Books like 'Free Space'

Readers who enjoyed Free Space by Scott Bartlett also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

sc-fi action / adventure military, war & conflict space aliens outlaws military first-contact soldiers invasion

Command Authority by J.N. Chaney, Terry Mixon
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
· 14 ratings
Victory snatched from the jaws of defeat.Commodore Jack Romanoff and his ragtag crew have repaired their ancient battleship, scatteredtheir adversaries at New Copenhagen, and discovered what was really behind the invasion. Nowthey must make the enemy bleed and start liberating the cluster.Betrayal from the shadows...

Categorized as:
military space-opera first-contact aliens invasion soldiers space-fleet galactic-empire
The Enemy Revealed by J.N. Chaney, Terry Mixon
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars
· 14 ratings
Victory, but at what cost?Commodore Jack Romanoff and his crew won the battle for New Copenhagen but lost their quantum drive in the fight. Now they must free the human prisoners and strengthen their defenses before the Locusts trap them.If it’s not already too late.Only the alien hyperdrive they recovered offers a chance to get a new quantum drive and more missiles before time runs out...

Categorized as:
space-opera military first-contact aliens invasion soldiers space-fleet galactic-empire
Anvil Dark by J.N. Chaney, Terry Maggert
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars
· 21 ratings
The guild is under attack, and Van is right in the middle of it all.When Master Yewlo is abducted by unknown forces, the Peacemakers are thrown into chaos as the rescue mission begins. Finding Yewlo will be hard, but the search reveals secrets the guild might not survive—secrets about a system so corrupt, it will take Van and his team’s best efforts to untangle the truth...

Categorized as:
aliens colonization galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet space-opera
Acheron Inheritance by Ken Lozito
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 10 ratings
First, the Federation Wars toppled the galactic order.On a dying world along the galactic fringe, Quinton Aldren awakens in the body of an archaic android that’s barely operational. He has only vague memories of who he was and no idea what has happened...

Categorized as:
aliens colonization first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet
The Colossus by Jay Allan
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 10 ratings
The Hegemony strikes again… The Confederation and its allies have won their first victory, retaken their capital from he forces of the Hegemony. But the enemy is not beaten, far from it, and they are back, with an unstoppable weapon, a vast superbattleship, a deadly hybrid of imperial and Hegemony technology, called the Colossus...

Categorized as:
aliens colonization first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet
The Grand Conspiracy by J.N. Chaney, Terry Mixon
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 10 ratings
Keep your friends close.After successfully striking back at the alien invaders, Commodore Jack Romanoff and his crew have liberated the cluster capital at Argent. For the first time, it seems like they might be getting their feet back underneath them.Keep your enemies closer...

Categorized as:
aliens colonization galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet space-opera
Children of Angels by J.N. Chaney, Jonathan P. Brazee
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
· 25 ratings
The war has only just begun.While rescuing a world from Centaur control, the Marines discover that not all humans on the planet are slaves. The Children of Angels believe their masters have been sent by the gods to lift up mankind.Humanity now has two enemies, one from the farthest reaches of the Galaxy and the other from within...

Categorized as:
aliens colonization galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet space-opera
Legacy of Stars by J.N. Chaney, Terry Maggert
Rated: 4.59 of 5 stars
· 17 ratings
There are some things you simply can’t escape. For Van, it’s family.Out among the stars, his cousin, Carter Yost, drags Van and his team into a criminal ring run by the High Doctor- a dangerous con artist with delusions of grandeur. Working from the abandoned world of Pathway, the High Doctor has created a cult, stealing a fortune from the fearful, sick, and scared...

Categorized as:
aliens colonization galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet space-opera
The Lost Supernova by Vaughn Heppner
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars
· 12 ratings
Androids used to mingle among us, pretending to be human. Then an alien puppet-master altered their programming. Unknown to us, androids began leaving human society, burning their clothes and peeling off their skin to reveal the chrome-colored bodies underneath. They gathered in a system were a star had exploded, blowing away the atmosphere of a Jupiter-like planet...

Categorized as:
aliens colonization galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet space-opera
The Grand Alliance by Jay Allan
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars
· 12 ratings
Hell 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:
aliens colonization first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet
The Lost Swarm by Vaughn Heppner
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars
· 12 ratings
Star Watch stands guard over the Commonwealth, having defeated New Men, massed Swarm fleets and android attackers. The victories have cost lost ships, slain crews and smashed star systems. The accumulated damage means that Star Watch now strains to keep order as political instability, increased space piracy and rebellions stretch the stellar organization to the limit...

Categorized as:
aliens colonization galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet space-opera
Ships of the Line by J.N. Chaney, Terry Mixon
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars
· 12 ratings
Victory belongs to the strong and cunning warrior.Admiral Jack Romanoff and his crew have turned two enemies against one another via misdirection and timing. That gives them the breathing room to get back to their feet, but as any savvy commander knows, the footing on any battlefield is treacherous. One misstep could cost a warrior everything.Blood is the only coin that can buy victory...

Categorized as:
space-opera military first-contact aliens invasion soldiers space-fleet galactic-empire
Sword of the Legion by Jason Anspach, Nick Cole
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
· 24 ratings
Choose 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:
aliens cyberpunk first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-opera
Liberty by Nick Webb
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars
· 14 ratings
War. It rages across United Earth space, claiming millions of lives. The Swarm have returned, larger, more fierce, and more technologically advanced than ever before. The voice from Saturn's moon Titan claiming to be Tim Granger is warning humanity that this time, the Swarm may be unstoppable...

Categorized as:
aliens colonization first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet
The Lost Artifact by Vaughn Heppner
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars
· 14 ratings
Star Watch defeated the Swarm Invasion Fleet, but at a terrible cost in destroyed star systems, smashed battleships and billions of dead. In the aftermath of the costly victory, chaos threatens as worlds leave the Commonwealth of Planets, face mass starvation or succumb to increased piracy. The war against the Swarm Imperium has just begun. Humanity needs unity or each planet will fall alone...

Categorized as:
aliens colonization galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet space-opera
Kinetic Strike by Rick Partlow
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars
· 25 ratings
The 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:
aliens colonization first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet
Leviathan's Fear: A Military Sci-Fi Series by Craig Martelle
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
Trapped in Ga’ee space, Leviathan runs for its life.And the lives of its crew.Declan Payne and Harry Wesson decide to go on the offensive. They have no choice.They can’t go home. It only delays the inevitable.The Ga’ee march relentlessly into the space of the seven races while turning an inward eye toward the interloper, the ship they call God1...

Categorized as:
aliens colonization first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet
Darkness Beyond by Glynn Stewart
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars
· 24 ratings
A 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:
aliens first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet space-opera
Prince Peacemaker by Fred Huges
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 8 ratings
Hazard survived the war… but can he survive the peace?The empire defeated the Swarm at the Battle of Iris, but it came at a great cost. To win, Hazard King needed to reveal he was Crown Prince Henry and take command of the Imperial Fleet as War Leader. Now their enemy is suing for peace, something many in the empire don’t want to give...

Categorized as:
military aliens invasion colonization space-travel galactic-empire soldiers first-contact
Prince Commander by Fred Hughes
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 8 ratings
Hazard King was ready to get back to a normal life…Well, as normal a life as the next emperor of the Brittania Empire could expect, anyway. Hazard wanted to continue his naval career—to grow and take on positions of higher responsibility—because he knew the Swarm would be back, and he intended to be there to fight them when they returned...

Categorized as:
aliens invasion colonization military space-travel galactic-empire soldiers first-contact
Danger Close by Rick Partlow
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars
· 24 ratings
All 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:
aliens colonization first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet
Galactar by Anthony James
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
· 10 ratings
Following decades of war and the recent catastrophic loss of an entire planet, the Human Planetary Alliance is riven by internal disputes and rivalries. The military’s old guard fights for power against those who see a chance to turn things around.After a series of hard-fought victories, Captain Carl Recker is becoming recognized as a man who gets results - a man who knows how to beat the Daklan...

Categorized as:
aliens galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet space-opera space-travel
Fulcrum Gun by Anthony James
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
· 10 ratings
Lost in hostile space and pursued by the most powerful warship in the known universe, Captain Carl Recker is losing hope and running out of options. His battleship Fulcrum is no match for this enemy and the Meklon aliens who might have helped him are dead, killed by the Galactar’s murderous weaponry.Somehow, Recker must find a way to succeed where the might of an alien empire already failed...

Categorized as:
aliens galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet space-opera space-travel
Winds of Vengeance by Jay Allan
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
· 10 ratings
Earth 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:
aliens colonization first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet
Laws of Ancidium by Anthony James
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
· 10 ratings
Having fought his hardest battle, Captain Carl Recker returns to planet Lustre, bringing the alien battleship Fulcrum with him.Recker is under no illusions that he’ll be offered backdated shore leave, but his feet don’t even touch the ground before trouble shows up. A heavily armed fifty-thousand-metre Meklon interstellar drops out of lightspeed near the planet...

Categorized as:
aliens galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet space-opera space-travel
The Dark Invaders by Raymond L. Weil
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
· 10 ratings
From 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:
aliens colonization first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet
Relics of Eternity by Glynn Stewart
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
· 12 ratings
The 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:
aliens first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet space-opera
Fracture by Ken Lozito, Scott Aiello
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
· 12 ratings
Colonel 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:
aliens colonization first-contact invasion military soldiers space-fleet space-opera
The Lost Star Gate by Vaughn Heppner, Mark Boyett
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
· 12 ratings
The Swarm is coming!This time, enemy science vessels study us as Hive Masters gather hundreds of thousands of starships for an avalanche invasion.Instead of facing massed bug fleets in hopeless battle, we have a desperate plan: use a Builder nexus, create a hyper-spatial tube and send suicide-ships thousands of light-years into Swarm territory...

Categorized as:
aliens colonization galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet space-opera
The Prince Awakens by Fred Hughes
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
· 12 ratings
Hazard King had always wanted to be an Imperial Fleet officer, just like his father.But he’s a Prince of the Realm, which make things a bit more… complicated. And when Hazard’s parents tell him that they don’t trust his older brother and want Hazard to be the Crown Prince—the heir to the throne—things go from bad to worse.And just when they can’t get any worse, the Empress is attacked...

Categorized as:
space-opera military aliens invasion colonization space-travel galactic-empire soldiers
Direct Fire by Rick Partlow
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars
· 21 ratings
From 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:
aliens colonization first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet
Blood World by B.V. Larson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
· 16 ratings
A 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 first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet
The Others by Jay Allan
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars
· 17 ratings
From 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:
aliens colonization first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet
When the Axe Falls by Jon R. Osborne
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
The clouds of war continue to build…and not everyone is blind… Bjorn Tovesson III, the owner of Bjorn’s Berserkers, is a man tied to the past, but who’s not afraid to innovate. Whether it is new tactics or new equipment, Bjorn is willing to try anything, once, in an effort to grow his company into the status of the fabled Four Horsemen...

Categorized as:
aliens colonization first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet
Dirty Deeds by Mark Wandrey
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
Old mercs don't die, you do. Abraham Murdock left his home of Sheridan Arkansas at seventeen to start a merc career that spanned almost 50 years, working for dozens of companies, killing aliens and getting paid across the galaxy. Near the end of his career, he landed a gig with Cartwright’s Cavaliers...

Categorized as:
aliens colonization first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet
Dark Moon Arisen by Chris Kennedy, Mark Wandrey
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
The war continues! The Omega War is in full swing. Earth has fallen to General Peepo’s army, and the surviving Human mercenaries have taken refuge at the hidden Winged Hussars’ base in New Warsaw...

Categorized as:
aliens colonization first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet
Star Force: Temple Wars by Aer-ki Jyr
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
he bell has been rung, and the Return of the Reignor has come...

Categorized as:
aliens colonization galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet space-opera
Honor the Threat by Kevin Ikenberry
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
Peacemakers. The Galactic Union’s most capable enforcers and resolute negotiators, their name alone elicits fear and awe among the Union’s citizenry. Except for Jessica Francis. Not only is she the newest Peacemaker, Jessica is also the first Human Peacemaker, and she commands the respect of few, both inside and outside the Peacemaker’s Guild...

Categorized as:
aliens colonization first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet
Recollection by Sarah Noffke, Michael Anderle
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
Killing the bad guy just got a whole lot harder. Knox is feeling the pressure to remember where he hid the Tangle Thief. The Saverus are also hunting for the device. It’s a race to find it first. Eddie and Julianna seek out a hypnotherapist to help Knox uncover the secrets his subconscious has buried, even though the therapist is on his own personal journey into the abyss...

Categorized as:
aliens cyberpunk first-contact galactic-empire military soldiers space-fleet space-opera
Preservation by Sarah Noffke, Michael Anderle
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
Killing the bad guy just got a whole lot harder. While Ghost Squadron follows leads to find the Saverus, these shapeshifters are using their powers to repair the Tangle Thief. If they succeed, the galaxy is doomed. Meanwhile, Julianna’s dreams are about to come true. If they hunt down a terrorist’s group then they’ll have their guns. Shiny, upgraded weapons...

Categorized as:
aliens cyberpunk first-contact galactic-empire military soldiers space-fleet space-opera
Corruption by Sarah Noffke, Michael Anderle
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
A new evil lurks in the darkness. After an explosion, the crew of a battlecruiser mysteriously disappears.Bailey and Lewis, complete strangers, find themselves suddenly onboard the damaged ship. Lewis hasn’t worked a case in years, not since the final one broke his spirit and his bank account. The last thing Bailey remembers is preparing to take down a fugitive on Onyx Station...

Categorized as:
aliens cyberpunk first-contact galactic-empire invasion military space-fleet space-opera
Alpha Contracts by Chris Kennedy, Mark Wandrey
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
“Before CASPers were the lords of the battlefield, men tested their metal against aliens one-on-one.” First contact has been made, and Earth’s militaries and its premier mercenary companies stand ready to take their first tentative steps outside the Solar System...

Categorized as:
aliens colonization first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet
A Pale Dawn by Chris Kennedy, Mark Wandrey
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
The tides of war have shifted, and humanity has the Galactic Union on the run. After a stunning victory at the Merc Guild shipyard of Golara, the leaders of the Four Horsemen mercenary units of Earth have decided it’s time to take back the colonies the Merc Guild has captured, and the Horsemen split up to liberate them...

Categorized as:
aliens colonization first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet
Storm Clouds by Chris Kennedy, Mark Wandrey
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
The Omega War ended, not with a bang, but with a whimper. The Peacemaker-enforced ceasefire brought an end to the hostilities, but not a resolution, and now it’s up to the Four Horsemen to forge a lasting peace...

Categorized as:
aliens colonization first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet
Do No Harm by Robert E. Hampson, Chris Kennedy
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
When Todd’s critically damaged ship dropped out of hyperspace near the Human colony world of Azure, he had no memory of his past. He didn’t know who he was, or even what he was, and the Humans didn’t either. That didn’t stop the colonists of Azure—they took him in, anyway…even though they didn’t understand how he could do some of the things he could do...

Categorized as:
aliens colonization first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet
Star Force: Phoenix by Aer-ki Jyr
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
Cal-com's journey is not at an end. In fact, it's just beginning..

Categorized as:
aliens colonization galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet space-opera
Lucky Justice: Lucky's Marines | Book Seven by Joshua James
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
A simple mission gone impossibly wrong. Ambushed by an enemy that shouldn't exist, Lucky and his Marines must overcome powerful forces with limitless resources – and a princess with limitless ego. But Sergeant Lucky Savage has a powerful weapon of his own. Whether he can manage to control it is an open question...

Categorized as:
aliens colonization first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet
Acheron Redemption by Ken Lozito
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
Sentinel warships were the answer to the Federation Wars. They brought peace and stability....or so they thought.The Sentinels are a menace, terrorizing spacers across the galaxy in their hunt. But change is coming, and spacers across the galaxy will have to choose whether to fight for their future or not...

Categorized as:
aliens colonization first-contact galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet
Star Force: Reclaimers by Aer-ki Jyr
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
Does Star Force have enough races in it yet? No...not even close...

Categorized as:
aliens colonization galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet space-opera
Star Force: The Powers That Be by Aer-ki Jyr
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
In youth you'd lay awake at night and scheme..

Categorized as:
aliens colonization galactic-empire invasion military soldiers space-fleet space-opera

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