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sci fi – galactic empire

Sci fi stories that involve galaxy-spanning civilizations, often with an amalgam of different races. Return to general Sci Fi

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Word Count: 55000

Summary: Stranded in space: no fuel, no way home… and no one coming to help. From the pen of Hugo Finalist Gideon Marcus comes the found-family, YA Space Adventure you’ve been waiting for: Nineteen-year-old Kitra Yilmaz dreams of traveling the galaxy like her Ambassador mother. But soaring in her glider is the closest she can get to touching the stars — until she stakes her inheritance on a salvage Navy spaceship. On its shakedown cruise, Kitra’s ship plunges into hyperspace, stranding Kitra and her crew light years away. Tensions rise between Kitra and her shipmates: the handsome programmer, Fareedh; Marta, biologist and Kitra’s ex-girlfriend; Peter, the panicking engineer; and the oddball alien navigator, Pinky. Now, running low on air and food, it’ll take all of them working together to get back home. With illustrations by Hugo Finalist Lorelei Esther.

Kitra - Gideon Marcus
Kitra
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Word Count: 80,000

Summary: Amargosa is under occupation. But a fallen starship may turn the tide for the resistance. JT Austin, Davra Andraste, and Eric Yuwono disobey orders to reach this ship. Along the way, they discover that not every enemy is Gelt, not every ally is human, and humans and Gelt are not the only intelligences on Amargosa.

Second Wave, With Among Wolves - TS Hottle
Second Wave (The Amargosa Trilogy Book 2)
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Word Count: Information not available

Summary: Reclaiming Earth from the Zhen was only the first battle. Now Tajen Hunt and his fellow colonists must fight for their fledgling colony’s survival. Tajen’s mission to seek aid from the Kelvaki Assembly is cut short when the Zhen invade Earth. Now he, Liam, and Kiri must return to Earth and liberate the colony from brutal occupation.  When Tajen learns the Zhen plan to destroy a human fleet amassing in preparation to help Earth, he and his crew must escape the planet once more and warn them.

The Blood-Dimmed Tide - Michael R. Johnston
The Blood-Dimmed Tide
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Word Count: 141000

Summary: The starstream is beautiful. But beauty turns deadly when an ancient AI bent on destruction uses it to travel uptime, to our near-future. The Mindaru are dead. Or so exiled-Earthman John Bandicut and his alien companions believe, when they return to Shipworld after saving the Orion Nebula and countless inhabited worlds. But now another horde from this ancient and malicious AI colony is swarming toward the present from its birthplace deep in the past. Their opening: a temporal disturbance in the starstream, a hyperspatial thoroughfare used by myriad civilizations. The disturbance emanates from the planetary defenses of nearby Karellia, whose people know nothing of the starstream or the galaxy-threatening Mindaru. Only Bandicut and his friends have the knowledge and experience to act. But several of Bandicut’s company have gone missing. Bandicut and Li-Jared must team with the pandimensional Ruall and her gokat—the oddest aliens Bandicut has met since the shadow-people—and journey to Karellia to find a way to cut off the timestream. Meanwhile, on Shipworld, the "missing" Ik meets another human of Earth—a former lover of Bandicut’s—and embarks with her on a perilous mission far back into deep time, seeking a way to stop the Mindaru at their source. The Chaos Chronicles returns at last in The Reefs of Time, part one of a heartstopping, two-part adventure. Concluded in Crucible of Time—from Nebula-nominated Jeffrey A. Carver! PRAISE FOR THE REEFS OF TIME / CRUCIBLE OF TIME: "Classic science fiction with engaging characters and richly imagined worlds!" --Greg Bear; author of The Unfinished Land and The War Dogs Trilogy "Jeffrey A. Carver's remarkable long-awaited duology The Reefs of Time / Crucible of Time is a welcome addition to The Chaos Chronicles, certifying his continuing mastery of action and adventure at the boundaries of space opera and hard SF." --Steve Miller, co-author of The Liaden Universe "Rich, dignified prose wedded to excellent and imaginative storytelling on the grandest scale. If you've grown weary of the hasty, hyperkinetic stories and styles that typify so many other independently-published novels, come home to Jeffrey Carver's timeless and triumphant The Reefs of Time." --Charles E. Gannon, author of the Caine Riordan world "Mind-blowing in its complexity... I settled in to enjoy a wild ride." --Ann Tonsor Zeddies, author of Riders of Leviathan and Steel Helix "Underpins its stunning science fiction and character-driven narrative with a strong theme of 'coming home'... As narratives intertwine at separate ends of the timescale, Carver's talent for weaving incredible technology and worldbuilding with meaningful character moments is a standout." --Terence MacManus, Aurealis Magazine PRAISE FOR THE CHAOS CHRONICLES: "Remarkably expansive vision." --Analog "Masterfully captures the joy of exploration." -- Publishers Weekly "Master craftsman of compelling hard science fiction." -- Booklist One of the best SF novels of the year -- Science Fiction Chronicle "A dazzling, thrilling, innovative space opera." --Kirkus "Fertile imagination and... a host of engagingly sympathetic characters." --Library Journal

The Reefs of Time - Jeffrey A. Carver - Out of Time
The Reefs of Time
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Word Count: Information not available

Summary: Discover ten planets, joined through music-based magic and an immense sentient crystal. This anthology contains ten stories from the popular Dissolutionverse universe! Journey with a new majus as he investigates the Pixie homeworld and tries to avert a war. Learn how to change the Symphony during a search for a majus' lost brother. Find a new relationship on an island at war! Travel with merchants in an old war train transporting suspicious cargo. Fly with the first majus in space! Discover the food and culture of the ten species. Uncover what lurks in the basement of the House of Potential. Investigate magic, mystery and murder when a miscreant attacks the secret Society of Two Houses! Confront other-dimensional entities alongside an ancient being. Climb to the top of a miles-high wall with a crew riding a giant steampunk beetle! If you like space opera, fast-paced adventure, music-based magic, and complex, diverse characters, then you’ll love this collection of stories from William C. Tracy’s Dissolutionverse. Pick up Tales of the Dissolutionverse to discover the music today! There’s more adventure in The Dissolution Cycle (Epic Space Opera, LGBT): Book 1: The Seeds of Dissolution Book 2: Facets of the Nether Book 3: Fall of the Imperium Book 4: Tales of the Dissolutionverse

Tales of the Dissolutionverse William C. Tracy
Tales of the Dissolutionverse
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Word Count: 86000

Summary:

Eight hundred years ago, the Zhen Empire discovered a broken human colony ship drifting in the fringes of their space. The Zhen gave the humans a place to live and folded them into their Empire as a client state. But it hasn’t been easy. Not all Zhen were eager to welcome another species into their Empire, and humans have faced persecution. For hundreds of years, human languages and history were outlawed subjects, as the Zhen tried to mold humans into their image. Earth and the cultures it nourished for millennia are forgotten, little more than legends.
One of the first humans to be allowed to serve in the Zhen military, Tajen Hunt became a war hero at the Battle of Elkari, the only human to be named an official Hero of the Empire. He was given command of a task force, and sent to do the Empire’s bidding in their war with the enigmatic Tabrans. But when he failed in a crucial mission, causing the deaths of millions of people, he resigned in disgrace and faded into life on the fringes as a lone independent pilot.
When Tajen discovers his brother, Daav, has been killed by agents of the Empire, he, his niece, and their newly-hired crew set out to finish his brother’s quest: to find Earth, the legendary homeworld of humanity. What they discover will shatter 800 years of peace in the Empire, and start a war that could be the end of the human race.

The Widening Gyre - Michael R. Johnston
The Widening Gyre
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Word Count: Information not available

Summary: Civilization fell. It rose. At some point, people built starships. A millennium after the Earth was abandoned to climate change and resource depletion, Sharon Manders wakes up in a body that used to belong to somebody else, and some say she was a terrorist. She has no idea how she could be digging for Pleistocene bones in Africa one day, and crewing on a starship the next. That was just before she met the wolfman, the elf, and the sex robot. Struggling with distressingly unreliable memories, the expectations of her host body’s family and crewmates, future shock, and accusations of treason, Sharon goes on the lam to come face to face with terrorists, giant bugs, drug cartels, AIs, and lawyers. All things considered, she’d rather be back in 21st Century California.

Memory & Metaphor - Andrea Monticue
Memory and Metaphor
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Word Count: 170000

Summary: The enemy hunts him, but not for the reason he thinks. How does a human survive in an alien dominated InterGalactic Community? By becoming an assassin, of course. At least, that’s what Leopold thought when he became an assassin for the elite. Pretending to be an alien known as Voidstriker, Leopold feeds his appetite for vengeance, killing aliens as well as taking their money. It's a win-win to his mind. That is, until a bounty is placed upon his head. With his true identity now revealed to the IG Community, Leopold knows it's only a matter of time before the powerful family members of his victims come for blood. Far worse is the fact that the one who put the bounty on his head, is the one he most fears. A routine job three cycles ago brought him face-to-face with Mastrodai, a prince of the powerful Mrrog Nation. Not only did Leopold—accidentally—destroy part of Mastrodai’s moon, but one glimpse of the mighty alien had him feeling desire for the first time in his life. He ran, and like predator after prey, Mastrodai never stopped hunting him. Leopold is convinced that Mastrodai wants bloody revenge.  But when he finally confronts the mrrog, he is stunned to realize Mastrodai wants something very different. Something surprisingly intimate—the one thing that scares Leopold more than torture. Reader Discretion advised: Off page torture and abuse, and aftermath of rape. While the intimacy between Leopold and Mastrodai is always consensual, there are others who wish to break Leopold into as many pieces as possible.

Leopold - M.D. Grimm - Saga of the Bold People
Leopold
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Word Count: 87,200

Summary: Childhood ends the night the sky explodes. Six teenagers from different backgrounds are thrown together when an unknown species seizes their world. Will they be able to put their differences aside long enough to survive?

The Children of Amargosa, With Gimme Shelter - TS Hottle
The Children of Amargosa (The Amargosa Trilogy Book 1)
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Word Count: Information not available

Summary:

Music and magic. Steampunky science. The Dissolution is coming.

Eighteen year old recluse Sam van Oen lives with his aunt, takes online college courses, works in technical support, and tries not to remember the freak storm that killed his parents ten years ago. But anxiety and reclusion bring up memories he doesn’t want. Just as Sam gathers courage to send in his application for college away from home, the temperature drops and the sun goes dim. Ice forms in August, and a portal opens in his fireplace. This time, Sam can't run. This time he's sucked in. Now Sam must survive in the flourishing capital of ten alien species, home to thousands who can change the Symphony underlying the universe and alter reality. Sam’s anxiety attacks and fear of crowds transforms the Nether into a frightening, expansive city. To find his home again, Sam must learn to control the music inside him, while devastating voids threaten to destroy the Nether and everyone he has grown to love. "Simply Put, This is a Brilliant Book. Read it Now." -Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Blog If you're looking for an awesome ride across multiple homeworlds filled with magic, science, music, and diverse alien species, don't miss the first book in William C. Tracy's Dissolution Cycle! The Dissolution Cycle (Epic Space Opera, LGBT): Book 1: The Seeds of Dissolution Book 2: Facets of the Nether Book 3: Fall of the Imperium Book 4: Tales of the Dissolutionverse (Novella collection)

The Seeds of Dissolution - William C. Tracy - Dissolution Universe
The Seeds of Dissolution
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Word Count: 73000

Summary: ::The Seignso have our own plans for the remains of Genghis Khan.:: Alien warmongers have cloned an ancient emperor to lead an unstoppable army. Gifted with superhuman powers and advanced technology, he sets his sights on his home planet, Earth, and then... the stars! However, countermeasures have already been set in place. A young Iowa farm boy, oblivious to his powers or destiny, is thrust into a battle that will decide the fate of humanity against the new and improved Genghis Khan! A thrilling, interstellar adventure from the author of The Weller and War of the Worlds: Goliath!

Birthright - Adam J. Whitlatch - The Temikom Saga
Birthright
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Word Count: 101000

Summary:

When the cure for a deadly disease is stolen, two misfits are all that stands between greed and intergalactic tragedy.
Luka Foxe can’t let anyone know about his secret mental abilities. Debilitated by their influence when faced with violence, the brilliant forensic investigator now only takes assignments involving theft. But when he has to hunt down a hijacked vaccine for a galaxy-wide pandemic, the tragic first clue is his best friend’s brutal murder.
Nightshift guard Mairwen Morganthur knows she must keep a low profile. The product of illegal genetic alteration, she’s a lethal weapon with no social graces. But when she’s tasked to protect a detective with frightening intuition, she finds herself falling for him even though he could expose her.
Racing to recover the cure for a galaxy-wide pandemic, Luka is surprised by his developing feelings for the capable-but-mysterious guard. And Mairwen may have to risk everything by revealing her identity, with deadly mercenaries hot on their tail.
Can the unlikely pair survive an interplanetary conspiracy long enough to save lives and find love?
Overload Flux is the first novel in the sweeping Central Galactic Concordance space opera series. If you like haunted characters, compelling mysteries, and interstellar romance, then you’ll enjoy Carol Van Natta’s epic tale.

Overload Flux - Carol Van Natta
Overload Flux
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Word Count: 214000

Summary: Starship lost in eternity... Ghost ship Impris, lost during the War of a Thousand Suns, is the stuff of legend. Her very name conjures the perils of interstellar travel. But no mere legend, she is real—glimpsed on occasion in the hyperdimensional Flux, and then gone. Her passengers and crew live on in a strange limbo, their fate hopelessly caught up in quantum defects in space-time, interstellar piracy, and galactic coverup. To the pirates of Golen Space, she is a perfect lure, drawing passing ships to their doom. Many innocent star riggers have been captured in such raids and forced to pilot for the murderous pirates. One such rigger, Renwald Legroeder, makes a daring escape and flees to the presumed safety of the Centrist Worlds. But instead of finding asylum, he is framed for treason. Something is terribly wrong in the Guild of Riggers and the government that should be protecting him. To clear his name--and perhaps to avert a disastrous war between worlds—he must escape a second time, and partner with the amphibious Narseil to return to the Deep Flux and search for the lost Impris. Legroeder's journey takes him back into the heart of raider territory, where he encounters a bewildering array of motives, conspiracies, and even deep-cyber romance. Forging friendships and finding love in the unlikeliest of places, Legroeder must nevertheless put his life on the line to protect the innocent, and preserve a shaky interstellar peace. A finalist for the Nebula Award, Eternity's End stands as a highlight of the Star Rigger saga, and one of Jeffrey A. Carver's most memorable novels. Can be read as a stand-alone book, or as part of the future history. PRAISE FOR ETERNITY'S END: "True love, cognitive dissonance, divisions among the enemy, ambitious schemes, another mission—this one deeper than anyone has ever gone before into the substrata of the Flux—and a final resolution that leaves the reader both breathless and satisfied." —Analog "You don't want to wait for the paperback." —Science Fiction Chronicle "A mesmerizing tale of human perseverance and courage under pressure that updates the legend of the Flying Dutchman." —Library Journal "Carver never runs out of new plot twists to keep the reader coming back for more." —The Washington Post

Eternity's End - Jeffrey A. Carver - Star Rigger
Eternity's End
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