Books like 'Neptune'
Readers who enjoyed Neptune by Ben Bova also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
sc-fi hard sci-fi military, war & conflict space aliens invasion exploration space-travel first-contact colonization
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A Grimm Sacrifice by Jeffery H. Haskell
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn order to survive, Interceptor must change the rules.The Consortium is in real trouble. Caliphate Naval forces have stepped up their raids on the border planets and are taking people by the thousands. They can defend the wormhole, or they can defend their planets, not both...Categorized as:
aliens invasion colonization space-travel first-contact exploration sci-fi space-opera -
![Clone World by B.V. Larson]()
Clone World by B.V. Larson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsJames McGill is called upon for a sabotage mission, one that only a man of his unique talents can handle. Unfortunately, he performs too well, and our enemies from Rigel are enraged. They come for us, and war is declared. Both sides call for aid, and it comes from the Core Worlds in the form of two great fleets. The Civil War for the Empire’s Throne spills out into the provinces... -
![Ice World by B.V. Larson]()
Ice World by B.V. Larson
Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsLong before Earth began conquering her neighboring stars, Legion Varus was deployed on Tau Ceti. Valuable and highly illegal treasures were stolen during the campaign, but McGill never gave it a second thought.The Tau haven’t forgotten him, however. For decades they’ve hunted and plotted, and at last they’ve found the pirate who robbed them. Tau agents invade Earth seeking revenge and profit... -
![Messinants by S.H. Jucha]()
Messinants by S.H. Jucha
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsPyre is a volatile planet. Its surface belches heat and noxious gases, forcing downsiders to inhabit domes. But Pyre’s instability isn’t limited to its geology. The colonists, who were marooned in the system hundreds of years ago, have endured a tumultuous history.Exploring Triton, Pyre’s third moon, spacers inadvertently activate an alien dome...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact invasion space-travel action-adventure adult -
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![Edge World by B.V. Larson]()
Edge World by B.V. Larson
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsA lonely planet circles a star on the very border of Province 921. Critical resources produced there are claimed by both the Mogwa and the Skay. War between the Galactic giants becomes more likely every day.James McGill and Legion Varus are deployed to protect Edge World, a planet that rotates at a walking pace. Each day is as long as a year back on Earth...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact invasion space-travel action-adventure adult -
![Quantum Space by Douglas Phillips]()
Quantum Space by Douglas Phillips
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsThis is an alternate Cover Edition for ASIN: B06ZY9T5Y5.If you liked the authenticity of The Martian, the page-turning pace of Da Vinci Code, and the inspirational world view of Arthur C. Clarke, you'll love Quantum Space.High above the windswept plains of Kazakhstan, three astronauts on board a Russian Soyuz capsule begin their reentry... -
![TFS Guardian by Tori L. Harris]()
TFS Guardian by Tori L. Harris
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratings— An ancient alliance under siege ... — A threat for which we are not prepared ... — And "Grey" aliens who are not at all what we expected. The enigmatic Greys have returned, bearing a host of stunning revelations regarding their role in Earth’s history, the Pelarans, and Humanity’s place in the cosmos... -
![The Long Voyage of the Little Fleet by Mackey Chandler]()
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... -
![Dark World by B.V. Larson]()
Dark World by B.V. Larson
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsTwo expanding interstellar powers are about to meet in battle. After the collapse of the Cephalopod Kingdom, Humanity claimed the three hundred rebellious worlds they left behind. But many light years away on the far side of disputed region, a rival power has begun to move. They're stealing our planets, one at a time... -
![Omnia by S.H. Jucha]()
Omnia by S.H. Jucha
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAlex Racine, who led an elite group of humans and SADEs (self-ware digital entities), left the newly discovered planet of Celus-5 under difficult circumstances. Few of the Harakens with Alex thought there was little he could do to bring peace to the embroiled planet...Categorized as:
aliens exploration first-contact invasion space-travel action-adventure adult audiobook -
![Allora by S.H. Jucha]()
Allora by S.H. Jucha
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsUntil the Confederation created Allora, it had produced SADEs (self-aware digital entities) for hundreds of years with enormous consistency and harnessed their capabilities to power the society. But this particular, young SADE was disturbed by her confinement... -
![Celus-5 by S.H. Jucha]()
Celus-5 by S.H. Jucha
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFor the Sojourn’s initial mission, the Haraken explorer ship undertakes the investigation of Celus-5, a world identified by Willem, a SADE (self-aware digital entity), and his team of scientists, as the best prospect for a new colony.What should be a routine survey mission becomes a disaster. To the Harakens’ surprise, they discover, not one, but two alien species engaged in conflict...Categorized as:
aliens exploration first-contact invasion space-travel action-adventure adult audiobook -
![Green World by B.V. Larson]()
Green World by B.V. Larson
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsRebels build a secret base on Green World. Their plan is to attack Earth and retake all the planets the Humans have conquered.Hegemony starships gather to strike the Rebels first, but where is their base? As the fleets search, Earth warships trespass into Skay space igniting a fresh border conflict between rival Galactics...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact invasion space-travel action-adventure adult -
![Haraken by S.H. Jucha]()
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... -
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![Salvation Lost by Peter F. Hamilton]()
Salvation Lost by Peter F. Hamilton
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsThe comparative utopia of twenty-third century Earth is about to go dreadfully awry when a seemingly benign alien race is abruptly revealed to be one of the worst threats humanity has ever faced. Driven by an intense religious extremism, the Olyix are determined to bring everyone to their version of god as they see it...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact invasion space-travel action-adventure adult -
![Blood World by B.V. Larson]()
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:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact invasion space-travel action-adventure adult -
![Sol by S.H. Jucha]()
Sol by S.H. Jucha
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsSol’s warships paid the ultimate price for threatening the Haraken and New Terran worlds. Now, Haraken President Alex Racine and his Méridien partner, Renée de Guirnon, are engaged in a desperate gamble to stop a war between their worlds and United Earth’s (UE) massive forces before it starts... -
![Storm World by B.V. Larson]()
Storm World by B.V. Larson
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsJames McGill is sent to the Core Worlds! In an unprecedented first, Earth sends a message to Mogwa Prime. Unfortunately, the messenger is not met with enthusiasm. Misunderstandings soon threaten all of Humanity. Forced to prove Earth can serve the Empire better than any rival, McGill does his best... -
![Wherever Seeds May Fall by Peter Cawdron]()
Wherever Seeds May Fall by Peter Cawdron
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsAstronomers from around the world watch in awe as an extrasolar comet approaches Saturn, being drawn in by its immense gravity. When the comet grazes the planet rather than plunging beneath the clouds, speculation is rife... -
![Hell's Reach by David VanDyke, B.V. Larson]()
Hell's Reach by David VanDyke, B.V. Larson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsUSA Today bestseller B.V. Larson and Dragon award finalist David VanDyke have released book six in their epic military space opera! The Breakers find a new home among the stars: Utopia. An engineered planet that is vast beyond comprehension with plenty of room to grow. They set up trade routes and work as mercenaries for their supplies… but trouble lurks. Pirates strike their merchant lanes... -
![Enemies & Allies by Rick Partlow]()
Enemies & Allies by Rick Partlow
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe war is over and Andy Clanton is ready to live happily ever after.Space Force has other ideas.Recruited to follow the last signal of the mysterious Elders to a system halfway across the galaxy, Andy joins the crew of the James Bowie for another adventure into the unknown... -
![Explorer by C.J. Cherryh]()
Explorer by C.J. Cherryh
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsIt has been nearly ten years since the starship Phoenix returned to Alpha, the station orbiting the world of the atevi, which had been abandoned following a rift between a faction of the station's inhabitants and the spacers' Pilot's Guild...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact space-travel action-adventure adult audiobook -
![Tracker by C.J. Cherryh]()
Tracker by C.J. Cherryh
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsTracker is the sixteenth installment of CJ Cherryh's acclaimed Foreigner series.It’s been a year of upheaval, since Bren Cameron’s return from space—a year when he and the aiji-dowager, one of his most powerful atevi allies, returned home from their two-year interstellar mission to find the government overthrown and their world in chaos...Categorized as:
aliens colonization first-contact invasion action-adventure adult audiobook bodyguard -
![Corvus by Marko Kloos]()
Corvus by Marko Kloos
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen the aliens evolve, so does the threat against humanity in this thrilling sequel to Scorpio that finds Alex Archer in an epic battle of survival against the odds and the alien invaders.Alex Archer is a soldier now, the only civilian survivor from Scorpio to join the NAC Defense Corps... -
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![Hive War by David VanDyke, B.V. Larson]()
Hive War by David VanDyke, B.V. Larson
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom Hugo and Dragon Award finalist David VanDyke, and millions-selling science-fiction legend and Dragon finalist B.V. Larson, comes book four in the epic military space opera adventure saga! The Republic, the Opters and a strange Crystalline race of unknown origin all meet in a series of titanic battles... -
![Armor World by B.V. Larson]()
Armor World by B.V. Larson
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsIn a twist of fate that rocks the Galactic Empire, James McGill finds himself negotiating the future of a thousand inhabited worlds. An artificial object made of compressed stardust is barreling toward Earth. Is it an invasion ship? A doomsday weapon? Perhaps it’s the final response of Squanto, the Warlord of Rigel who McGill has repeatedly humiliated... -
![TFS Fugitive by Tori L. Harris]()
TFS Fugitive by Tori L. Harris
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsHaving successfully repelled the Resistance incursion into the Sol system, Terran Fleet Command must now deal with the far-flung worlds of the Sajeth Collective, which sponsored the attack. Task forces are dispatched to Damara and Lesheera to begin the first Human blockades of entire planets...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact invasion space-travel action-adventure adult -
![Rogue World by B.V. Larson]()
Rogue World by B.V. Larson
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsThe Galactics arrived with their Battle Fleet in 2052. Rather than being exterminated under a barrage of hell-burners, Earth joined a vast Empire that spanned the Milky Way. Today, Battle Fleet 921 is returning to Earth. It hasn’t been seen by human eyes since our blissful day of Annexation...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact invasion space-travel action-adventure adult -
![Divergence by C.J. Cherryh]()
Divergence by C.J. Cherryh
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe twenty-first book in the beloved Foreigner saga continues the adventures of diplomat Bren Cameron, advisor to the atevi head of state... -
![Flagship Victory by David VanDyke, B.V. Larson]()
Flagship Victory by David VanDyke, B.V. Larson
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom Hugo and Dragon Award finalist David VanDyke, and million-selling science-fiction legend and Dragon Award finalist B.V. Larson, comes book three in the epic military space opera adventure saga!Commodore Straker faces new enemies as neighboring interstellar empires decide his New Republic is a growing threat... -
![Betrayer by C.J. Cherryh]()
Betrayer by C.J. Cherryh
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsBetrayer (Foreigner, Book 12)The twelfth novel in Cherryh’s Foreigner space opera series, a groundbreaking tale of first contact and its consequences…In the wake of civil war, Bren Cameron, the brilliant human diplomat of the alien atevi civilization, has left the capital and sought refuge at his country estate, Najida...Categorized as:
aliens exploration first-contact invasion space-travel action-adventure adult audiobook -
![TFS Navajo by Tori L. Harris]()
TFS Navajo by Tori L. Harris
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsOnly a few short months after Humanity’s first interstellar flights, the first shots have been fired in what will eventually become known as the Alliance Wars. Terran Fleet Command teeters on the edge of chaos in the aftermath of Chairwoman Crull’s removal from power, while in space, Earth’s defense falls squarely on the shoulders of Admiral Kevin Patterson...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact invasion space-travel action-adventure adult -
![Battleship Indomitable by David VanDyke, B.V. Larson]()
Battleship Indomitable by David VanDyke, B.V. Larson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom Hugo Award finalist David VanDyke and million-selling science-fiction legend B.V. Larson comes book two in the epic military space opera adventure saga!Commodore Straker's rebellion grows in strength--but his enemies are growing even faster...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact invasion space-travel action-adventure adult -
![Earth Fleet by B.V. Larson]()
Earth Fleet by B.V. Larson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAt long last Earth has a handful of starships. Surrounded by Rebel Kher, Imperials and the mysterious Nomads, Humanity dares to assert our right to independence. The interstellar community reacts harshly. In the eyes of our neighbors, we’re upstarts, dangerous beings that don’t know our place. For the Kher, freedom can only be won through battle...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact invasion space-travel action-adventure adult -
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![First Strike by Raymond L. Weil]()
First Strike by Raymond L. Weil
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe cryosleep chambers are beginning to fail. Surveillance of Hocklyn space has revealed that the Hocklyns are thirty years ahead of their projected schedule and will soon reach human occupied space. War could break out any day if something isn't done... -
![Deep Black (Infinite Sky #1) by Samuel Best]()
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... -
![TFS Theseus by Tori L. Harris]()
TFS Theseus by Tori L. Harris
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratings“Welcome to the Pelaran Alliance …” With those simple words, the Guardian spacecraft openly revealed itself to Humanity, heralding a new chapter in its 500-year-long mission to cultivate our world...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact invasion space-travel action-adventure adult -
![Méridien by S.H. Jucha]()
Méridien by S.H. Jucha
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe Méridiens are fleeing to their far colonies—and they have reason to run. Over the course of decades, they have lost hundreds of ships, billions of people, and seven Confederation colonies to an alien enemy: an advancing swarm of silver ships transported in the bowels of a gigantic, spherical vessel... -
![Prelude to Extinction by Andreas Karpf]()
Prelude to Extinction by Andreas Karpf
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsEarth's first interstellar mission -- An alien colony in ruins -- Their fight for survival has only just begun.When Jack Harrison climbed down the short ladder from the airlock and stepped onto the debris covered soil, the ground crackled with the sound of dried leaves and twigs... -
![Home World by B.V. Larson]()
Home World by B.V. Larson
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThe Galactics arrived with their Battle Fleet in 2052. Rather than being exterminated under a barrage of hell-burners, Earth joined a vast Empire that spanned the Milky Way. When the Earth is invaded by a rival empire, James McGill’s legion must defend the Home World. The top brass has complex plans, but none of that matters much to McGill, who chooses his own unique path...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact invasion space-travel action-adventure adult -
![Orion Fleet by B.V. Larson]()
Orion Fleet by B.V. Larson
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWhat enemy could be more terrifying than a soulless, alien machine? A year ago the Kher Empire was forced to retreat, but they were not beaten. In ORION FLEET they return with a new weapon. A huge ship driven by AI begins methodically grinding inhabited worlds to dust. This unstoppable enemy is without fear or remorse, and the Rebels begin a desperate battle just to slow its advance...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact invasion space-travel action-adventure adult -
![Emergence by C.J. Cherryh]()
Emergence by C.J. Cherryh
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsThe nineteenth book in C.J. Cherryh's beloved Foreigner space opera series begins a new era for diplomat Bren Cameron, as he navigates the tenuous peace he has struck between human refugees and the alien atevi.Alpha Station, orbiting the world of the atevi, has taken aboard five thousand human refugees from a destroyed station in a distant sector of space...Categorized as:
aliens colonization first-contact invasion action-adventure adult audiobook bodyguard -
![1st to Fight by Rick Partlow]()
1st to Fight by Rick Partlow
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsI retired from the USMC, and now I write about space marines. I never thought I’d actually become one. As a sci-fi author with a hit TV show, I have a few ideas about what alien invaders are supposed to look like. In my stories, they’re technologically advanced monsters, with tentacles, and no faces. Turns out I was right about the technology. And about how angry they’d be...Categorized as:
aliens exploration first-contact invasion space-travel action-adventure adult audiobook -
![Demon Star by B.V. Larson, David VanDyke]()
Demon Star by B.V. Larson, David VanDyke
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsThree stars, three worlds, three civilizations…one massive war. In a triple star system, not all planets are equal. When the DEMON STAR swings closest in her orbit, the Insectoids always invade. They raid the inner worlds with grim regularity, riding hordes of stealthed ships in ever growing waves. Their mission is to destroy all opposition—alien, human or otherwise...Categorized as:
aliens colonization exploration first-contact invasion space-travel action-adventure adult -
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![Tactics of Conquest by David VanDyke]()
Tactics of Conquest by David VanDyke
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsArmed with alien technology and a complete refit, Henrich Absen captains Conquest on a voyage to take back what humanity has lost. Along the way he must confront a new form of life as well as his own demons in this shocking episode of the Plague Wars/Stellar Conquest saga... -
![The Seasoning by Dennis Ingram]()
The Seasoning by Dennis Ingram
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSurprise. Adversity. Hope. Sixteen years have passed since the eight crew of the Starship Hope arrived in the Tau Ceti system and established a colony on the fifth planet from the star, a planet they named Serendipity. Their colony has thrived. Together with their children they have turned their habitat into a paradise and begun to terraform the planet...Categorized as:
colonization exploration space-travel action-adventure adult book fiction hard-sci-fi -
![The Legacy of a Conqueror by Saxon Andrew]()
The Legacy of a Conqueror by Saxon Andrew
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFrom the International Bestselling Author, Saxon Andrew, comes the fourth book in the Escape to Earth Series-The Legacy of a Conqueror. The Combined Fleets have pushed back the invasion fleet from the giant galaxy, M-87. However, another player has entered the game and has attacked M-87 with a vengeance...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion space-travel book fiction galactic-empire genetic-engineering -
![Gregor's Run: The Universe is too Small to Hide by Saxon Andrew]()
Gregor's Run: The Universe is too Small to Hide by Saxon Andrew
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA young human male orphaned by the death of his adopted father struggles to survive in a universe that offers little more than despair. He’s forced to scrub booster tubes on commercial starships to make enough coins to feed his alcohol addiction in his dirty day-to-day existence. The future looks dark and is getting darker... -
![Effie by C.J. Williams]()
Effie by C.J. Williams
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEffie didn’t intend to bring death and destruction to Earth. But with Enforcers in hot pursuit, Special Agent EAFY584 can only escape by crashing her stolen starship out of hyperspace into an uncharted solar system. Fortunately for her, the planet called Earth has a human population. Unfortunately for them, standard Enforcer procedure is to sterilize any planet where a spy might be hiding... -
![Conquest of Earth by David VanDyke]()
Conquest of Earth by David VanDyke
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsPoised to reconquer humanity's home, Captain Absen and Conquest are confronted with a new enemy that upsets the balance of power and changes everything EarthFleet expected. Their struggle to free Earth becomes instead a desperate battle for sheer survival as they contemplate the unthinkable...
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