Books like 'The Dark Between'
Readers who enjoyed The Dark Between by J.N. Chaney & Terry Maggert also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
sc-fi action / adventure space military, war & conflict war space-opera space-travel exploration first-contact soldiers
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A Rock and a Hard Place by Ryk Brown, Jeffrey Kafer
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTwo worlds preparing their defenses . . . A ship struggling to get back in the fight . . . An enemy continuing its relentless attack . . . A former enemy that could hold the answer . . . With the fate of billions in his hands, Captain Scott is offered a way to save them all and end the bloodshed, but if it backfires, he could lose everything. Sometimes, there is no good choice... -
Retaliation by Ryk Brown
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsPart 2: Episode 10 A ship unable to defend itself… A captain determined to revive her… Worlds dependent on them both to survive… An enemy bent on their destruction… With the Aurora unable to fight, the Karuzari Alliance must find a way to not only repair their flagship, but to make the enemy pay dearly. Sometimes, you just have to make do with what you've got... -
Retribution by Jason Anspach, Nick Cole
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsVICTORY is at hand. With the galaxy in tatters, Chhun and Wraith lead Kill Team Victory and the remnants of the Legion in a clandestine final effort to bring about Article Nineteen... -
A Price Too High by Ryk Brown
Rated: 4.59 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsPart 2: Episode 12 …An enemy in retreat …A new world to protect …A new potential ally on the horizon …A new chance to go on the offensive The Dusahn have taken a massive blow, and with the Aurora’s improved jump range, Captain Scott and the Karuzari Alliance can finally keep them at arms length... -
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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... -
I Am Justice by Ryk Brown
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsPart 2: Episode 9 A chance to gain resources… A need to prepare a defense… A trap about to be sprung… An opportunity for justice… As his sister faces a critical moment, Captain Scott must chase his friends to regions he has yet to travel. Sometimes, you just have to take risks for those you care about. Sometimes, quite often... -
Blockade: Age of Expansion - A Kurtherian Gambit Series by Craig Martelle, Michael Anderle
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHumanity’s greatest export – Justice. Space is a dangerous place, even for the wary, especially for the unprepared. The aliens have no idea. Here comes the Bad Company. When the Bad Company learns of a human colony blockaded by aliens, they take the upgraded War Axe into battle. Once again, nothing is as it seems, but this time, they find a single enemy, evil to its core...Categorized as:
exploration first-contact military soldiers space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult -
The Price of Liberty by D.J. Holmes
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWar has been declared. The Indian Star Republic has landed ground troops on the newly discovered colony of Haven as they seek to seize access to the alien worlds of Vestar and Kulthar. The British Star Kingdom has reacted. A battle fleet has been formed with orders to drive off the Indians and retake Haven... -
A Grimm Decision by Jeffery H. Haskell
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom USA Today bestselling author Jeffery H. Haskell comes book six in the military science fiction epic in the tradition of Honor Harrington and Star Trek... -
That Which Other Men Cannot Do by Ryk Brown
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsEpisode 15 New forces grow… Old friends are lost… New alliances are forged… Old weapons are made new… With political unrest growing, the Alliance must rush to rebuild their fleet and expand their 'sphere of influence' before their support runs out. But when the Jung up the ante, the Alliance must turn up the heat... -
Delphi Diversion by Bob Blanton
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsCatie is on her way back to Earth after having settled the Fazulan slaves when the wormhole her ship is traveling in collapses. They are diverted to another system where big chunks are flying around. They rescue a ship and find themselves in the middle of a series of mysteries...Categorized as:
exploration first-contact military space-opera space-travel action-adventure aliens audiobook -
The Grand Alliance by Jay Allan
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsHell is Unleashed The Hegemony controls Megara, the Confederation’s capital. War has raged for five years. Millions are dead, vast fleets of ships have been destroyed. But in the stronghold where Tyler Barron and his comrades have gathered their allies and the last of their strength, a plan is being devised...Categorized as:
exploration first-contact military soldiers space-opera space-travel war action-adventure -
Duchess of Terra by Glynn Stewart
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsWhen Terra knelt to an alien Imperium They guaranteed our safety and our future But now their enemies are coming for us To preserve humanity’s survival and freedom in a hostile galaxy, Annette Bond tied her world to the A!Tol Imperium, taking on the mantle of Duchess of Terra to rule humanity in the Imperium’s name...Categorized as:
exploration first-contact military soldiers space-opera space-travel war action-adventure -
Sword of the Legion by Jason Anspach, Nick Cole
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsChoose your legacy. Captain Chhun’s Dark Ops squad is reunited with Wraith, and they are entrusted with the task of denying Goth Sullus the shipyards he so eagerly desires. But when the mission doesn’t go as planned, Chhun and Wraith must find a way to stop the Black Fleet’s advance—even if it costs them their lives...Categorized as:
cyberpunk first-contact military soldiers space-opera space-travel war action-adventure -
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Kinetic Strike by Rick Partlow
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsThe war made him a hero. Now the Marines need him to be a leader.Cam Alvarez is a Drop-Trooper. A warrior-knight wrapped in the futuristic armor of a high-tech battlesuit, and he’s one of the best. When he’s promoted to sergeant and asked to become a leader, he faces a whole new challenge. The Marines are striking deep into enemy territory and the casualties are mounting...Categorized as:
exploration first-contact military soldiers space-opera space-travel war action-adventure -
Terra and Imperium by Glynn Stewart
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsSecrets both ancient and new. Powers great and greater— With Terra caught in the middle Humanity’s first colony is a project neither the Duchy of Terra nor the A!Tol Imperium can allow to fail. The planet Hope in the Alpha Centauri system has been lavished with resources and attention—but when an unknown alien force attacks the system, all of that is in danger...Categorized as:
exploration first-contact military soldiers space-opera space-travel war action-adventure -
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... -
The Terran Privateer by Glynn Stewart
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsEarth is conquered. Sol is lost. One ship is tasked to free them. One Captain to save them all. When an alien armada destroys the United Earth Space Force and takes control of the human homeworld, newly reinstated Captain Annette Bond must take her experimental hyperspace cruiser Tornado into exile as Terra’s only interstellar privateer...Categorized as:
exploration first-contact military soldiers space-opera space-travel war action-adventure -
Buccaneers by Jamie McFarlane
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsThe crew of the Hotspur just happens to be looking for a new home. If Nick James is right, and he usually is, the Tipperary solar system is about to become the busiest trading hub in the galaxy. To sweeten the pot, the cloud-city of Lèger Nuage is offering free warehouse space to qualified traders. It's a deal that seems too good to pass up. Of course, nothing's as simple as it seems... -
Junkyard Spaceship by Jamie McFarlane
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsWhen aliens threaten his country, one grumpy old vet will take the fight to the stars.Albert Jenkins would like nothing more than to putter around his junkyard, selling parts and working on old cars. When an alien spacecraft is shot down by US Air Defense and crash lands on his newly rebuilt home, he’s dragged back into the fight of his life...Categorized as:
exploration first-contact military space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult aliens -
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... -
Darkness Beyond by Glynn Stewart
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA newly-founded human colony world burned from orbit A warship squadron of the galaxy’s oldest race ambushed and destroyed An ancient enemy reborn in the darkness beyond the known stars The A!Tol Imperium and their new human subjects have had fifteen years of relative peace. New colonies have been founded, new worlds explored, new ships built...Categorized as:
exploration first-contact military soldiers space-opera space-travel war action-adventure -
Liberation by Ryk Brown
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsEpisode 10 Heartfelt reunions with friends… Desperate plans to gain advantage… Opportunities that cannot be ignored… Discovery of family once thought lost… The time has come for Captain Scott to fight for that which was taken… the very freedom of the world he was sworn to protect. “Liberation” is a 108,000 word novel, and is the 10th episode in The Frontiers Saga... -
Danger Close by Rick Partlow
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsAll Cam Alvarez has known is war.For three years, he’s fought the marauding alien Tahni on one God-forsaken planet after another, leading a squad of armored Drop Troopers.But the war is about to change.Cam is an officer now, fresh out of OCS and taking charge of his old platoon, and things have reached a tipping point...Categorized as:
exploration first-contact military soldiers space-opera space-travel war action-adventure -
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Shield of Terra by Glynn Stewart
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsThe mother, ruler of an entire world Sent to the heart of an old enemy to build a new peace The daughter, officer of a deadly warship Sent to the darkness to find the new enemy hunting them all A dozen inhabited worlds of the Kanzi Theocracy and the A!Tol Imperium are ash...Categorized as:
exploration first-contact military soldiers space-opera space-travel war action-adventure -
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...Categorized as:
exploration first-contact military space-opera space-travel war action-adventure adult -
Winds of Vengeance by Jay Allan
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEarth Two. A new home for the survivors of the fleet, the men and women who battled against seemingly insurmountable odds to survive the assault of the First Imperium and to destroy the homicidal Regent, the artificial intelligence committed to their destruction...Categorized as:
exploration first-contact military soldiers space-opera space-travel war action-adventure -
Return to Haven by D.J. Holmes
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe revelation that the human race is not alone has sent shockwaves throughout Earth’s naval powers. Suddenly all eyes have turned to Haven and the trade routes to the Vestarian and Kulrean homeworlds. Thinking he has nothing to lose, Haven’s First Councilor puts into motion a plan that threatens to turn star empire against star empire... -
The Dark Invaders by Raymond L. Weil
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom USA Today Best Selling Author Raymond L. Weil comes the second book in the Star Cross series. Over fourteen months have passed since Fleet Admiral Kurt Vickers drove the Profiteers from Earth. Eighty million people died while the planet was being ransacked and its wealth stolen. Now a new and deadlier threat comes from intergalactic space...Categorized as:
exploration first-contact military soldiers space-opera space-travel war action-adventure -
The Long Voyage of the Little Fleet by Mackey Chandler
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn the first book of this series "Family Law", Lee's parents and their business partner Gordon found a class A habitable planet. They thought their quest as explorers was over and they'd live a life of ease. But before they could return and register their claim Lee's parents died doing a survey of the surface...Categorized as:
exploration first-contact military space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult aliens -
Shakedown by Scott Sigler
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratings"A gritty tale of cosmic dread.”— Pierce Brown, #1 New York Times Bestselling author of RED RISINGFew know the warship’s actual name. Fewer still know what it really is. And almost no one knows of its unique ability, an ability that could tilt the balance of power if not outright win the war.But everyone has heard the rumors. Rumors about the worst place the Planetary Union Fleet can send you... -
The Weak and the Innocent by Ryk Brown
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsEpisode 14 A ship in the hands of their enemy… A liberation gone wrong… A chance to double their ranks… A bold and daring plan… Their support from the Pentaurus cluster dwindling fast, the Alliance faces new and unpleasant realities in the Sol sector. But untoward changes also bring unexpected opportunities… The 'trick' is in how you use them... -
Transcendence by G.S. Jennsen
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhat does it mean to be human? What if the price of saving humanity is giving up your own? The year is 2322, and we stand upon the precipice of extinction. The invading Metigen armada has decimated the eastern third of settled space in a matter of days, leaving tens of millions dead... -
Stowaway by Z.D. Dean
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsLt Zade, on his last days of his last deployment to Afghanistan, still couldn’t find the excitement he so desperately needed. A chance encounter, on his last mission, sends him hurtling through space on the Unity exploration ship XES01. Surrounded by aliens, Zade must quickly learn to interact with the non-soldiers on the crew... -
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Relics of Eternity by Glynn Stewart
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe edge of Imperial expansionFar from Earth and the other homeworldsHere lie the secrets of ancient godsHere…there be dragonsSeeking to escape the shadow of Annette Bond’s success, Captain Morgan Casimir has taken a posting on the far side of the A!Tol Imperium. Here, she hopes to begin a legend for herself that stands apart from her stepmother the Duchess...Categorized as:
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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... -
Fracture by Ken Lozito, Scott Aiello
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsColonel Sean Quinn is stranded in another universe, along with two thousand people under his command. They've been hiding from the enemy long enough, now it’s time to return home. Outnumbered against a superior foe, Sean must risk everything in a daring operation, but the mysterious enemy has a few surprises of their own...Categorized as:
exploration first-contact military soldiers space-opera space-travel war action-adventure -
Born of the Ashes by Ryk Brown
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsEpisode 11 A world in chaos… An eager new ally… A newly acquired ship… An even greater threat on its way… Captain Nathan Scott must decide whether to stand and fight to the end, or live to fight another day… even if it means the end of his world. “Born of the Ashes” is a 122,000 word novel, and is the 11th episode in The Frontiers Saga... -
Resistance by Ryk Brown
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsEpisode nine of The Frontiers Saga...A chance to gain much needed resources… A group of highly trained, merciless soldiers… A half-completed ship on a trajectory to nowhere… A lone operative on familiar yet dangerous ground… Captain Scott and the crew of the Aurora have a chance to get everything they need to liberate their home world, but they may have to fight someone else's war first... -
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... -
Direct Fire by Rick Partlow
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsFrom street criminal to war hero.From outcast to Marine officer.The journey has been a long one, but now it’s reaching the end.Cam Alvarez leads his platoon of Drop-Troopers into the Tahni Imperium, into the final days of the war and the bloodiest battles yet...Categorized as:
exploration first-contact military soldiers space-opera space-travel war action-adventure -
Imperium Defiant by Glynn Stewart
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsThe enemy promises conflict and annihilation.Their allies threaten betrayal and devastation, a daughter of Earth raises the call of defiance and the Imperium has never knelt!When the Taljzi’s genocidal invasion brought promises of aid from the oldest and greatest of the Core Powers, humanity and the Imperium looked to the Mesharom for salvation...Categorized as:
exploration first-contact military soldiers space-opera space-travel war action-adventure -
Escalation by Ryk Brown
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA cease-fire that has lasted seven years… Worlds half-destroyed that have been rebuilt anew… Friends and crewmates scattered light-years apart… New leaders that would be kings… The Jung threat has been renewed, in ways not imagined. It will take a new savior to inspire the masses, and once again lead those willing to fight against oppression... -
Emergence by Ken Lozito, Scott Aiello
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAs the colony grapples with the realization that New Earth is not as uninhabited as they’d once thought, tensions between the colonial settlements rise to new heights, and the Colonial Defense Force finds itself caught in the middle. When Connor uncovers evidence of a militant colonial faction secretly exploiting the NEIIS, he has to investigate...Categorized as:
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Rise of the Alliance by Ryk Brown
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsEpisode 12A new ally providing aid…An old ally joining the fight…Their resources growing with each passing day…Their homeworld finally on the road to recovery…Things finally seem to be coming together for Captain Scott and the Alliance, as he takes his forces on the offensive. However, the Jung may in turn give him more trouble than he bargained for... -
Blood World by B.V. Larson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA dirty deal was struck. Humanity was allowed to keep three hundred rebellious worlds. In return, we declared war on a powerful enemy from beyond the frontier. A frantic build-up of forces has begun, but the task is hopeless. Seeking allies, Earth’s legions are sent to BLOOD WORLD. A planet on the fringe of known space, where the people only respect masters of combat...Categorized as:
exploration first-contact military soldiers space-opera space-travel war action-adventure -
The Others by Jay Allan
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsFrom the deepest darks of unknown space, evil comes… Admiral Tyler Barron and the Confederation navy face a new threat, darker and deadlier than any that have come before...Categorized as:
exploration first-contact military soldiers space-opera space-travel war action-adventure -
Rise of the Corinari by Ryk Brown
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA time to recover…A chance to make a new ally…A brief respite to repair and rearm…An opportunity for a people to regain their honor…For every civilization there comes a moment when a stand must be made against tyranny.The time has come for the Alliance to draw a line in the sand... -
A Show of Force by Ryk Brown
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsEpisode 13 The liberation old worlds… The addition of new allies… The fall of a regime… The death of a trusted friend… The Aurora begins clearing a 20 light year sphere of safety around Earth, taking out Jung forces as they liberate the core systems. However, Captain Scott and the Alliance quickly discover that not every world wants to be liberated, and the Jung have a few surprises of their own... -
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...
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