Books like 'The Shadow Rule'

Readers who enjoyed The Shadow Rule by Novae Caelum also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

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We Have Contact by Michael Anderle
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 26 ratings
When you least expect it, expect it. Bethany Anne has been notified there is a spaceship inside the system...but they can't find it. Is it Kurtherian, someone else? The governments have to be told about aliens, which sparks a worldwide effort by Governments to find what TQB has... Oh, and Eric wants to date Gabrielle but he wants her to know he can protect her if need be...

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exploration galactic-empire lgbtq space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult aliens
Ascension by Ell Leigh Clarke, Michael Anderle
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
· 8 ratings
The end is nigh, and there is one small group willing to put their bodies in front of the insane. Sometimes, it isn't good people doing bad things but rather bad people without a conscience making decisions for the rest. Decisions that Molly has been fighting for years...

Categorized as:
space-opera exploration space-travel galactic-empire sci-fi paranormal aliens audiobook
The Infinite and the Divine by Robert Rath
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 10 ratings
A Necrons novelTrazyn the Infinite and Orikan the Diviner are opposites. Each is obsessed with their own speciality, and their rivalry spans millennia. Yet together, they may hold the secret to saving the necron race…READ IT BECAUSEExplore a story told across the millennia that delves deep into a pair of fascinating necron characters, their relationship and their plans for the galaxy...

Categorized as:
dystopia exploration space-travel adult audiobook body-horror book fiction
Battle for New Canaan - The Orion War Books 1-3 by M.D. Cooper
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 10 ratings
***The drums of war thunder across the stars...***The final negotiations between the Silstrand Alliance and the Scipian Empire are complete, and it's time for Tanis and Sera to part ways. Sera must return to Khardine, where new challenges await, and preprations for the march on Airtha begin. Meanwhile Tanis turns toward the Praesepe Cluster...

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exploration galactic-empire space-opera space-travel adult audiobook book cyberpunk
Jingle Stars by Jenny Schwartz
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 10 ratings
When a starship decides to play Santa Claus… Ahab is a mLa’an artificial intelligence embedded in the starship, Orion. The campaign for AIs to be recognized as full citizens of Galaxy Proper is within reach of its extraordinary goal. The only thing that could stop it now is if an AI did something foolish…like take a space station hostage to save seven orphaned children...

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space-opera exploration first-contact space-travel romance sci-fi fantasy shapeshifters
Rebel by Jenny Schwartz
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars
· 12 ratings
Life is complicated along the Hadrian Line. Decisions made on the border will decide the fate of the entire Human Sector.Nora is adjusting to her new role as a player in the games of the powerful. She's gained some interesting enemies and some even more dubious allies. She has also been presented with a unique opportunity, courtesy of Jonah...

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exploration first-contact galactic-empire space-opera action-adventure adult ai aliens
Cajole by Jenny Schwartz
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars
· 12 ratings
If life on the border was complicated, life on Capitoline is insane. Nora and Liam struggle to reconcile her abilities and his duty, while caught up in the dangerous games of the powerful.Political intrigue, family drama, and ancient alien technology combine in the fourth novel of the Human Sector...

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space-opera exploration galactic-empire space-travel first-contact romance sci-fi space
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...

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exploration first-contact galactic-empire space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult aliens
Resolve by Jenny Schwartz
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars
· 14 ratings
The unmissable conclusion to the science fiction series that has it all—ancient aliens, rogue AIs, beleaguered royalty, semi-repentant pirates, and the chance to go where no humans have gone before (well, not for five hundred years)—all wrapped up in the possibility of a happy-ever-after for everyone (bad guys excluded)...

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space-opera romantic-love space-travel exploration galactic-empire first-contact sci-fi space
Sector Force by Jamie Davis, Michael Anderle
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
Tardex is safe and the Marshals of Lone Wolf Squadron stand down for some much needed rest and relaxation.Needless to say, the frontiers of the Etheric Federation don’t stay peaceful for long.The growing squadron must battle sinister forces threatening their part of the frontier.A delegation arrives from a neighboring system to request aid from Commander Beau Ward and his pilots...

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space-opera space-travel exploration galactic-empire first-contact sci-fi military supernatural
Committed by Ell Leigh Clarke, Michael Anderle
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 8 ratings
Sean Royale is AWOL and in trouble. Molly’s Mom is encroaching on the operation on Gaitune. And the university is under threat from a new player in the system. Tensions mount as secrets unfurl, culminating in Molly walking down the aisle to try and save her ruggedly handsome friend...

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exploration galactic-empire space-opera space-travel adult aliens audiobook book
Invasion by Ell Leigh Clarke, Michael Anderle
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 8 ratings
When a blip appears on the Ogg-Estarian military radar monitoring the Outer System, things in the system are set to change forever. Molly and her crew face one of their biggest challenges yet, and the problem isn’t the supposed threat from outside. It’s from the planet itself...

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space-opera exploration space-travel galactic-empire sci-fi paranormal aliens audiobook
Subversion by Ell Leigh Clarke, Michael Anderle
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 8 ratings
Molly learns a lesson or two when what should have been a routine mission turns into a comical farce. Meanwhile down on Estaria Director Bates puts together pieces of a plot which point to a reality check for the Federenials who always thought that the Federation would be there to protect them. At some point, Molly grew up and it takes a Grimes to show her, and her team, how Molly has changed...

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space-opera exploration space-travel galactic-empire sci-fi paranormal aliens audiobook
Fractured Union by Craig A. Falconer, James Patrick Cronin
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars
· 10 ratings
The long-awaited fourth book in the globally acclaimed Not Alone series is finally here!New to the series? Catch up on the first three books today with the best-selling Contact Trilogy box set, containing these books for one incredible price.Some doors aren't meant to be opened...

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exploration first-contact space-opera space-travel adult aliens alternate-history audiobook
Archangel Rising by Evan Currie
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars
· 23 ratings
Archangel Squadron faces off against the forces of the brutal Protectorate to claim a prize, and save humanity, in a gripping novel of deep space jeopardy by the author of the Odyssey One series. At the helm of a commandeered freighter, Captain Steph Michaels has infiltrated the Free Star systems...

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exploration galactic-empire space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult aliens audiobook
Called by Ell Leigh Clarke, Michael Anderle
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars
· 16 ratings
After earning access to a secret base beneath their safe house, Molly and her team are beyond excited by the "toys" they find. However, before they get to explore the super advanced tech and ships they find there, they need to pass one more test. A test which may be more convoluted and intriguing than they could possibly have imagined...

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exploration galactic-empire space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult aliens audiobook
Retaliation by Paul C. Middleton, Michael Anderle
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
· 12 ratings
Thinking that Boris was dead - a mistake. Not making sure was a bigger one. They attacked his town – HUGE mistake. He knows who was responsible - for the attack, for the destruction, for the deaths. What comes next is justice, is RETALIATION! A third of his people have chosen to fight at his side...

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exploration first-contact galactic-empire space-travel action-adventure adult aliens book
Sanctioned by Ell Leigh Clarke, Michael Anderle
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars
· 15 ratings
General Lance Reynolds needs Molly’s team for a clandestine operation. The only problem? It kicks off in one week, and the Syndicate needs cleaning up once and for all. So what is a girl to do? Go on the offensive, of course. But with the ultimate take down planned for the bad guys of Planet Estaria, you know it’s going to be EPIC...

Categorized as:
galactic-empire space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult aliens audiobook book
The Birthday of the World and Other Stories by Ursula K. Le Guin
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
· 30 ratings
The recipient of numerous literary prizes, including the National Book Award, the Kafka Award, five Hugo Awards and five Nebula Awards, the renowned writer Ursula K. Le Guin has, in each story and novel, created a provocative, ever-evolving universe filled with diverse worlds and rich characters reminiscent of our earthly selves...

Categorized as:
dystopia exploration lgbtq space-travel 21st-century action-adventure adult anthologies
Reprisal by Charles Tillman, Michael Anderle
Rated: 4.68 of 5 stars
· 11 ratings
Ancient Warrior—Vampire—Queen’s Bitch...Akio accepted his Queen’s charge to stay behind and protect humanity from the Forsaken scourge.She never said it would be easy.An isolated police report about an island overtaken by feral, red-eyed creatures savaging humans spurs Akio to investigate...

Categorized as:
dystopia first-contact galactic-empire action-adventure adult aliens book epic
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...

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exploration first-contact galactic-empire space-travel action-adventure adult aliens book
Ganesha's Spacemage by Timothy Ellis
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
Even a Spacemage must answer the call of a higher being.The Rawtenuga and Trixone wars are over, and Bud and his people have been relieved of the task of liberating the remaining Rawtenuga held planets.Jon and Jane have known about the Sanctuary system’s planetary alignment for some time.All they know is it points to the Outback system, where the Door to Gaia used to be...

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exploration first-contact galactic-empire space-opera space-travel adult aliens book
Terminus Cut by Rick Partlow
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
· 8 ratings
Mercenaries with a mission. Logan Conner has given up the life of a warrior prince to become Jonathan Slaughter, a mercenary captain of a rough-and-ready band of mech-jocks for hire. Already legendary throughout the Periphery, their next job brings them head-to-head with the Jeuta, militant aliens who seek to loot and plunder isolated human colony worlds...

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exploration galactic-empire space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult audiobook book
Hero to the End by Timothy Ellis
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
· 8 ratings
'If we fall, humanity is lost. Those are the stakes.' The Darkness War rages on, and a war weary Jonathon Hunter faces obstacles which only humans can create, while an enemy which keeps growing stronger continues to force him to retreat...

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exploration first-contact galactic-empire space-opera space-travel action-adventure aliens book
Admiral of Gaia by Timothy Ellis
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
· 8 ratings
The Duchy of Hunter's Run has moved to the Gaia galaxy. But without its Duke. Twenty five billion people have appeared in the Gaia system unexpectedly, and only one person knows how or why. Yet preparations for fifteen billion exist, but only one person remembers the work being done. The one who knows, and the one who remembers, are the same, but Jane is not human...

Categorized as:
exploration first-contact galactic-empire space-opera space-travel aliens angst book
Kingdom of Hunter's Run by Timothy Ellis
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
· 8 ratings
The Owls are arrogant, utterly convinced of their superiority, and hardly worth being called a threat.Jane is fighting a war she doesn’t understand. But the Owls are a threat to everyone else, and Jane is yet to find out the real stakes involved in this war...

Categorized as:
exploration first-contact galactic-empire space-opera space-travel aliens book colonization
Shield by Jenny Schwartz
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
· 8 ratings
If Cherry was a selfish witch, she'd keep running. She's an oracle. She KNOWS that trouble is closing in. However, there's an instant in which she could escape, and so could those she loves.Too bad she's surrounded herself with ridiculously noble allies. The kind of self-sacrificing, kind, clever, and resolute people who force you to love them ..

Categorized as:
space-opera exploration space-travel galactic-empire first-contact romance sci-fi audiobook
The Final Call by Craig A. Falconer
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
· 10 ratings
They came in peace. But that was last time… As the world gears up for the first anniversary of Contact Day, Dan McCarthy’s year-long effort to stay out of the limelight collapses in an instant...

Categorized as:
exploration first-contact space-opera space-travel adult aliens alternate-history audiobook
The Regent's Shadow by Chris Wraight
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
· 10 ratings
Book 2 in the Watchers of the Throne seriesA new day has dawned for the Imperium, but not everyone sees the light...

Categorized as:
dystopia exploration first-contact galactic-empire space-travel adult aliens audiobook
Doctor Galaxy by Jenny Schwartz
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
· 10 ratings
New ER doctor Alexi Sur always intended to join an aid agency. She'd just expected to work among humans. But when the Pax Galactica Corps becomes her only option (don't ask - the debts aren't hers, but the family is. Much to her regret), Alexi finds herself traveling the galaxy and learning alien physiology and culture, all while becoming a reality TV star...

Categorized as:
exploration first-contact galactic-empire space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult aliens
Betrayer by C.J. Cherryh
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars
· 23 ratings
Betrayer (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...

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exploration first-contact space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult aliens audiobook
Cloaked by Ell Leigh Clarke, Michael Anderle
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars
· 13 ratings
Not everything someone sees is real. Now, both sides of the story are tested by those who hide their reasons. For some, the reasons are good, for others not so much. Molly, Oz, Joel, Sean, Jack and the others are back in Action, supporting the Etheric Federation to stop a planet from being destroyed...

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exploration galactic-empire space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult aliens audiobook
Independence by Nick Webb
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars
· 16 ratings
We hoped, desperately, that they came in peace. We were wrong. Thirty years after the Second Swarm War devastated Earth and its colonies, a powerful, mysterious alien ship has invaded our space. Entire planets are ravaged, whole moons shattered. Any starship sent against it never comes home...

Categorized as:
exploration first-contact galactic-empire space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult aliens
Penitent by Dan Abnett
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
· 13 ratings
Book 2 in the Bequin seriesAlizebeth Bequin's world has been turned upside-down. Now she must choose who she will follow as Inquisitors Eisenhorn and Ravenor battle to discover the secrets at the heart of Queen Mab...

Categorized as:
dystopia exploration first-contact galactic-empire space-travel action-adventure adult aliens
Retribution by Ell Leigh Clarke, Michael Anderle
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars
· 12 ratings
Sometimes, retribution is a slippery slope towards self-destruction. When the General Invites Molly and her crew to the ArchAngel, it's not long before news also arrives of a serious threat to the Federation. It falls to Molly and her team to deal with the threat, which winds up in an intense hostage situation...

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exploration galactic-empire space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult aliens audiobook
Bourne by Ell Leigh Clarke, Michael Anderle
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
· 11 ratings
The same military base where Oz was created witnesses the birth of another AI. The only problem?The military is the one who sets the ground rules. So, what is a new daddy AI supposed to do? Meanwhile, others are attacking the college, and Giles has to get his game on to protect his students - Space Archaeologist style...

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exploration galactic-empire space-opera space-travel adult aliens audiobook book
Strange Company by Nick Cole
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
Stack bodies, get paid, get to the ship.“If you can survive Reaper Platoon in the Strange, then Ghost or Dog Platoons will get you for their own. Best to steer clear of the freaks in Voodoo, kid.”Surrounded and outgunned, a group of private military contractors known as “Strange Company” find themselves on a remote planet at the edge of known space, and on the losing end of a bad contract...

Categorized as:
first-contact galactic-empire space-travel action-adventure adult audiobook book cyberpunk
Revelation Run by Rick Partlow
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
Mission accomplished… until the enemy finds out. Logan Conner thinks his days pretending to be mercenary captain Jonathan Slaughter are behind him now that the ancient Imperial outpost of Terminus Cut has been uncovered. He’s returned to his duties while his brother, Terrin, leads a team of scientists studying the lost technology of the fallen empire...

Categorized as:
exploration galactic-empire space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult audiobook book
Click Click Boom by Jonathan Yanez, Justin Sloan
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
Riot has tasted the turbulence of the universe, and she loves it. With echoes of wonder and cries for help, swarms of claws and clans under siege, the vastness calls out for a hero. Instead, Riot and her War Wolves will rush in to save them. But after she's blown some stuff up...

Categorized as:
exploration first-contact galactic-empire space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult aliens
Jane's Christmas by Timothy Ellis
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
The Hunter family stopped celebrating Christmas not long after they left Earth, nearly 600 years ago. So it comes as a surprise to Jon to be wished a Merry Christmas on what he otherwise thinks is just another day. As his grip on the day starts to unravel, he's confronted with a crew expecting him to know what is going on...

Categorized as:
exploration space-opera space-travel book coming-of-age epic fiction military
Leader of Sector Ten by Timothy Ellis
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
There is always a hidden threat.The Kingdom of Hunter's Run is preparing for its first high profile wedding.But first, there is the problem of the Brotherhood to solve, lest the bride be assassinated before she can walk down the aisle. Four sectors have come together to deal with the threat, but only Jane has the Intel and forces necessary to do the job. But all actions have consequences...

Categorized as:
exploration first-contact galactic-empire space-opera space-travel aliens book colonization
End Game (The Kyron Invasion Book 3) by Jasper T. Scott
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
FROM MILLION-COPY BESTSELLER JASPER T. SCOTTEARTH IS OVERRUN...Chris Randall and his family are on the run with a group of renegade soldiers led by General Gold. Having stolen a Kyron shuttle and escaped from the occupied cities, they are safe—for now.General Gold has a plan to strike back against the Kyra...

Categorized as:
exploration first-contact galactic-empire space-travel adult aliens book colonization
Imperial Twilight by Eric Thomson
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
The most powerful empire in human history is rushing headlong toward destruction, ending our species' supremacy in the known galaxy.Two men with widely divergent visions are on a mission to save civilization in at least one sector, far from the imperial capital where a demented ruler holds sway...

Categorized as:
galactic-empire space-opera action-adventure adult book fiction military space
Worlds at War by Isaac Hooke
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
Fifty-five of the most powerful warships humankind has ever developed. Thirty-five allied alien vessels. One man who just might be humanity’s last hope. The admiral has restored Jonathan Dallas to the captaincy of the USS Callaway, also placing him in direct command of the new alien allies that joined the battle group after the destruction of the Elk homeworld...

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exploration first-contact galactic-empire space-opera space-travel adult aliens book
Fabius Bile: Manflayer by Joshua Reynolds
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
Fabius Bile Book 3As his Homo Novus project comes to fruition, Fabius Bile faces a new threat – the dreaded haemonculi of the Thirteen Scars...

Categorized as:
dystopia exploration first-contact galactic-empire space-travel action-adventure adult aliens
Portals by Ann Christy
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
The world sees the portals as an invasion. For Lysa, they're an invitation. The portals appeared without warning. Every thirteen minutes they take a thousand humans, leaving exact duplicates in their place. Now, chaos reigns and no one is sure anyone is still the person they knew. Whoever is sending the portals has destroyed human society without firing a shot...

Categorized as:
dystopia exploration first-contact galactic-empire space-travel action-adventure aliens book
Rise of the Ultra Fury by Christian Kallias
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
While Sarah is near the term of her pregnancy, Chase is at death's door. In a race against time, his friends risk everything in the hope of bringing him back. In order to do so Ares enlists the help of another Olympian as well as an unlikely ally. Someone they can't trust but desperately need on their side...

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exploration first-contact galactic-empire space-opera space-travel adult aliens audiobook
The Enemy Within by Jasper T. Scott
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
DISCOUNTED FROM $3.99 UNTIL AUGUST 27thTHEY LEFT SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS FROM THE COSMOS AND FOUND AN EVIL AS OLD AS TIME Lucien, Garek, Addy, and Brak are all that's left of the Inquisitor's crew...

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dystopia exploration first-contact galactic-empire space-opera space-travel action-adventure adult
Legacy of War: The Complete Series (Books 1-3): First Encounter, Enemy Lines, Invasion Force by Joshua James, Daniel Young
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
· 6 ratings
A fragile truce hides a deadly deceit.INCLUDES THE COMPLETE LEGACY OF WAR SERIES PLUS A SNEAK PEEK AT THE NEW SERIES!A century ago, an alien fleet attacked Earth. After decades of bitter war, a truce was struck. The aliens disappeared. Humanity stood down.But the captain of the aging battleship Walker Pierce will never forget...

Categorized as:
exploration first-contact space-opera space-travel aliens anthologies fiction genetic-engineering
Starship Waking by C. Gockel
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
· 8 ratings
On an icy, barren world, a starship dreams of doom…  Throughout the galaxy, the reclusive alien race known as The One are incapacitated by terror.  On the planet Luddeccea, wolf-human hybrid Volka harbors a terrible secret…a secret that must explain her nightmares...

Categorized as:
first-contact galactic-empire space-opera action-adventure adult aliens book fiction

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