The Fantasy Review’s list of 6 Military Sci-Fi Books That Are Quick to Read.
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…
Dauntless (The Lost Fleet, #1) by Jack Campbell
From the blurb:
The Alliance has been fighting the Syndics for a century—and losing badly. Now its fleet is crippled and stranded in enemy territory. Their only hope is a man who’s emerged from a century-long hibernation to find he has been heroically idealized beyond belief….
Captain John “Black Jack” Geary’s exploits are known to every schoolchild. Revered for his heroic “last stand” in the early days of the war, he was presumed dead. But a century later, Geary miraculously returns and reluctantly takes command of the Alliance Fleet as it faces annihilation by the Syndics…
The Exodus Gambit (House Adamant, #1) by Glynn Stewart
From the blurb:
Her family, gone, destroyed from withinHer kingdom, doomed, tainted by bloodUnless a scion rises to become something… more
In a single ruthless blow, Commander Lorraine Adamant’s favorite uncle murders everyone ahead of him in the succession for the Star Kingdom of Adamant. Only luck and the paranoia of her bodyguard, Vigo Jarret, saves Lorraine’s life…
Steel World (Undying Mercenaries, #1) by B.V. Larson
From the blurb:
In the twentieth century Earth sent probes, transmissions and welcoming messages to the stars. Unfortunately, someone noticed.The Galactics arrived with their battle fleet in 2052. Rather than being exterminated under a barrage of hell-burners, Earth joined their vast Empire. Swearing allegiance to our distant alien overlords wasn’t the only requirement for survival…
Fortune’s Pawn (Paradox, #1) by Rachel Bach
From the blurb:
Devi Morris isn’t your average mercenary. She has plans. Big ones. And a ton of ambition. It’s a combination that’s going to get her killed one day — but not just yet.
That is, until she just gets a job on a tiny trade ship with a nasty reputation for surprises. The Glorious Fool isn’t misnamed: it likes to get into trouble, so much so that one year of security work under its captain is equal to five years everywhere else…
Bolo (Bolo #1) by Keith Laumer
From the blurb:
Bolo is one of the original titles of Military science fiction and considered a classic by many of the writers in the genre who consider this a seminal work that shaped their own storytelling.
The book describes the evolution of intelligent fighting machines. As the capabilities of artificial intelligence increased, the Bolo division of General Motors started working on tank designs that incorporated awareness and intelligence within the development of their tactical tanks…
