Books like 'Phoenix Café'
Readers who enjoyed Phoenix Café by Gwyneth Jones also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical sc-fi 20th century military, war & conflict aliens invasion first-contact
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A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsAlternative Cover Edition can be found here. After thousands of years searching, humans stand on the verge of first contact with an alien race. Two human groups: the Qeng Ho, a culture of free traders, and the Emergents, a ruthless society based on the technological enslavement of minds.The group that opens trade with the aliens will reap unimaginable riches... -
![Childhood's End (Arthur C. Clarke Collection) by Arthur C. Clarke]()
Childhood's End (Arthur C. Clarke Collection) by Arthur C. Clarke
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 47 ratingsIn the Retro Hugo Award–nominated novel that inspired the Syfy miniseries, alien invaders bring peace to Earth—at a grave price: “A first-rate tour de force” (The New York Times). In the near future, enormous silver spaceships appear without warning over mankind’s largest cities. They belong to the Overlords, an alien race far superior to humanity in technological development... -
![Iron Gray Sea by Taylor Anderson]()
Iron Gray Sea by Taylor Anderson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn Taylor Anderson’s acclaimed Destroyermen series, a parallel universe adds an extraordinary layer to the drama of World War II. Now, Lieutenant Commander Matthew Reddy, the crew of USS Walker, and their allies battle an ever-growing host of enemies across the globe in a desperate battle for freedom …War has engulfed the—other earth...Categorized as:
aliens 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history alternate-universe audiobook book -
![Worlds of Exile and Illusion: Rocannon’s World, Planet of Exile, City of Illusions by Ursula K. Le Guin]()
Worlds of Exile and Illusion: Rocannon’s World, Planet of Exile, City of Illusions by Ursula K. Le Guin
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsUrsula K. Le Guin is one of the greatest science fiction writers and many times the winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards. Her career as a novelist was launched by the three novels contained in Worlds Of Exile And Illusion. These novels, Rocannon's World, Planet Of Exile, and City Of Illusions, are set in the same universe as Le Guin's ground-breaking classic, The Left Hand Of Darkness...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion 20th-century action-adventure adult anthologies classics -
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![Doctor Who: Shada by Gareth Roberts]()
Doctor Who: Shada by Gareth Roberts
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom the unique mind of Douglas Adams, the legendary "lost" Doctor Who story has been completed at last by Gareth Roberts and narrated by Lalla Ward.The Doctor’s old friend and fellow Time Lord Professor Chronotis has retired to Cambridge University—where nobody will notice if he lives for centuries. But now he needs help from the Doctor, Romana and K-9...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion 20th-century 21st-century action-adventure audiobook book -
![Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks]()
Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 47 ratingsThe man known as Cheradenine Zakalwe was one of Special Circumstances' foremost agents, changing the destiny of planets to suit the Culture through intrigue, dirty tricks and military action.The woman known as Diziet Sma had plucked him from obscurity and pushed him towards his present eminence, but despite all their dealings she did not know him as well as she thought... -
![The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick 2: We Can Remember it for You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick]()
The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick 2: We Can Remember it for You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsMany thousands of readers consider Philip K. Dick the greatest science fiction mind on any planet. Since his untimely death in 1982, interest in Dick's works has continued to mount and his reputation has been further enhanced by a growing body of critical attention. The Philip K. Dick Award is now given annually to a distinguished work of science fiction, and the Philip K... -
![The Forever War by Joe Haldeman]()
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 46 ratingsThe Earth's leaders have drawn a line in the interstellar sand—despite the fact that the fierce alien enemy that they would oppose is inscrutable, unconquerable, and very far away... -
![Excession by Iain M. Banks]()
Excession by Iain M. Banks
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsThe international sensation Iain M. Banks offers readers a deeply imaginative, wittily satirical tale, proving once again that he is "a talent to be reckoned with" ("Locus"). In Excession, the Culture's espionage and dirty tricks section orders Diplomat Byr Gen-Hofoen to steal the soul of a long-dead starship captain... -
![The Neutronium Alchemist by Peter F. Hamilton]()
The Neutronium Alchemist by Peter F. Hamilton
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsNot every fallen angel comes from heaven...The ancient menace has finally escaped from Lalonde, shattering the Confederation's peaceful existence. Those who succumbed to it have acquired godlike powers, but now follow a far from divine gospel as they advance inexorably from world to world... -
![The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle]()
The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsIn 3016, the 2nd Empire of Man spans hundreds of star systems, thanks to faster-than-light Alderson Drive. Intelligent beings are finally found from the Mote, an isolated star in a thick dust cloud. The bottled-up ancient civilization, at least one million years old, are welcoming, kind, yet evasive, with a dark problem they have not solved in over a million years... -
![Rising Tides by Taylor Anderson]()
Rising Tides by Taylor Anderson
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn Taylor Anderson's acclaimed Destroyermen series, a parallel universe adds a extraordinary layer to the drama of World War II. Now, as Lieutenant Commander Matthew Reddy and the crew of the U.S.S. Walker continue their battle for both freedom and survival, the stakes become much more personal...and much more perilous...Categorized as:
aliens 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history alternate-universe audiobook book -
![Maelstrom by Taylor Anderson]()
Maelstrom by Taylor Anderson
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe final thrilling chapter in the “gripping and riveting” Destroyermen Trilogy.Lieutenant Commander Matthew Reddy, along with the men and women of the U.S.S. Walker, are once again at war...Categorized as:
aliens 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history alternate-universe audiobook book -
![The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov]()
The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsIn the twenty-second century Earth obtains limitless, free energy from a source science little understands: an exchange between Earth and a parallel universe, using a process devised by the aliens. But even free energy has a price. The transference process itself will eventually lead to the destruction of the Earth's Sun--and of Earth itself...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion 20th-century action-adventure adult anthologies audiobook -
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![The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick 2: We Can Remember it for You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick]()
The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick 2: We Can Remember it for You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsMany thousands of readers consider Philip K. Dick the greatest science fiction mind on any planet. Since his untimely death in 1982, interest in Dick's works has continued to mount and his reputation has been further enhanced by a growing body of critical attention. The Philip K. Dick Award is now given annually to a distinguished work of science fiction, and the Philip K... -
![The Nonborn King by Julian May]()
The Nonborn King by Julian May
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsOn Earth, six million B.C., two species of alien ruled, the graceful humanoid Tanu and their twisted brethren, the Firvulag. Then men from twenty-second century Earth arrived through a one-way time tunnel — and soon the aliens were locked in a battle to the death, for the humans had upset the precarious balance of power that existed between them...Categorized as:
aliens invasion 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history anthologies epic -
![Devil's Due by Taylor Anderson]()
Devil's Due by Taylor Anderson
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsNew York Times bestselling author Taylor Anderson continues the thrilling Destroyermen series of alternate history and military strategy, as the conflict is about to become terrifyingly personal...Categorized as:
aliens 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history alternate-universe audiobook book -
![Deadly Shores by Taylor Anderson]()
Deadly Shores by Taylor Anderson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsNational bestselling author Taylor Anderson’s explosive WWII alternate-history series continues as a do-or-die battle is waged that risks far more than anyone bargained for. The long-planned raid on the heart of the Grik Empire has grown more ambitious—and dangerously ill defined. Only Matthew Reddy, commander of the old destroyer USS Walker, seems focused on its original intent...Categorized as:
aliens invasion 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history alternate-universe audiobook -
![Storm Surge by Taylor Anderson]()
Storm Surge by Taylor Anderson
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsIn the Pacific, as USS Walker is repaired and updated after a previous battle and Matt Reddy is healing from his wounds, planning begins for a bold raid on the very heart of the Grik Empire...Categorized as:
aliens 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history alternate-universe audiobook book -
![Doctor Who: Human Nature by Paul Cornell]()
Doctor Who: Human Nature by Paul Cornell
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratings'Who’s going to save us this time?'April, 1914. The inhabitants of the little Norfolk town of Farringham are enjoying an early summer, unaware that war is on the way. Amongst them is Dr John Smith, a short, middle-aged history teacher from Aberdeen. He’s having a hard time with his new post as house master at Hulton Academy for Boys, a school dedicated to producing military officers... -
![Crusade by Taylor Anderson]()
Crusade by Taylor Anderson
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe "gripping and riveting" Destroyermen saga continues.Lieutenant Commander Matthew Reddy, along with the men and women of the USS Walker, have chosen sides in a war not of their making. Swept from the World War II Pacific into an alternate world, they have allied with the Lemurians?a mammalian race threatened by the warlike reptilian Grik...Categorized as:
aliens 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history alternate-universe audiobook book -
![The Golden Torc by Julian May]()
The Golden Torc by Julian May
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsBy A.D. 2110 nearly 100,000 humans had fled the civilized strictures of the Galactic Milieu for the freedom they thought existed at the end of the one-way time tunnel to Earth, six million B.C.But all of them had fallen into the hands of the Tanu, a humanoid race who'd fled their own galaxy to avoid punishment for their barbarous ways...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history book -
![Firestorm by Taylor Anderson]()
Firestorm by Taylor Anderson
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsLieutenant Commander Matthew Reddy and the crew of the USS Walker find themselves caught between the nation they swore to defend and the allies they promised to protect...Categorized as:
aliens 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history alternate-universe audiobook book -
![The Naked God by Peter F. Hamilton]()
The Naked God by Peter F. Hamilton
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsThe Confederation is starting to collapse politically and economically, allowing the 'possessed' to infiltrate more worlds. Quinn Dexter is loose on Earth, destroying the giant arcologies one at a time. As Louise Kavanagh tries to track him down, she manages to acquire some strange and powerful allies whose goal doesn't quite match her own... -
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![The Uplift War by David Brin]()
The Uplift War by David Brin
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThis is the third book in the Uplift series. Humanity has contacted their Patron Line and uplifted chimpanzees and dolphins to full partnership. But on a distant planet occupied by Earth humans and neo-chimps, it seems the chimps have information concerning the location of the Progenitors... -
![The Short Victorious War by David Weber]()
The Short Victorious War by David Weber
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsThe proles are revolting.The families who rule the People's Republic of Haven are in trouble. The treasury's empty, the Proles are restless, and civil war is imminent.But the ruling class knows what they need to keep in power; another short, victorious war to unite the people and fill the treasury once more... -
![A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge]()
A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsAlternate Cover Edition can be found here. A Fire upon the Deep is the big, breakout book that fulfills the promise of Vinge's career to date: a gripping tale of galactic war told on a cosmic scale... -
![Distant Thunders by Taylor Anderson]()
Distant Thunders by Taylor Anderson
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThe fourth thrilling adventure in the Destroyermen series...Categorized as:
aliens 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history alternate-universe audiobook book -
![River of Bones by Taylor Anderson]()
River of Bones by Taylor Anderson
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe crew of a WWII destroyer face their greatest challenge yet as they try to survive in a strange new world in the next thrilling book in the New York Times bestselling series.Commander Matt Reddy and his crew are afraid it may finally be the end of the USS Walker...Categorized as:
aliens 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history alternate-universe audiobook book -
![Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein]()
Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 46 ratingsIn one of Robert Heinlein's most controversial bestsellers, a recruit of the future goes through the toughest boot camp in the Universe--and into battle with the Terran Mobile Infantry against mankind's most frightening enemy... -
![A Band of Brothers by William R. Forstchen]()
A Band of Brothers by William R. Forstchen
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn the ten years since his regiment was transported to an alien world, Commander Andrew Keane has bravely fought time and time again for humanity's freedom. But after the is injured in battle, his confidence is shaken, and his ability to lead is damaged. Seeing their leader struck down also takes its toll on Keane's men, who have followed him to hell and back...Categorized as:
aliens 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history apocalyptic audiobook book -
![The Best of Connie Willis: Award-Winning Stories by Connie Willis]()
The Best of Connie Willis: Award-Winning Stories by Connie Willis
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThis new collection of stories from the multi-award-winning author of Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog contains:A Letter from the ClearysAt the RialtoDeath on the NileThe Soul Selects Her own SocietyFire WatchInside JobEven the QueenThe Winds of Marble ArchAll Seated on the GroundLast of the WinnebagosTen stories - which have all won the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award or both - are...Categorized as:
aliens invasion 20th-century action-adventure adult anthologies apocalyptic audiobook -
![Fiasco by Stanisław Lem]()
Fiasco by Stanisław Lem
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe planet Quinta is pocked by ugly mounds and covered by a spiderweb-like network. It is a kingdom of phantoms and of a beauty afflicted by madness. In stark contrast, the crew of the spaceship Hermes represents a knowledge-seeking Earth. As they approach Quinta, a dark poetry takes over and leads them into a nightmare of misunderstanding. Translated by Michael Kandel... -
![His Master's Voice by Stanisław Lem]()
His Master's Voice by Stanisław Lem
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsTwenty-five hundred scientists have been herded into an isolated site in the Nevada desert. A neutrino message of extraterrestrial origin has been received and the scientists, under the surveillance of the Pentagon, labor on His Master's Voice, the secret program set up to decipher the transmission. Among them is Peter Hogarth, an eminent mathematician... -
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![Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams by Philip K. Dick]()
Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams by Philip K. Dick
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe Inspiration for the Upcoming TV Show Though perhaps most famous as a novelist, over the course of his career Philip K. Dick wrote more than one hundred short stories, each as mind-bending and genre-defining as his longer works. Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams collects ten of the best from across his career...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion 20th-century action-adventure adult anthologies audiobook -
![The City of Gold and Lead by John Christopher]()
The City of Gold and Lead by John Christopher
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWill, Beanpole, and Henry have managed to escape the Tripods. But instead of living in safety, in the small community of free people, they have chosen to embark upon a mission that may cost them their lives... -
![The Andalite Chronicles by K.A. Applegate, Katherine Applegate]()
The Andalite Chronicles by K.A. Applegate, Katherine Applegate
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsHis name is Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul.An Andalite war-prince. The one who gave five young humans the ability to morph into any animal they touch. They are still out there, fighting an evil so powerful there isn't a moment that goes by when they can actually feel safe. Their story continues.But this is how it all began.The story that came before Animorphs . . -
![Return of the Jedi by James Kahn, George Lucas]()
Return of the Jedi by James Kahn, George Lucas
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsIt was a dark time for the Rebel Alliance...Han Solo, frozen in carbonite, has been delivered into the hands of the vile gangster Jabba the Hutt. Determined to rescue him, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Lando Calrissian launch a hazardous mission against Jabba's Tatooine stronghold... -
![The Man Who Fell to Earth by Walter Tevis]()
The Man Who Fell to Earth by Walter Tevis
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsT.J. Newton is an extraterrestrial who goes to Earth on a desperate mission of mercy. But instead of aid, Newton discovers loneliness and despair that ultimately ends in tragedy... -
![Star Wars: A New Hope by George Lucas, Alan Dean Foster]()
Star Wars: A New Hope by George Lucas, Alan Dean Foster
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsLuke Skywalker challenged the stormtroopers of a distant galaxy on a daring mission - where a force of life became the power of death! Luke Skywalker was a twenty-year-old who lived and worked on his uncle's farm on the remote planet of Tatooine ... and he was bored beyond belief... -
![The Reality Dysfunction by Peter F. Hamilton]()
The Reality Dysfunction by Peter F. Hamilton
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsIn AD 2600 the human race is finally beginning to realize its full potential. Hundreds of colonized planets scattered across the galaxy host a multitude of prosperous and wildly diverse cultures. Genetic engineering has pushed evolution far beyond nature's boundaries, defeating disease and producing extraordinary spaceborn creatures... -
![Way Station by Clifford D. Simak]()
Way Station by Clifford D. Simak
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsEnoch Wallace is an ageless hermit, striding across his untended farm as he has done for over a century, still carrying the gun with which he had served in the Civil War. But what his neighbors must never know is that, inside his unchanging house, he meets with a host of unimaginable friends from the farthest stars... -
![Grass by Sheri S. Tepper]()
Grass by Sheri S. Tepper
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsGenerations ago, humans fled to the cosmic anomaly known as Grass. But before humanity arrived, another species had already claimed Grass for its own. It too had developed a culture...... Now a deadly plague is spreading across the stars, leaving no planet untouched, save for Grass. But the secret of the planet's immunity hides a truth so shattering it could mean the end of life itself...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion 20th-century action-adventure adult apocalyptic audiobook -
![The Pool of Fire by John Christopher]()
The Pool of Fire by John Christopher
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAlternate cover edition can be found here. Will Parker has managed to escape from the City of Gold and Lead, where he served as a slave to one of the Masters who rule the modern world. And He has not only discovered what lies behind the Tripods' power, but also how the Masters heartlessly plan to destroy the earth... -
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![The Solution by K.A. Applegate, Katherine Applegate]()
The Solution by K.A. Applegate, Katherine Applegate
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsDavid, the newest Animorph, is not what he appears. His need to control the other Animorphs and Ax is all he thinks about. And the things he does are starting to break up the group.Rachel and the others know that time is running out. The newest battle against the Yeerks is the most important one yet. And it's not one that will wait. Winning this fight could mean slowing down the invasion... -
![Kesrith by C.J. Cherryh]()
Kesrith by C.J. Cherryh
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThis is the story of three people: Sten Duncan, a soldier of humanity; Niun, last warrior of the mri, humanity's enemies; and Melein, priestess-queen of the final fallen mri stronghold. It is the story of two mighty species fighting for a galaxy, humanity driving out from Earth, and the enigmatic regul struggling to hold their stars with mri mercenaries... -
![Raising the Stones by Sheri S. Tepper]()
Raising the Stones by Sheri S. Tepper
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsThe author of The Gate to Women's Country and Grass weaves a moving story of one man's coming to accept his role in a far future universe, providing a brilliant exploration of relations between the sexes, the value of religion, and mankind's place in the universe... -
![Uhura's Song by Janet Kagan]()
Uhura's Song by Janet Kagan
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsYears ago, Lieutenant Uhura befriended a diplomat from Eeiauo, a land of graceful, catlike beings. The two women exchanged forbidden songs and promised never to reveal their secret. Now the Starship Enterprise must race to save the Eeiauoans before a deadly plague destroys them all. Uhura's secret songs may hold the key to a cure, but the clues are veiled in layers of mystery...Categorized as:
aliens first-contact invasion 20th-century action-adventure adult animals anthropomorphism -
![Sarek by A.C. Crispin]()
Sarek by A.C. Crispin
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe novel begins after the events of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country™. Spock's mother, Amanda Grayson, is dying, and Spock returns to the planet Vulcan where he and Sarek enjoy a rare moment of rapprochement. But just as his wife's illness grows worse, duty calls Sarek away—once again sowing seeds of conflict between father and son... -
![The Pride of Chanur by C.J. Cherryh]()
The Pride of Chanur by C.J. Cherryh
Rated: 3.95 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsNo one at Meetpoint Station had ever seen a creature like the Outsider. Naked-hided, blunt toothed and blunt-fingered, Tully was the sole surviving member of his company -- a communicative, spacefaring species hitherto unknown -- and he was a prisoner of his discoverer/ captors the sadistic, treacherous kif, until his escape onto the hani ship The Pride of Chanur...
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