The Fantasy Review’s list of 9 Military Science Fiction Books That Will Keep You on the Edge of Your Seat.
Aftershocks (The Palladium Wars #1) by Marko Kloos
From the blurb:
cross the six-planet expanse of the Gaia system, the Earthlike Gretia struggles to stabilize in the wake of an interplanetary war. Amid an uneasy alliance to maintain economies, resources, and populations, Aden Robertson reemerges. After devoting twelve years of his life to the reviled losing side, with the blood of half a million casualties on his hands, Aden is looking for a way to move on. He’s not the only one…
Genesis (First Colony, #1) by Ken Lozito
From the blurb:
A mission gone wrong. Innocent lives have been lost.
Escaping wrongful imprisonment wasn’t something Connor had in mind, but being put into stasis aboard Earth’s first interstellar colony ship was something he couldn’t have prepared for…
Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch, #1) by Ann Leckie
From the blurb:
On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing her quest.
Once, she was the Justice of Toren—a colossal starship with an artificial intelligence linking thousands of soldiers in the service of the Radch, the empire that conquered the galaxy…
Semper Mars (Heritage Trilogy, #1) by Ian Douglas
From the blurb:
The Year is 2040.
The Marines have landed on Mars to guard the unearthed secrets of an ancient and dangerous alien race: Ourselves.
Scientists have discovered something astonishing in the subterranean ruins of a sprawling Martian city: startling evidence of an alternative history that threatens to split humanity into opposing factions and plunge the Earth into chaos and war…
Horus Rising (The Horus Heresy, #1) by Dan Abnett
From the blurb:
Under the benevolent leadership of the Immortal Emperor the Imperium of Man has stretched out across the galaxy. On the eve of victory, the Emperor leaves the front lines, entrusting the great crusade to his favorite son, Horus. Promoted to Warmaster, the idealistic Horus tries to carry out the Emperor’sgrand design, all the while the seeds of heresy and rebellion have been sowed amongst his brothers.
Hard Duty (Merkiaari Wars, #1) by Mark E. Cooper
From the blurb:
Sixteen billion dead in the last alien invasion of the Alliance’s colony worlds.When survey ship Captain Jeff Colgan discovers a new alien race, he’s required to investigate.
As the aliens discover Colgan’s ship and begin to hunt him down, the captain’s mission changes from one of study to one of survival…
Starship Eternal (War Eternal, #1) by M.R. Forbes
From the blurb:
Captain Mitchell “Ares” Williams is a Space Marine and the hero of the Battle for Liberty, whose Shot Heard ‘Round the Universe saved the planet from a nearly unstoppable war machine. He’s handsome, charismatic, and the perfect poster boy to help the military drive enlistment. Pulled from the war and thrown into the spotlight, he’s as efficient at charming the media and bedding beautiful celebrities as he was at shooting down enemy starfighters…
Old Man’s War (Old Man’s War, #1) by John Scalzi
From the blurb:
John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First he visited his wife’s grave. Then he joined the army.
The good news is that humanity finally made it into interstellar space. The bad news is that planets fit to live on are scarce―and alien races willing to fight us for them are common. So: we fight. To defend Earth, and to stake our own claim to planetary real estate. Far from Earth, the war has been going on for decades: brutal, bloody, unyielding…
Trading in Danger (Vatta’s War, #1) by Elizabeth Moon
From the blurb:
Kylara Vatta is the only daughter in a family full of sons, and her father’s only child to buck tradition by choosing a military career instead of joining the family business. For Ky, it’s no contest: Even running the prestigious Vatta Transport Ltd. shipping concern can’t hold a candle to shipping out as an officer aboard an interstellar cruiser. It’s adventure, not commerce, that stirs her soul…
