Books like 'A Practical Man'
Readers who enjoyed A Practical Man by Karen Traviss 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 aliens war cyberpunk nautical
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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... -
Message for the Dead by Jason Anspach, Nick Cole
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsSurvive the Future. As Legion Commander Keller attempts to coax the Republic and Black Fleet into a winner-take-all battle at the heart of the Galactic Core, Wraith uncovers secrets from Tyrus Rechs’s past. Determined to liberate his crew from the clutches of a dormant fleet controlled by a hostile AI, the soldier-turned-rogue comes face to face with the galaxy’s greatest threat... -
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... -
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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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
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... -
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... -
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... -
Rule of Two by Drew Karpyshyn
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIn the New York Times bestseller Darth Bane: Path of Destruction, Drew Karpyshyn painted a gripping portrait of a young mans journey from innocence to evil... -
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
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... -
The Valhalla Call by Evan Currie
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn The Valhalla Call we bring the Hayden War Arc that began in On Silver Wings to its startling conclusion. Newly minted Lieutenant Sorilla Aida has a new mission and new allies, gear, and support as she is tasked with a job that could ensure that the human race stands a chance of reaching a technical parity with the mysterious alien alliance... -
Kill Team by Jason Anspach, Nick Cole
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsAlways make 'em pay. In the aftermath of the Battle of Kublar—and the destruction of the battleship Chiasm—Legion Dark Ops recruits Chhun, Wraith, and the survivors of Victory Company to form an elite Kill Team of legionnaires. Their secret mission is as clear as it is deadly: find and eliminate those responsible for the Kublar disaster... -
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Deadly Nightshade by H. Paul Honsinger
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMax Robichaux’s thrilling adventures didn’t begin on 21 January 2315 when he took command of the USS Cumberland at the age of 28... -
Hard Contact by Karen Traviss
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsAs the Clone Wars rage, victory or defeat lies in the hands of elite squads that take on the toughest assignments in the galaxy–stone-cold soldiers who go where no one else would, to do what no one else could. . . . On a mission to sabotage a chemical weapon research facility on a Separatist-held planet, four clone troopers operate under the very noses of their enemies... -
Valkyrie Burning by Evan Currie
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsThe war that began on Hayden's World years ago has blossomed into a brawl across the stars, and yet that single and otherwise largely unimportant colony continues to be a central point in the conflagration. Human forces have pushed outward, now taking enemy worlds in response to the attacks on their own, but they don't have the numbers or the power to hold what they take... -
Boundless by Jack Campbell
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAdmiral John "Black Jack" Geary may have saved the Alliance only to destroy it, in this thrilling and eagerly awaited continuation of the New York Times bestselling series.Geary believed in the Alliance. Even when he uncovered overwhelming evidence that the highest echelons of the government and fleet command were involved in secret programs and prison camps, he believed it was worth saving... -
Valkyrie Rising by Evan Currie
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsTwo years after the initial invasion of Hayden's World, the newly reinforced Hayden Militia is in a state of stalemate with the remaining enemy forces but neither side is content to leave things at that.The alien alliance has dispatched their varsity to clean up the resistance on Hayden while the USF has officially activated Task Force V, the latest and most advanced combat ships built by humans... -
For Honor We Stand by H. Paul Honsinger
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsIn 2315, the Earth Union is losing a thirty-year-long war with the Krag Hegemony.Having encountered the Krag before, Space Commander Max Robicheaux now faces daunting challenges aboard the USS Cumberland: the dangers from the enemy without… and clashes with crew and superiors within... -
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... -
Flight of the Reaper by J.N. Chaney, Scott Moon
Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsVice Admiral Nebs and his Archangels are coming for the Last Reaper, and they’re out for blood.Halek Cain and his crew jump into one slip tunnel after another to escape a psychopath with an armada of deadly warships. Every system is a trap; every encounter a potential battle.When Cain and his friends receive a distress call from the Bold Freedom, innocent lives will hang on their every decision... -
Rage of Winter by Richard Fox, Scott Moon
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOne Shot. One Kill. One sniper to strike fear in the heart of alien invaders. Hoffman’s Strike Marines pursue enemy agents across a wintry world, desperate to stop an insidious threat festering in the heart of the Terran Union. Their hunt is disrupted when the fanatical Kesaht invade and the team is split across the snow and ice of a harsh planet... -
Mech Warrior: Born of Steel by James David Victor
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe world as we know it has come to an end, and humanity’s only hope may be a man who cannot survive without the aid of a robotic suit. Fortunately, that suit is one of the most powerful weapons ever created.A military sci-fi adventure from Amazon All-Star author James David VictorDane Williams barely survived the Exin attack and is faced with a life of pain and torment... -
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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... -
Vanguard by Christopher G. Nuttall
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe third trilogy in the hit ‘Ark Royal’ series begins now! HMS Vanguard is the most powerful battleship ever to be commissioned by the Royal Navy, but she is not a happy ship. Her commanding officer is eccentric, rarely seen on the bridge; her former XO has deserted his post and her first middy is resentful because he hasn't been promoted as he deserves .. -
The City and The Ship by Anne McCaffrey, S.M. Stirling
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTwo novels in one large volume, both set in the same universe as The Ship Who Sang: The City Who Fought: Simeon was bored with running the mining and processing station that made up his "body." Then the invaders came. If anyone was to survive, somehow he must transform his wargaming hobby into the real thing and become The City Who Fought... -
Favour the Bold by Christopher G. Nuttall
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAn all-new story of The Empire’s Corps! Earth has fallen. The Core Worlds have collapsed into chaos. War is breaking out everywhere as planetary governments declare independence, entire sectors slip out of contact and warlords battle for power. The remnants of the once-great Empire are tearing themselves apart... -
Storm from the Shadows by David Weber
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsPerfidious Plots,Courageous Resolve—and,of course,Starships Blown to Smithereens!The Solarian League Navy has been the premier navy of the galaxy for centuries. Indeed, no one can remember a time when it hasn't been acknowledged as the most powerful fleet in existence.Until now, that is.A conference to end the terrible war between the Peeps of Haven and the Manticorean Star Kingdom is slated... -
Trouble on Paradise by Craig Alanson
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsBook '3.5' in the ExForce series: While the crew of the UN Expeditionary Force's pirate starship Flying Dutchman are enjoying a luxury vacation cruise (not!), UNEF troops are still stranded on an alien-controlled planet. Major Emily Perkins and her team are busy picking up the pieces, and it's not easy, because there is trouble on Paradise.. -
Halo: First Strike by Eric S. Nylund
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsThe Human-Covenant war rages on as the alien juggernaut sweeps inexorably toward its final goal: destruction of all human life! Halo has been destroyed, and the threat it posed to sentient life, neutralized. But victory has come at a terrible cost for the UNSC. Thousands of valiant soldiers fell in the battle to prevent the alien construct from falling into the enemy’s clutches... -
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... -
Heirs of Empire by David Weber
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsRestoring the empire that had been destroyed 45,000 years earlier, Emperor Colin finds problems in the genocidal Achuultani and in his children Sean and Harriet, who have been marooned on a hostile planet...Categorized as:
aliens space-opera war action-adventure adult alternate-history anthologies audiobook -
Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe by Frank O'Connor, Tobias S. Buckell
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsWhen humanity expanded beyond the safety of Earth to new stars and horizons, they never dreamed what dangers they would encounter there. When the alien juggernaut known as the Covenant declared holy war upon the fragile human empire, millions of lives were lost—but, millions of heroes rose to the challenge... -
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Claws That Catch by John Ringo, Travis S. Taylor
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsIt's Not Over Til The Skinny Lady Sings . . . Working off of a piece of intelligence from the alien Hexosehr, the Vorpal Blade is dispatched to investigate rumors of an ancient and powerful civilization that may have been the creators of the “black box” that drives humanity's only space ship... -
Clidepp Requital by Thomas DePrima
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe long-awaited second book in the AGU: Border Patrol series, resumes the storyline of the first book. The severely damaged SC Destroyer Perry, nearly destroyed while battling the Clidepp destroyer Glassama, is awaiting the arrival of a Space Command ship-transporter vessel, which will convey it to the Mars shipyard for repairs... -
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... -
Out of the Darkness by Peter David, J. Michael Straczynski
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCentauri Prime declares war on the Interstellar Alliance in Book Three of the epic trilogy that continues Babylon 5's brilliant legacy . . .Blind to the fact that he is a pawn in the Drakh's deadly strategy, Centauri prime minister Durla launches an overwhelming blitzkrieg, sending Centauri warships to devastate other races' homeworlds and pave the way for total conquest... -
Admiral's Gambit by Luke Sky Wachter, Caleb Watcher
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSpineward Sectors Series Book Two: Admiral's GambitWhen he set course for 'civilized space,' Jason Montagne thought he'd finally be able to take a deep breath and hand off sole responsibility for patrolling the border of known Space to the 'real' Confederation fleet. Unfortunately, things 'back home' in Sector 25 were in even more turmoil than he could have possibly imagined... -
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... -
Teardrops In The Night Sky by J.W. Murison
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsPursued across the great barrier, two self-aware ships and their crews escape with their lives from marauding pirates; but the neutrons from our solar system are deadly to the crews and the ships are soon left desolate and alone. On hearing a distant signal they follow it to Earth. On Earth young Steven Gordon, a child protegee, is nearly killed in a horrific crash... -
The Riss Survival by C.R. Daems
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe Raider clans have been defeated and their planet under the supervision of the Riss, with Captain Reese the station commander. But while Reese sees the Raider clans as on probation, many in the SAS task force she commands, perceive them as prisoners and hope to break the Treaty and get revenge.As Nadya attempts to maintain the fragile peace, the three empires are being invaded... -
Metal Boxes by Alan Black
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsComing of age can be hard for anyone. But for Blackmon Perry Stone it is life threatening. At 15, he barely manages to graduate from the empire's cadet training by a talent for unusual problem solving. He has trouble settling into navy life, but life becomes harder when he uncovers a ring of thieves aboard the huge ship. Life becomes difficult when they killed him... -
When the Tide Rises by David Drake
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen the Republic of Cinnabar doesn't have enough battleships to deal with all the crises in its war with the Alliance, it sends the next best thing: Commander Daniel Leary and his friend, the spy Adele Mundy... -
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Beginnings by David Weber, Charles E. Gannon
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe hottest military science fiction series of all time continues with a collection of tales by New York Times bestselling authors Timothy Zahn, Charles E. Gannon, David Weber and more, set in Weber's Honor Harrington Series.The hottest military science fiction series of all time continues... -
A Call to Duty by David Weber, Timothy Zahn
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsGrowing up, Travis Uriah Long yearned for order and discipline in his life... the two things his neglectful mother couldn't or wouldn't provide. So when Travis enlisted in the Royal Manticoran Navy, he thought he'd finally found the structure he'd always wanted so desperately.But life in the RMN isn't exactly what he expected... -
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... -
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... -
To Honor You Call Us by H. Paul Honsinger
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsThe Terran Union is engaged in a vast interstellar war against the Krag, ruthless aliens intent on exterminating humankind. In 2315, the wily Max Robichaux is given command of the USS Cumberland, a destroyer with state-of-the-art capabilities but a combat record so bad, she’s known as the “Cumberland Gap.”Capt... -
After the Coup by John Scalzi
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsIn a universe of harsh interstellar conflict, the practice of interspecies diplomacy—when possible—is important. So being a Colonial Union officer attached to an interplanetary diplomatic mission sometimes means taking a fall. Literally...
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