Science Fiction War

The best-selling Extinction Cycle series by Nicholas Sansbury Smith first introduced listeners to a world ravaged by an engineered virus that turned men into monsters. Humanity's only hope was not a cure, but another bioweapon. When deployed it killed 90 percent of the infected, but the remaining 10 percent transformed into even more terrifying creatures called Variants. Here's a collection of Extinction Cycle short stories that explore the human spirit and the fight for survival in the face of overwhelming odds from some of the leading voices in the post-apocalyptic genre.

Convicted of a minor traffic violation, Rev Pelletier is conscripted into the Perseus Union Marine Corps...for up to a 30-year term of service. Anxious to get back to his civilian life and job, Rev opts for a shorter term as a Marine Raider taking the fight to the enemy. But with extremely high mortality rates, can he and his friends survive until their term of service is over?

Two months ago, Clay Jaeger, his wife Alex, and his chainsaw-toting brother Joe came to the Infested Zone on a mission: kill a Dungeon Lord. What they found along the way was a land of opportunity. Gold-dropping monsters, magical weapons, and best of all, freedom—all there for the taking. If they can live long enough to grab it. Surviving in the wasteland has been a constant fight, but thriving in it, that’s going to take something more. Not just power, but the brains to use it in ways nobody’s seen before.

So many stories begin the same way: With a prophecy. A chosen one. And the inevitable quest to slay a villain, save the kingdom, and fulfill a grand destiny. But this is not that kind of story. It does begin with a prophecy: A child will rise to defeat the Eternal Khan, a cruel immortal god-king, and save the kingdom. And that prophecy did anoint a hero, Jian, raised since birth in luxury and splendor, and celebrated before he has won a single battle.

“Time travel’s awesome, Sarge. You ought to try it before they shut things down.” Spies and assassins are much more active in the Republic now that the war is over. One operative holds information extremely valuable to League terrorists. And a secret project by Republican Shipworks, the giant battleship conglomerate, holds a way to change the past to affect the future . . . Gina Wilcox leads a crack team of former Space Marines in their new role inside civilian law enforcement. Don’t miss the exciting second book in this action-packed series!

Blinded by betrayal, Aisling's heart burns for revenge against Kohen, the man she once trusted. But war looms on two fronts—Luska and Imbria—and her people are caught in the crossfire. As battle lines are drawn and alliances tested, Aisling faces an impossible choice: to side with the lesser evil or risk everything for her people’s survival.

Humanity knows it is not alone in the universe. The War of Succession has been raging for 70 years in the remnants of the old Empire. On one side is the Alliance, and the crew of the Epsilon, on the other, the Coalition. Their fight now threatens the very existence of mankind. Repairs to the Epsilon are underway on Earth while new threats emerge. But more dangerous than any threat on Earth, is the arrival of any unexpected enemy.

The once great America now lay in ruins, its people oppressed and controlled. The blame for the devastating EMP attack had been placed on Christian fundamentalists, and the years of tribalism had only fueled the fire of hate towards them. The government needed a common enemy to rally the people, and Christians were the perfect target. Those who dared to practice their faith were now outlaws, forced underground and stripped of their rights to work or participate in society. But even in the midst of persecution, the church held fast to their faith and relied on God more than ever. As armies ...

Logen Ninefingers, infamous barbarian, has finally run out of luck. Caught in one feud too many, he's on the verge of becoming a dead barbarian - leaving nothing behind him but bad songs, dead friends, and a lot of happy enemies. Nobleman, dashing officer, and paragon of selfishness, Captain Jezal dan Luthar has nothing more dangerous in mind than fleecing his friends at cards and dreaming of glory in the fencing circle. But war is brewing, and on the battlefields of the frozen North they fight by altogether bloodier rules.

The universe is a dangerous place for humanity—and it's about to become far more dangerous. Three races that humans have clashed with before have allied to halt our expansion into space. Their linchpin: the turncoat military scientist Charles Boutin, who knows the CDF's biggest military secrets. To prevail, the CDF must find out why Boutin did what he did. Jared Dirac is the only human who can provide answers—a superhuman hybrid, created from Boutin's DNA, Jared's brain should be able to access Boutin's electronic memories.

The Council/Confederacy Conflict is rapidly gaining speed, with hundreds of stellar systems burning and under attack. The Unified Council, having struck at the Confederacy with bioweapons and having made great gains, is unprepared for the Confederacy's counter-attack and the arrival of "Heavy Metal" in dozens of systems. Terrible weapons and projects are being released by both sides, the autonomous war machines have regrouped and returned, and everyone is caught in the middle of the largest conflict since the First Precursor War. The burden of Citizenship falls on Confederate citizens as ...

Monsters, saviors, and weapons - the Vanguard don't care what they're called. All that matters is that they answer the call when people cry out in need. The core worlds of the Roma Union are in the line of fire. Untouched by war for hundreds of years, they've become used to peace. The Maurakians, bearing new technology, can go wherever they want; with little warning, the blanket of safety that humanity has created is ripped away.

Retired from his fighting days, John Perry is now village ombudsman for a human colony on distant Huckleberry. With his wife, former Special Forces warrior Jane Sagan, he farms several acres, adjudicates local disputes, and enjoys watching his adopted daughter grow up. That is, until his and Jane's past reaches out to bring them back into the game — as leaders of a new human colony, to be peopled by settlers from all the major human worlds, for a deep political purpose that will put Perry and Sagan back in the thick of interstellar politics, betrayal, and war.

With humanity on the brink of extinction, can one man make a difference? After a hard fought victory, Captain Faulkner's ship is in urgent need of repair. So he heads for Blackthorn, a solitary space station out on the edge of the known universe. A million people call Blackthorn home but when a vast and untamed threat rises up from the depths of space, the station's destruction seems all but assured. Faulkner has fought his fair share of desperate battles in the past but this is one fight he can't win. In order to save lives he's going to have to learn to make sacrifices. But he'll ...

Congratulations Citizen, you have been selected for military service. It’s the news no one wants. Fighting the aliens known as the Ma’Tis is a dangerous occupation. Recruit Cosmo Frost will have to devote himself completely if he’s going to become a Battle Trooper and qualify for the elite Armor Brigade. The HAVOC drone is an experimental new technology developed specifically for the war with the Ma’Tis. The Heavy Armor Vehicle for Offensive Combat is faster and more agile than a MECH. It’s a walking weapons platform controlled by Battle Troopers in the newly developed...

After the War of Kinds ravaged the kingdom of Rabu, the Automae, designed to be the playthings of royals, usurped their owners’ estates and bent the human race to their will. Now, Ayla, a human servant rising in the ranks at the House of the Sovereign, dreams of avenging her family’s death...by killing the sovereign’s daughter, Lady Crier.

As kids, the three of them were inseparable; as soldiers, they would be torn apart. Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago fought alongside Dom’s elder brother Carlos at Aspho Fields in the epic battle that changed the course of the Pendulum Wars. There’s a new war to fight now, a war for mankind’s very survival. But while the last human stronghold on Sera braces itself for another onslaught from the Locust Horde, ghosts come back to haunt Marcus and Dom.

Science fiction adventure and space opera at its best. An addictive, fast-action, edge-of-your-seat journey. . . the Empire wants them dead and doesn't care about collateral damage. “Greetings. I’m former Sergeant Hutheen Bozon. You may have read about our exploits. I’m a female, feline Hoganthan warrior. I’m an elite sniper and the weapons officer on our warship corvette, HSS Valkyrie. The Empire has made a huge mistake - they’ve ruled we are to be executed on-sight. If they really want to try that, they need to send more of their pretty ships for us to carve up and destroy. We ...

"John Returns" continues the story that tells how John Harris leads a group of survivors through the chaos of a country that has fallen apart. The US President and a coalition of third world leaders have launched a major nuclear and EMP attack on all of the major powers and killed over 100 million Americans. The Grid is down and most cars and trucks won’t run. All electronics were destroyed with the EMP blasts. The USA is in chaos with criminals and thugs attacking innocent citizens, while John and his team fight the corrupt Department of Homeland Security and the President. John Harris ...

The Carryx—part empire, part hive—has waged wars of conquest for centuries, destroying or enslaving species across the galaxy in its conflict with an ancient and deathless enemy. When they descend on the isolated world of Anjiin, the human population is abased, slaughtered, and put in chains. The best and brightest are abducted, taken to the Carryx world-palace to join prisoners from a thousand other species. Dafyd Alkhor, assistant to a prestigious scientist, is captured along with his team.