Books like 'The Course of Empire'
Readers who enjoyed The Course of Empire by Eric Flint & K.D. Wentworth also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
sc-fi space military, war & conflict space-opera aliens war military invasion wlw pulp
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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... -
USS Hamilton: Ironhold Station by Mark Wayne McGinnis
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe surprise attack within the Auriga Star System was worse than brutal, it was heinous—leaving the US-Navy's 3rd Fleet decimated. Thousands of crew are reported dead, including the ship’s Captain. Reluctantly, the young XO, Galvin Quintos, will be taking command of the fleet's crippled dreadnaught, the USS Hamilton, while doing his best to bring fleet survivors back to Earth... -
Indomitable by Jonathan Brazee
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBeth “Fire Ant” Dalisay is the Navy’s top ace. But the alien Crystals really don’t care. They intend on wiping out humanity no matter who stands in their way. Pulled from her Wasp fighter, the Navy assigns Beth as a scout pilot with a mission to find the Crystal’s home world... -
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... -
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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... -
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... -
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
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... -
Drake's Drum by Christopher G. Nuttall
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHumanity is on the ropes. Despite military victories, the sheer grinding power of the alien virus is taking its toll. The space navies are pushed to the limit, the colony worlds are fighting a desperate war against the infected, the economy is on the brink of utter collapse and Earth herself has come under attack. But there is one ray of hope... -
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... -
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... -
Sector Seventeen by S.J. MacDonald
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFor centuries, there have been glimpses of something very strange and very fast in the turbulent space beyond Telathor, known to spacers as the Space Monster of Sector Seventeen. Now the Fourth is sent to investigate the Phenomenon under orders never to use the M word – nobody, after all, wants to be on record as the person who sent warships to hunt for a space monster... -
Colonel by Jonathan P. Brazee
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsRyck has proven himself as a warrior, a fighter, and sometimes, in a peacetime Corps, that can get a Marine into trouble. Ryck’s temper gets the best of him, and because of that and with a heavy heart, he resigns his commission. As an old enemy comes a-calling, a new threat surfaces, and Ryck’s services are once again needed. Given a second chance, Ryck answers the call, determined to make good... -
Mutineers' Moon by David Weber
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsFor Lt. Commander Colin Maclntyre, it began as a routine training flight over the Moon. For Dahak, a self-aware Imperial battleship, it began millennia ago when that powerful artificial intelligence underwent a mutiny in the face of the enemy. The mutiny was never resolved--Dahak was forced to maroon not just the mutineers but the entire crew on prehistoric Earth... -
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To Stand or Fall by John Scalzi
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsPart four of four parts of the full-length novel, The End of All Things.Back on Earth, the beginning and end of all things. The nations of humanity's home planet have parted ways with the starfaring Colonial Union, the human interstellar empire originally established to keep the home planet free. The Union needs to regain Earth's trust... -
The Man Who Never Missed by Steve Perry
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsOnce a ruthless soldier, Emile Khadaji has disappeared from the Confederation-with a secret plan to destroy it all in the name of freedom... -
Mavericks by Craig Alanson
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsThe remnants of the Expeditionary Force stranded on the alien-controlled planet 'Paradise' get a chance to prove themselves, in a simple off-world training mission with a ship full of teenage alien cadets. When the mission goes horribly wrong and the survival of everyone on Paradise is at risk, the Merry Band of Pirates may have to come to the rescue. Unless they get killed first.. -
Marine Raiders: Strike Back by Rod Carstens
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIt was supposed to be a simple raid. Smash an alien outpost, grab vital intelligence and get out. Instead everything that could go wrong does. From the center of political and military power on Earth, to the desolate Von Fleet mining planet this epic space opera will sweep you up in a spectacle that crosses light years. The ongoing conflict between humanity and the alien Xotoli is riveting... -
The Day of Battle by Doug Dandridge
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSean needs a victory, before Parliament returns a no confidence vote and leaves him a figurehead ruler. The Ca'cadasans are almost through with their conquest of Sector IV, and from the there, the heart of the Empire is exposed. The Ca'cadasans continue to roll over the New Terran Empire and the New Terran Republic... -
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... -
Gust Front by John Ringo
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsThanks to human valor and alien technology, the Posleen were fought to a standstill. But the invasion of Earth is just months away Only these shell-shocked survivors can save the Earth from utter devastation... -
The Right of the Line by Christopher G. Nuttall
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsThe war is on the verge of being lost. The alien virus has begun its offensive, punching through the human defences and sending advance elements to threaten Earth itself. HMS Invincible and her crew, having barely returned from their last mission, are thrown into a desperate mission to strengthen the inner line of defences before the virus can smash them too and destroy the human race... -
Brothers in Valor by H. Paul Honsinger
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsIt is the year 2315, the 33rd year of the Krag Wars. The tide has been running against humankind and its allies. One small destroyer, the USS Cumberland, under the command of its young Cajun skipper, Max Robichaux, fights along with the rest of the Union and Allied navies to preserve the very existence of the human race... -
Without Mercy by Eric Thomson
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhat is the value of one life in an interstellar war that has already claimed millions? And if that single life doesn't matter, are any others worth saving?A distress signal draws Siobhan Dunmoore's Q-ship Iolanthe, a battlecruiser disguised as a bulk freighter, away from her devastatingly successful hunt through Shrehari occupied space and plunges Dunmoore into a dark, merciless universe of... -
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Forged in Darkness by James David Victor
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA secret mission into enemy space. Traitors on board. Can Jack forge into darkness and save the day again? The fourth story in the exciting military science fiction adventure from #1 Bestselling author James David Victor Jack Forge is a rising star in the Fleet Marines. When the chips are down, he is still the man called upon to lead the way into darkness... -
The Returned, Part 2 by Peter David
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe second installment in a brand-new three-part digital-first Star Trek: New Frontier e-novel from New York Times bestselling author Peter David!Captain Mackenzie Calhoun and the crew of the U.S.S. Excalibur are back, picking up three months after the stunning events depicted in New Frontier: Blind Man’s Bluff... -
The Returned, Part 3 by Peter David
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe final installment in a brand-new three-part digital-first Star Trek: New Frontier e-novel from New York Times bestselling author Peter David!Captain Mackenzie Calhoun and the crew of the U.S.S. Excalibur are back, picking up three months after the stunning events depicted in New Frontier: Blind Man’s Bluff... -
First Light Chronicles Freeground by Randolph Lalonde
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe first book in the First Light Chronicles Series. Large enough to support an entire civilization, one of the last free ports all alone in the dark, Freeground Station is about to come under siege... -
Pirates Bane by Chris Hechtl
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFresh from fighting the ghost of a terrifying bioweapon On Epsilon Triangula, Fleet Admiral John Henry Irons has taken on a new task, to get to the fabled star system of Bek on the other side of the sector. But to do that the admiral must do what is now unheard of, a long jump through uncharted space. The jump is a test of man and machine... -
Jethro Goes to War by Chris Hechtl
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen the wandering engineer was forced out of Pyrax he left a small but growing group of military officers and enlisted. These men, women, and non humans are determined to restore the Federation despite the corrupt politicians standing in their way. They have to pick up the pieces Fleet Admiral Irons has left behind and soldier on without him in the hope that he'll return someday... -
The Returned, Part 1 by Peter David
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe first installment in a brand-new three-part digital-first Star Trek: New Frontier e-novel from New York Times bestselling author Peter David!Captain Mackenzie Calhoun and the crew of the U.S.S. Excalibur are back, picking up three months after the stunning events depicted in New Frontier: Blind Man’s Bluff... -
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... -
No Price Too High (Warp Marine Corps) by C.J. Carella
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratings(Warning: Contains violence, strong language and adult content) The battle for humanity's survival continues. Peter Fromm: After barely surviving the Battle of Kirosha, Captain Fromm and the rest of the 101st Marine Expeditionary Unit are sent forth to defend a vital star system... -
The Apex Predator by T.R. Harris
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Apex Predator … The Human Chronicles Saga Part Two Book 2 of 3 In this alien universe, Humans are the Supermen – stronger, faster and more coordinated than nearly all the other aliens in the galaxy. It’s this unique concept that has made The Human Chronicles Saga one of the most-popular science fiction series on the market today... -
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Last Stand of the Legion: Rift by Rod Carstens
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsRift was a peaceful space colony until the mysterious Xotoli aliens staged a surprise attack. All that stands in their way are the men and women Colonel Dasan Daniel Sand's armored infantry and Fleet Admiral Usiche Raurk's sailors who must find a way to defeat the Xotoli with only the naval forces left after the overwhelming attack... -
Unity by S.D. Perry
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsOn the eve of Bajor's formal entry into the Federation, First Minister Shakaar was assassinated, derailing the induction and plunging the planet and station "Deep Space 9(TM) " into chaos. Investigation into the murder revealed the presence of a parasitic conspiracy threatening not only Bajor's future with the Federation, but the very survival of both... -
The Crucible of Empire by Eric Flint, K.D. Wentworth
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen humans and their Jao overlords joined forces in a desperate battle to save the Earth from the malevolent race called the Ekhat, the relationship between the two species was changed forever. Two years later, humans and Jao are learning to work together in an uneasy alliance. Then, in a distant nebula, three Jao ships detect signs of another sentient species during a battle with the Ekhat... -
First Strike by Christopher G. Nuttall
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe best defense… Starting a war with an enemy a hundred times stronger is insane. It’s desperate. And it’s Earth’s only hope. A massive alien power looms over humanity, claiming Earth as its territory and humanity as its slaves. The Hegemony has already taken over one colony, yoking hundreds of thousands under their brutal rule... -
Can Long Endure by John Scalzi
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsPart three of the four parts making up the full-length novel, The End of All Things.They signed up to defend humans from hostile aliens, but this group of Colonial Union soldiers finds themselves, instead, repeatedly sent to squelch rebellious human colonies that want to leave the CU. It's not a sustainable situation. Something has to give... -
A Small Colonial War by Christopher G. Nuttall
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA new war has broken out ... Indian ships have invaded three British-held systems and Indian troops have occupied British colonies, forcing Britain to choose between war and shame. The Royal Navy, battered by the fires of the First Interstellar War and desperately trying to recover from the terrifying casualties, must launch a counterattack and recover the colonies... -
Fleet Academy (Moon Wreck, #4) by Raymond L. Weil
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe starship New Horizon is Earth's first attempt at an FTL capable spaceship. But others don't want the mission to succeed. The mission goes suddenly and horribly wrong with the possibility of inadvertently leading the Hocklyns to Earth decades in advance of their estimated arrival time... -
The Persistence of Memory by David Mack
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA BRAZEN HEIST Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the Enterprise crew race to find out who has stolen Data’s android brother B-4—and for what sinister purpose... -
Hell's Faire by John Ringo
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWith the defenses of the Southern Appalachians sundered, the only thing standing between the ravening Posleen hordes and the soft interior of the Cumberland Plateau are the veterans of 555th Mobile Infantry. Dropped into Rabun Pass, with a couple of million Posleen behind them and fourteen million to the front, the only question is which will run out first: power, bullets or bodies... -
When the Devil Dances by John Ringo
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAfter five years of battling invaders, human civilization prepares a strike to drive the aliens from the Earth. But the Clan-Lord of the Sten has learned from the defeats humans have dealt him, and has his own plan. When he squares off against Major O'Neal, the only winner will be Satan himself... -
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No Honor in Death by Eric Thomson
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsSiobhan Dunmoore was not having a good war. She's had more ships shot out from under her by the invading Shrehari Empire than any other officer in the Fleet. Some called her overly aggressive. Others simply called her reckless. What the enemy called her was something else altogether... -
The Machiavelli Interface by Steve Perry
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsMaster Khadaji and the Matadors are determined to bring down Marcus Wall and the Galactic Confederation. But Wall has plans of his own and will do whatever it takes to remain in power... -
Counter Strike by Doug Dandridge
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSean and the Empire have fought their way out of the corner. Now it's time to strike back. The Ca'cadasans have been hit hard, but they are not yet out of the fight. The ambush worked, to a point. The Cacas took grievous losses, but still retain a powerful force in Imperial Space. And they have sent for the ships they had besieging the New Terran Republic to back them up... -
Time Strike by Doug Dandridge
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe New Terran Empire is still trying to recover from the Ca’cadasan strike that left over three hundred million dead and ripped the heart out of the ship production of Central Docks. The Donut, the huge station in orbit around the Supersystem black hole, was almost destroyed in that strike, and its defenses have been strengthened considerably... -
They Shall Not Pass by Christopher G. Nuttall
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsDespite the escape from Meridian - and a strike at the heart of Wolfbane - enemy forces are still advancing on all fronts. The Commonwealth, worn down by a year of hard fighting, is reaching the end of its tether, while Admiral Singh - having secured control of Wolfbane - is searching for the breaking point that will shatter the Commonwealth once and for all... -
Into the Looking Glass by John Ringo
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsBaen now launches an exciting new science fiction adventure series by the New York Times best-selling author: When a 60-kiloton explosion destroyed the University of Central Florida, and much of the surrounding countryside, the authorities first thought that terrorists had somehow obtained a nuclear weapon. But there was no radiation detected, and, when physicist Dr...
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