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sci fi h-r

Sci fi is a type of speculative fiction that looks ahead and asks “what’s next?” You can also check out these subcategories (h-r):

hard sci fi | hollow earth | hopepunk | human evolution | immortality | latinpunk | litrpg | lost worlds | military | mind uploads | multiverse | mutants | mythpunk | nanopunk | near future | nowpunk | piratepunk | pulp | robots/androids |romance

Note: these books are currently sorted by release date, with newest first.

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Word Count: 103900

Summary: A little blue world, the third planet from the sun. It’s home to 7 billion people with all manner of faiths, beliefs and customs, divided by bigotry and misunderstanding, who will soon be told they are not alone in the universe. Anyone watching from the outside would pass by this fractured and tumultuous world, unless they had no other choice. Todd Landon is one of these people, living and working in a section of the world called the United States of America. His life is similar to those around him: home, family, work, friends and a husband. After the attack on San Jose, Todd is appointed to Special Envoy for Terran Affairs by the nentraee, a position many world leaders question. Undeterred Todd wants to build bridges between both people. However, this new position brings with it a new set of problems that not only he, but his new allies Mi’ko and Mirtoff must overcome. Will the humans and nentraee learn to work together despite mistrust and threats of more attacks by a new global terrorist group, or will the terrorists win? Will this bring an end to an already shaky alliance between nentraee and humans?

Conviction - M.D. Neu - A New World
Conviction
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Word Count: Information not available

Summary: They said it was a suicide mission. Cora has only one question. When can they start? Cora’s world gets larger as she seeks out allies. The cost to find them leads her to once again cross the dragon, Lucius. The wheels of fate continue to turn. Are Cora and Lucius destined to fight to the death, or can the future be changed?

The Pendragon Codex - D.C. Fergerson - The Dragon's Dream Saga
The Pendragon Codex
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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: Most will run, but the brave will fight... A deadly virus is sweeping through America's cities, pitting the worst humanity has to offer against its best warriors and scientists in a race against extinction. The virus doesn't just kill--it transforms and creates monsters of men and women called Variants. New York firefighter Meg Pratt is among those trapped in New York City. Together with her fellow rescue workers and the scattered elements of America's front-line military fighters, Meg fights to survive and save civilians from the coming apocalypse. Across the city, Marine Corps washout Jed Welch is on his own path to survival, and it intersects with Meg and her ragtag group of survivors. If they are lucky, they will see the help they need emerge from within, just as everything around them is coming to an end. Author's note: This story is set in the Extinction Cycle universe of Nicholas Sansbury Smith.

Emergence - AJ Sikes - Redemption Trilogy
Emergence
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Word Count: Information not available

Summary: There is no escaping the evil lurking in the shadows... After the harrowing trials of Emergence, Jed Welch finds himself alone in the ruins of New York City. But not all is lost. USMC Staff Sergeant Alexandra Gallegos and the two surviving members of her platoon find Jed, and together they will bring the full weight of their Marine Corps training, and mission-driven sense of vengeance, to bear upon the real monsters: human collaborators who aid the Variants at the expense of their fellow human beings. For SSGT Gallegos, theirs is a mission borne of duty and command. For Jed, it becomes an act of penance, in hopes he may atone for his sins. Author's note: This story is set in the Extinction Cycle universe of Nicholas Sansbury Smith.

Penance - AJ Sikes - Redemption Trilogy
Penance
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Word Count: Information not available

Summary: Murmur and Fable are left reeling after Somnia’s servers crash, and nothing is quite the same. Even as they challenge new dungeons, Murmur is haunted by an old enemy who seeks to take her down a dark path. Meanwhile, Laria and Shayla struggle to hide Wren’s prolonged immersion in the game from coworkers and sponsors alike, forcing them to seek out unlikely allies. As more people are made aware of Wren’s predicament, freeing her from Somnia becomes even more crucial. But it seems the game has other plans for her, and not even the AIs know what they are.

Dissonance - K.T. Hanna - Somnia Online
Dissonance: Somnia Online Book 4
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Word Count: 60000

Summary: Planet Hy Man is in turmoil. Its’ leader lost on earth. Will Mex rise to the challenge or fade faster than her hair dye? Mex is heading for the Edinburgh Festival in search of planet Hy Man’s lost energy. A feat made near impossible considering her arch-rival has taken over Planet Hy man’s “operations room” along with every high- tech spying equipment going. Led down the road of false leads by her `arch rival” Mex hooks up with a troupe of performing transvestites, delves into the seedier side of the festival and discovers gin. Saving Planet Hy Man could not be further from her mind if she was comatose until that is her personnel robot Pete finds her. Will Pete convince Mex to sober up and save their planet or will Mex stick with the padded bras and all who wear them? Rebel Without A Bra is the quirky second book in the Planet Hy Man science fiction comedy series. If you like high-mileage heroines, fast-paced satire, and meticulously crafted universes, then you’ll love Kerrie Noor’s otherworldly farce. 

Rebel Without a Braw - Kerrie Noor - Planey Hy Man
Rebel Without A Bra
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Word Count: 72000

Summary: Ellison Firebrandt fights the good fight for Earth. Under a letter of marque, he raids the ships of Earth's opponents, slowing down their progress and ability to compete with the home system. On the planet Epsilon Indi 2, he rescues a woman named Suki Mori from a drug lord, only to find she isn't so happy about living a pirate's life. However, when the captain finds a new engine that will make him the most successful pirate of all, Suki is the only one who can make it work. Now Firebrandt must find a way to keep his crew fed and his ship supplied while relying on a woman who barely trusts him and while every government in the galaxy hunts him to get the engine back!

Firebrandt's Legacy - David Lee Summers - Space Pirates' Legacy
Firebrandt's Legacy
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Word Count: 71800

Summary: A little blue world, the third planet from the sun. It's home to 7 billion people with all manner of faiths, beliefs and customs, divided by bigotry and misunderstanding, who will soon be told they are not alone in the universe. Anyone watching from the outside would pass by this fractured and tumultuous world, unless they had no other choice. Todd Landon is one of these people, living and working in a section of the world called the United States of America. His life is similar to those around him: home, family, work, friends and a husband. On the cusp of the greatest announcement humankind has ever witnessed, Todd’s personal world is thrown into turmoil when his estranged brother shows up on his front porch with news of ships heading for Earth’s orbit. The ships are holding the Nentraee, a humanoid race who have come to Earth in need of help after fleeing the destruction of their homeworld. How will one man bridge the gap for both the Humans and Nentraee, amongst mistrust, terrorist attacks and personal loss? Will this be the start of a new age of man or will bigotry and miscommunication bring this small world to its knees and final end?

Contact - M.D. Neu - A New World
Contact
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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: Information not available

Summary: Welcome to the last of the great flying Cities! It’s 9172, YE (Year of the Empire), and the future has forgotten its past. Soaring miles over the Earth, Autumn, the sole surviving flying city, is filled to the brim with the manifold forms of humankind: from Human Plus “floor models” to the oppressed and disfranchised underclasses doing their dirty work and every imaginable variation between. Valerius Bakhoum is a washed-up private eye and street hustler scraping by in Autumn. Late on his rent, fetishized and reviled for his imperfect genetics, stuck in the quicksand of his own heritage, Valerius is trying desperately to wrap up his too-short life when a mythical relic of humanity’s fog-shrouded past walks in and hires him to do one last job. What starts out as Valerius just taking a stranger’s money quickly turns into the biggest and most dangerous mystery he’s ever tried to crack – and Valerius is running out of time to solve it. Now Autumn’s abandoned history – and the monsters and heroes that adorn it – are emerging from the shadows to threaten the few remaining things Valerius holds dear. Can the burned-out detective navigate the labyrinth of lies and maze of blind faith around him to save the City of Autumn from its greatest myth and deadliest threat as he navigates his feelings for his newest client, the handsome golem Alejandro?

A Fall in Autumn - Michael G. Williams
A Fall in Autumn
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Word Count: 29000

Summary: Sofia Cancino is tired of her mundane life, her artificial environment and her large, boisterous family descending every holiday season. She's promised herself this year will be different and books a stay on the exclusive—and expensive--holiday-themed resort, Yule Planet. She looks forward to being pampered while reconnecting with Old Earth traditions steeped in the magic and mysticism of nature. Everything will be perfect and she'll leave as a more authentic human, better connected to her roots. Naturally, things go horribly wrong. Sofia's landing pod goes off course and instead of stepping out on the landing pad at the resort, she finds herself in the snow-swept perpetual winter of the planet's hinterlands. If that wasn't bad enough, she's "rescued" by a band of criminals on work release who run deliveries to the resort from far-flung shuttle delivery sites. They refuse to take her, a paying customer, to the resort and insist on dragging her along on their parcel run. Riding giant monsters. In frigid weather. Not to mention, Marta, who handles the monsters, obviously hates her. If Sofia survives her vacation, she's definitely yelling at someone's supervisor until she gets a refund.

Yule Planet - Angel Martinez
Yule Planet
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Word Count: Information not available

Summary: The battle against fate begins. Cora Blake needs answers to her growing magical abilities. She returns to her hometown in the Native Free Lands for the first time since she was a child, seeking out the tribe’s elder. But when a prophecy foretells of an attack on the tribal lands, she must fight against fate to prevent a war. The dragon Lucius manipulates from the shadows, while Cora’s own demons threaten to break her. Trapped in a conflict that appears predetermined, Cora must turn against the agency that trained her. She came to Heaven’s Crest for answers. What she found is a cause worth fighting for.

Heaven's Crest - D.C. Fergerson - The Dragon's Dream Saga
Heaven's Crest
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Word Count: 66400

Summary: New Hopeland City may be the birthplace of Tech Shifter gear, but it isn’t the only place that likes to blend technology with folklore. Now, a new nightmare is stalking the streets… When PI Cassie Tam is attacked on the way home one night, she expects the police to get involved. What she doesn’t expect is to be forced into acting as bait to lure out a lunatic in a tech-suit that’s literally out for blood. But past actions have consequences, and doing so may be the only way she can get a clean slate from the city’s law makers. If only that didn’t mean having to face down a wannabe vampire.

LV48 - Matt Doyle
LV48
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Word Count: 40000

Summary: Spells & Stardust is Scott's first anthology - eight sci fi and fantasy shorts that run the gamut from regeneration to redemption. The Bear at the Bar: A gay fish out of water tale with a pinch of magic. Tight: What happens when your lover disappears in midair? Morgan: The year when everything changed. Re-Life: What if you were reborn in a strange new future? A New Year: They met every eleven years. And each time, Hank's life changed. Repetition: What if you wanted to go back in the closet? Gargoyle: Sometimes you get what you deserve. Sometimes it happens on All Hallows Eve. Avalon: A few bright moments in the sun, stolen from outside time. Most of these stories have been previously published in various anthologies and journals. This is the first time they have all been collected in one place.

Spells & Stardust - J. Scott Coatsworth
Spells & Stardust
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Word Count: 52,500

Summary: The cerebral interface has revolutionised society. Need a ride? With a thought, the cab is on its way. Want an adventure? Enter a VR 5 computer game nearly indistinguishable from reality. Amanda arranges for her Big Sisters Program little sister, Rachel, to spend a day gaming as a fourteenth birthday present. Amanda never suspects that her insane ex-boyfriend, Jim, will use a computer virus to trap her and her companions in the game. A pleasant diversion becomes a life and death struggle as her party seek a way to come back to the real world without triggering a program that will cause nanobots to rip their brains to shreds. To complicate matters, in the game scenario the adventurers have been transformed into cats. Will the party survive? Will Amanda admit that Rachel’s older brother, Tyrell, might just be her future? Will the computer virus Jim used to trap them become a cyber plague that could kill thousands?

Cats - Stephen B. Pearl - Cyberworld
Cats
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Word Count: 54,637

Summary: Laurie Parkinson, who’s lived in Laurel Hills all his life, is a gay sheet metal worker who’d rather be a gay hairdresser. Wheat Dupuis, who’s also gay, is the scion of one of Laurel Hill’s wealthiest families. He’d rather grow grapes than become CFO of Dupuis International. Laurie wakes one morning to discover his family gone and his town decimated by a bacteria that has lain dormant for millennia, incased in ice. With the melting of the ice caps, the bacteria is released, and mankind faces a pandemic that could surpass the Black Plague. Wheat and his family are on their way to safety when the unthinkable happens and he’s left behind. Laurie knows of a bunker in the woods outside Laurel Hill, where he intends to take refuge. On the way there, Laurie finds and rescues Wheat. Can two such dissimilar men work together through a pandemic to find their families ... and possibly find love, as well?

Pandemic - Tinnean - Surviving the Apocalypse
Surviving the Apocalypse - Pandemic
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Word Count: Information not available

Summary: Somnia is evolving, and Murmur is confronted with enemies both old and new. She must lead her guild, Fable, through a dungeon filled with riddles and puzzles to claim the first of twelve keys required to achieve victory. But things are not as they seem: glitches abound, enemies rally against Fable, and unexpected threats move in the shadows. As the system becomes increasingly complex, Laria and Shayla battle through mismatched coding, and Storm Corp discovers they’ve left some anomalies in the game out of their reports. Anomalies like Wren. With the report deadline looming, and errors riddling the system, Laria’s house of cards is about to come crashing down.

Fragments - K.T. Hanna - Somnia Online
Fragments: Somnia Online Book 3
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Word Count: Information not available

Summary: Eighteen well-reviewed stories in the rare subgenre of trucking science fiction.

18 Wheels of Science Fiction anthology
18 Wheels of Science Fiction
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Word Count: Information not available

Summary: The Indestructibles: Jane, the solar-powered girl; Kate, the ballerina vigilante; Billy, who shares his brain with a cosmic-powered symbiotic alien; Titus, a werewolf with confidence issues; and Entropy Emily, a Whovian with a black hole where her heart should be — together with their mentor, the magician Doc Silence — have saved the world from a sentient hurricane and a living plague. They've even traveled through time to rescue an alternate timeline. But now they face their greatest challenge yet: a messenger from the stars, a creature with powers just like Billy's, has crash-landed on Earth with a warning of a pending alien invasion. The young heroes must rally their forces and turn their attention to the stars. It's all hands on deck as the Nemesis Fleet, an armada of living ships and ancient, parasitic, mind-controlling creatures, speeds toward Earth like a hive of locusts. Enemies become allies and friendships are challenged as the Indestructibles try to pull out every trick in their arsenal to save the planet. Like a Comet is where the Indestructibles stop being students and start to become the heroes they were destined to be. But will they be strong enough?

Like a Comet - Matthew Phillion - The Indestructibles
Like a Comet (The Indestructibles Book 4)
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