and she was abducted by alien slavers... -
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... -
Game Changer by Michael Atamanov
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsOur galaxy is at war! Great alien races have just clashed in desperate combat and its aftershocks are echoing even in our backwater. The Geckho - protectors and overlords of planet Earth - join the global conflict too. Is it a good thing for humanity? Hard to say. On one hand, the Geckho are too busy to defend our planet which doesn’t sound too good...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact space-opera action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book -
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Tansy's Titan by S.E. Smith
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsTansy Bell, is the middle daughter of the three Bell sisters. She has always been a little different, even for a Bell. A chameleon, she can change her appearance and personality to blend in almost anywhere. She uses this talent to bring some of the worse criminals in the world to justice.Mak ‘Tag Krell Manok is the wild one of his four brothers...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact space-opera action-adventure adult alpha-mc alternate-history audiobook -
Brass Man by Neal Asher
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIan Cormac, a legendary Earth Central Security agent, the James Bond of a wealthy future, is hunting an interstellar dragon, little knowing that, far away, his competition has resurrected an horrific killing machine named "Mr. Crane" to assist in a similar hunt, ecompassing whole star systems. Mr... -
When the People Fell by Cordwainer Smith
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsA sweeping saga of the centuries to come, from the new dark age that followed a global war, to the new civilization that arose from the ashes to colonize the stars...Categorized as:
space-opera 20th-century action-adventure adult anthologies contemporary fiction pulp -
Halo: Ghosts of Onyx by Eric S. Nylund
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsContinuing the saga of the award-winning Xbox(TM) game!The Spartan-II program has gone public. Tales of super-soldiers fending off thousands of Covenant attacks have become the stuff of legend... -
Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsAn all-time science fiction classic, Rendezvous with Rama is also one of Clarke's best novels--it won the Campbell, Hugo, Jupiter, and Nebula Awards. A huge, mysterious, cylindrical object appears in space, swooping in toward the sun. The citizens of the solar system send a ship to investigate before the enigmatic craft, called Rama, disappears... -
Alien Paladin's Woman by Vi Voxley
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSometimes, what the galaxy needs is a hero no one's ever heard of. Tieran, the Commander of the Palian paladins, has never been allowed to have anything of his own, other than the blade in his hands and the honor he serves with. But a feisty, curvy, and utterly impossible human woman is about to change all that... -
Into the Light by Anna Carven
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsAbbey When your mate is a Kordolian General who's betrayed the most vicious Empire in the Universe, things tend to get a little heavy from time to time. For the last six months, Tarak's had to divide his time between Earth and space, dealing with various... problems. But he's home now, and he tells me he's not going anywhere... -
The Reporter by Scott Sigler, Mur Lafferty
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Reporter follows Yolanda Davenport, a reporter for Galaxy Sports Magazine, as she searches for the truth about Ju Tweedy's involvement with the murder of Grace McDermott - the incident that drove Ju to join the Ionath Krakens. The Reporter takes place between week three and week six of the 2684 Galactic Football League season, the season that encompasses The All-Pro... -
Between Worlds Two (The Occupation Saga Book 2) by J.L. Williams
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsInspired by the likes of James Galloway's Subjugation and John Scalzi's Old Man's War, Between Worlds is a thrilling military sci-fi set in a strange new universe.. -
The Vori's Secret by S.J. Sanders
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSome secrets can topple nations. Already facing termination for her failure to carry Agraak young to term, when Jenn escapes from the breeding facility she knows that the Agraak would not rest until they found her. Possessing full knowledge of the location of their breeding facility meant that she’d never be safe... -
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One Big Bite by Michele Mills
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratings“Who stole my lunch?” Cannibal’s carefully packed work lunches keep disappearing day after day. Only his. Grrr. Someone obviously appreciates expert cooking, but this constant thievery is about to throw him into a berserker rage. He has to track down this atrocity.“Don’t feed it,” his brothers warn, “you’ll just encourage it to scavenge... -
Beyond Death by Michael Atamanov
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsPlaying by the book? That’s not how we do it! In his attempt to delay his appearance in Emperor’s court, Crown Prince Georg triggers an alien invasion of his own star system. The whole of the Empire watches the live broadcast with bated breath as his fleet battles the awesome invaders... -
Dark Planet Warriors: Escape by Anna Carven
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAbbey Ever since we left the Fleet Station, Tarak has been his usual cryptic self. For some reason, he’s keeping everything very low-key, to the extent that we’re trying to sneak in to Kythia. Something’s up, and he’s not telling me anything. Every time I try to get answers, he distracts me with his stupid sexiness. Stupid sexy, silver, stubborn, insistent alien... -
Kill Count by Michael-Scott Earle
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen Sergeant Jay Lucas is snatched away from his family farm by a diabolical sentient spaceship, he thought his life was over. But when his AI captor pumps Jay full of an insanely powerful liquid metal armor, he soon discovers the kidnapping was only the beginning of his trials... -
The Rogue Prince by Michelle M. Pillow
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsShapeshifter RomanceCat-shifter Prince Reid is always looking for a good time, and no woman is safe when he turns on the charm. When the opportunity arises to go on an ambassador’s trip, he jumps at the chance–especially when that trip includes exotic destinations and available women... -
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... -
Dagger's Hope by S.E. Smith
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsDagger is a Trivator warrior. He is known for his dark and dangerous edge, making him the perfect warrior for impossible missions. He fears nothing, until he meets a young, delicate human female who wakens his heart. Her gentle touch, soft voice, and her shy sense of humor touch him in a way he never thought could happen... -
Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers by Grant Naylor
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThe first lesson Lister learned about space travel was you should never try it. But Lister didn't have a choice. All he remembered was going on a birthday celebration pub crawl through London. When he came to his senses again, with nothing in his pockets but a passport in the name of Emily Berkenstein.So he did the only thing he could... -
Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsThe Arthur C. Clarke award-winning author of Children of Time brings us an extraordinary new space opera about humanity on the brink of extinction, and how one man's discovery will save or destroy us all.The war is over. Its heroes forgotten. Until one chance discovery . . .Idris has neither aged nor slept since they remade him in the war... -
Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsThe astonishing sequel to Children of Time, the award-winning novel of humanity's battle for survival on a terraformed planet.Thousands of years ago, Earth's terraforming program took to the stars. On the world they called Nod, scientists discovered alien life - but it was their mission to overwrite it with the memory of Earth... -
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The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 71 ratingsA groundbreaking work of science fiction, The Left Hand of Darkness tells the story of a lone human emissary to Winter, an alien world whose inhabitants can choose - and change - their gender. His goal is to facilitate Winter's inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact space-opera 20th-century action-adventure audiobook book classics -
Between Worlds Two (The Occupation Saga Book 2) by J.L. Williams
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsInspired by the likes of James Galloway's Subjugation and John Scalzi's Old Man's War, Between Worlds is a thrilling military sci-fi set in a strange new universe.. -
Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 75 ratingsNow available in mass market, the revised, definitive edition of the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning classic. In this second book in the saga set 3,000 years after the terrible war, Ender Wiggin is reviled by history as the Xenocide--the destroyer of the alien Buggers. Now, Ender tells the true story of the war and seeks to stop history from repeating itself. ..Categorized as:
aliens first-contact space-opera 20th-century action-adventure audiobook book classics -
The Eden Paradox by Barry Kirwan
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA murder... a new planet mankind desperately needs... a thousand-year old conspiracy... What really awaits us on Eden? In a world beset by political turmoil, environmental collapse, and a predatory new religion, a recently discovered planet, Eden, is our last hope. But two missions have failed to return. Blake Alexander and his crew lead the final attempt to bring back good news... -
Imperial Stardust by Jina S. Bazzar
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCaptain Lee thought she had faced the most challenging trials the galaxy had to offer. She was wrong.Now she’s on the stunning planet of Krozalia, a world on the brink of chaos following the failed assassination attempt on the princess and the rising of a lethal rebellion.Alliances are crumbling, loyalties are shifting, and Leann has no intention of waiting for the results... -
Sarazen's Betrayal by Isabel Wroth
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCassie had come to Saraz with the promise of a new life, a new home, and a mate who would cherish and adore her always. The first two promises have been fulfilled, but as the new pride leaders settle into their rule, the threat to the lives of the human hybrid mates escalates. As the pressure to solve the mystery increases, Cassie's mate does less adoring and less cherishing...
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