So You Want to Read Military Sci-Fi: Here’s Where to Start
Military science-fiction is a relatively old genre. Authors have been tackling the question of what war in the future will look like since the golden age of science-fiction, and it doesn’t appear that they’ll be slowing down any time soon. If anything, with our country being at war for almost 17 years, military science-fiction is more relevant than ever. Despite what you might think, not all military science-fiction glorifies or celebrates war. Some of the best works in the genre are those that question the absurdity and horror of military conflict, or at least leaven the action with introspection. Perhaps you’ve been looking for an entry point to military science-fiction but haven’t known where to start. If so, this list is for you. This isn’t an exhaustive overview, though: It’s just a short sampling of a few of the genre’s most notable works.
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1
Add to BookshelfStarship Troopers
by Robert A. Heinlein
In the far future, Earth is engaged in a struggle for life and death with a species of insectoid aliens: They’re smart, ruthless, and utterly dedicated to the destruction of the human race. Standing in their way are the men and women of the Mobile Infantry: an expeditionary force that brings the fight to the bugs wherever they are. Armed with powerful weapons and armored in high-tech battle suits, the Mobile Infantry represents the best humanity has to offer. Heinlein’s tale follows a new Mobile Infantry recruit through the training process and his deployment to the front lines. Starship Troopers may be almost 60 years old, but it remains an exciting and thought-provoking novel.
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$19.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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2
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Armor
by John Steakley
The planet is called Banshee. The air is unbreathable, the water is poisonous. It is home to the most implacable enemies that humanity, in all its interstellar expansion, has ever encountered. Felix is a scout in A-team Two. Highly competent, he is the sole survivor of mission after mission. Yet he is a man consumed by fear and hatred. And he is protected, not only by his custom-fitted body armor, but by an odd being which seems to live within him, a cold killing machine he calls “The Engine.”
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$24.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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3
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River of Bones
by Taylor Anderson
Commander Matt Reddy and his crew are afraid it may finally be the end of the USS Walker. Ever since their ship was transported to another world, and they became embroiled in a deadly conflict between the Lemurians and the vicious Grik, the Walker has been taking a pounding. With Walker out of commission for repairs, Reddy takes command of a different ship and joins a desperate battle to block the Grik swarm.
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$8.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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4
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A Talent for War
by Jack McDevitt
The acclaimed classic novel and fan favorite—the far-future story of one man’s quest to discover the truth behind a galactic war hero.
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$7.99Buy from Other Retailers:
