(Intro To) Military Science Fiction | LeeReads
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- Опубликовано: 2 июн 2024
- Today we're talking accessible military science fiction, where the military aspect is a huge part of the story, but the books also have other fun elements that perhaps make them appeal to a wider audience. If you're new to military sci-fi, these books are good places to dive in!
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A few suggestions of books and series that I really liked:
Lois McMaster Bujold - Vorkosigan series
Gordon Dickson - Dorsai series
David Weber - Honor Harrington series
David Weber - Starfire series (starting with Crusade)
David Drake - Hammer's Slammers series
David Drake - RCN series
Andre Norton - Star Soldiers
Christopher Anvil - Pandora's Planet
Jerry Pournelle - Janissaries series
Elizabeth Moon - Vatta's War (which doesn't start as a Mil SF series but changes) series
David Feintuch - Seafort Saga series
William Forstchen - Lost Regiment series
Niven & Pournelle - Footfall
Marko Kloos - Frontlines series
H. Paul Honsinger - Man of War series
Christopher Nuttall - The Empire's Corps series
Rick Partlow - Drop Trooper series
SM Stirling & David Drake - The General series
David Weber & John Ringo - Prince Roger series
Long list! I've started Vorkosigan and love the first few books--young Miles is next!
@@LeeReads 8-) You hit one of my primary interests and I've been reading Mil SF for probably 50 years now, so this is kind of the highlights.
Absolutely - especially Bujold.
As for Moon, I find her Serrano Legacy (Familias Regnant) series even better than Vatta's War.
Nice List
I recommended the Dorsai and Harrington series as well
How about The Forever War by Joe Haldeman?
@@bpuryea Another excellent choice, though I don't like the sequel anywhere near as much.
Old Man's War by John Scalzi is a must read. I'm a huge Galaxy's Edge (not the star wars, but the excellent series by Jason Anspach and Nick Cole). Armor by John Steakley is also a a must read. Both are great in audio book form (which is how I read them). I second Starship Troopers. Anybody who has been in the military will recognize how the main character proceeds in his development from a frontline soldier to a frontline soldier who is also an officer.
I finally read Old Man's War earlier this year and really liked it!
Scalzi is an amazing talent, I look forward to his books . He writes with a world weariness without being depressing 👍.
Yep Scalzi is an easy read. I mostly liked the bootcamp part.
Old Man's War is excellent, and the Last Colony was good too, but the books got maudlin and sappy after that.
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. Starship Troopers from the perspective of someone who was in the Viet Nam war. Also Uller Uprising by H. Beam Piper. Based on the Sepoy rebellion in British India.
Yes! That one was highly recommended in this video and I've definitely read it since then!
Also the "bolo" series by Keith Laumer.
Bolos are ultimate self aware tanks. Series continued by David Weber and others.
Here's some more:
The Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell - extensive series involving numerous space battles and using realistic physics to fight them.
Helfort's War series by Graham Sharp Paul - predominantly space battles.
Gaunt's Ghosts series by Dan Abnett - set in the brutal Warhammer 40K universe, this series covers an Imperial Guard infantry regiment, over a dozen books in this series.
Passage At Arms by Glen Cook - this is a standalone book involving ship combat that is similar to submarine warfare.
Vatta's War by Elizabeth Moon - interesting series about a woman who has to unite a ragtag force to protect her family and their holdings against pirates amongst other things.
The Corporation Wars by Ken Macleod - trilogy about AIs in a distant star system fighting against each other. Interesting series as all the characters are essentially computer programs and hardware.
Federation War by Rick Shelley - trilogy written 20 years ago involving mainly ground troops, he has another series about a mercenary unit called Dirigent Mercenary Corps that I've never read.
Sixteenth Watch by Myke Cole - standalone book about a Coast Guard spaceship based on the moon.
Imperial Radch trilogy by Ann Leckie - series about an intelligent ship AI and its crew.
CoDominium series by Jerry Pournelle and S.M. Stirling - there is a pile of books set in this universe, although a significant number of them were written in the 70's and 80's. The Mote in God's Eye mentioned below, is set in this universe, although quite a few centuries later.
Wow such a long list with a lot of different story types, thanks! Submarine warfare (sounds more terrifying than space battle even though... they're probably equally dangerous haha) and AI vs AI... lots to look through here. I think Lost Fleet needs to move up on my TBR, I've seen it recommended a lot. Oooh, Elizabeth Moon! I've read her Deeds of Paksennarion, but not any of her SF, I'll have to check that out.
(I *have* read The Imperial Radch trilogy! Apparently I really like AI ship tropes. Reminds me that I really need to get to Velocity Weapon...)
You sir know your shit
Vatta's War is dramatized on Graphicaudio. You could probably get it from a library site.
Lost Fleet was a tough read at first. I got tired of the protagonist apologizing all the time. But it gets better and the series is a worthwhile read.
Old Man's War by John Scalzi
A Call to Duty by David Weber and Timothy Zahn
I happened to see a post on reddit last night that recc'd all of these books! Old Man's War seems to be on everyone's list, so I just grabbed the ebook. :) I enjoyed Zahn's Star Wars novels but I've never read other work by him, so I'm really intrigued...
@@LeeReads If you are looking for first contact military sci-fi, Zahn's Conquerors' Pride is the start of a trilogy that I remember as being a fun read with an interesting premise.
@@umbrahs Definitely bumping Zahn up on the to-read list.
Heinlein's Starship Troopers is amazingly good. Other military sci-fi that is great include:
David Drake. His Hammer's Slammers series is dark at times, but it's written by someone who's been on the sharp end. His RCN/Lt. Leary series is less dark, and has two protagonists whose interactions and relationship are top notch. Actually, anything Drake writes is well-written and realistic in a way that many other authors can't recreate.
David Weber. His Honor Harrington series is top notch, with realistic characters and action. He co-authored the Prince Roger/Empire of Man series with John Ringo, and wrote the Dahak series, both of which are excellent.
John Ringo. His Legacy of the Aldenata/Posleen War series is excellent, as is his collaboration with David Weber mentioned above. All that he has written is gripping and entertaining. I only wish his muse wouldn't leave him for years at a time. Another veteran whose description of battle is shaped by experience.
Tom Kratman. The Carrerra stories are excellent, but many readers will be put off by his unflinching depictions of war and how it affects everyone involved. Carrerra only fights when necessary, but when he does, he is as ruthless as it takes to win and protect his people.
Jack Campbell (AKA John Hembry). The Lost Fleet and its sequels are excellent books, concentrating on fleet actions and the political machinations of both naval officers and the governments they serve.
Jerry Pournelle. The CoDominium series, is another entertaining series.
There are several others that I like, but this post has already passed the TL:DR Threshold. 🙂
I 100% agree with the lost fleet series! Starting with Dauntless. Great read!
Heinlein's *Starship Troopers* is the Alpha/Genesis of the genre. It was for more than a decade on the "suggested" professional reading lists for the Army, Marines, and Navy.
"David Drake's *Hammer's Slammers* series is dark at times, but it's written by someone who's been on the sharp end."
"His RCN/Lt. Leary series is less dark, and has two protagonists whose interactions and relationship are top notch. [It leverages both the dynamic of O'Brien's Aubrey/Maturin books ( *Master and Commander* + 21 tomes) and his own extensive knowledge of Roman history.]" And yes, the rest of his catalog is well worth while. He recently passed so there will be no additions to his ouvre.
David Weber's Honor Harrington series is indeed top notch Space Opera. His collaboration with John Ringo ( *March Upcountry* et al following Prince Roger) is quite good and may be continued...
John Ringo in his own right is also quite good, as is Tom Kratman (I was one of Colonel Kratman's first readers and was red shirted in his Carrera novels and MiC'd* in *Karnifax.*
Out Here
*Mentioned in Credits
Oh, not for me! Carry you on!
The co-authors Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven's works "Falkenberg's Legions" and related stories, including, but not limited to "A Mote in God's Eye" and "The Gripping Hand".
Too many great short stories, novellas and novels in the series to mention here. Definitely worth a read.
"Through Struggle, the Stars" and "The Desert of Stars" from John Lumpkin are quite enjoyable and scientifically sound books that I haven't seen mentioned in the chat (so far). "The Polity" series from Neal Asher are quite entertaining, but are more of Space Opera type.
Jerry Pournelle’s Falkenberg’s Legion series is still the gold standard. Starship Troopers book, not movie, and Dorsai are still foundational military sci/fi as well.
I feel like I need to revisit Starship Troopers because it's been so long since I've read it. But I hadn't heard of the Legion series before, thanks!
@@LeeReads It’s still my favorite. May find it listed as the Co-Dominium series as well. Make sure to read Dorsai. It looks at military sci-fi through the career of a mercenary officer from Lt through General. It was released the same week as Starship Troopers.
@williamsmith8790 Thanks for reminding me of Legion, I need to dig those out and read them again. Agree Starship Troopers is essential reading, and I'd say follow that up with Haldeman's Forever War for contrast.
So the Honor Harrington series by David Weber... One of the greatest stories ever written. Military science fiction has been my primary genre since the 1980s... So David Weber, David Drake, Jerry Pournell, John Ringo, are some of the very very best there are so many more I don't even know where to start...
Excellent author list! Pretty much all I read any more. :-)
💯 Besides the incredibly detailed description of the ships, armaments, and the allusions to sea battles in the age of sailing ships, it's Weber's character development (both human and feline) that keeps you coming back for more. I read them as they were published.
Another recommendation that is not Milittary SF per se is Iain M Banks' Culture Series. Start with Consider Phlebas. I like it for the same reasons as the Honir Harrington series, but be prepared for a much darker read...much darker.
@@chong2389 David Weber's character development is just phenomenal to get to see them develop over a 20-year period is just amazing.
@@StevenPLegere More like thirty years... [In plot/character time]
@@RodneyGraves25 years from first to last in the main series. 👍
I love the sound of Light brigade, just added it to my wish list on audible
1. 'Armor' by John Steakley
2. 'A small colonial war' and 'Fire in a far away place' by Robert A Freeza
3. Falkenberg's Legion Series by Jerry Pournelle
4. Lost Fleet Series by Jack Campbell
5. Old Man's War series by John Scalzi
6. Honor Harrington series by David Weber
7. Praxis books (Dread Empire's Fall Series 1 and 2) by Walter Jon Williams
Know lots more if you want more but these are from the top of my list of favourites.
Lots of familiar recs! Since I made that video, I have read Old Man's War and I really liked it. It's on my list of series to continue. And I bought book one of Lost Fleet but haven't started it yet!
I second Armor🎉🎉
Books I haven' seen mentioned. Space Viking and Lord Kalvin of Otherwhen by H. Beam Piper and Jean Johnson's series starting with A Soldiers Duty, Andre Norton's Beast Master, and Star Guard, Heinlien's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress Elizabeth Moon's two different Vatta series.Orson Scott Card' Ender's Game
You have been given some excellent suggestions in the comment section. Your first choice, The Light Brigade, seems reminiscent of The Forever War by Joe Hadleman written in the early 1970's.
I have seen John Steakly's "Armor" mentioned more than once and I completely agree. It is one of the best military sci-fi books written. Starship Troopers with a twist. (side note, as far as I know, John Steakly only wrote two books, the second is Vampires Inc. it has all the same characters found in Armor, but different. Hollywood even butchered it with a movie)
David Weber's Honor Harrington series is excellent up until Echoes of Honor. His Shadow of Saganami series seems to harken back to his original style, but he has dealt with the same problem in that series, he writes too much extraneous material that becomes ridiculously boring.
Keith Laumer's Bolo series is amazing. It is odd to get emotional about an intelligent tank, but he manages to cause that reaction in several stories.
Brett Saberhagen wrote the Berserker series which is worth a look.
David Weber and Steve White wrote a series together that is very good, the Starfire series which I think is Insurrection, Crusade and the Shiva Option but I may be missing a book in it.
There are several books from Michael Z. Williamson that are worth a read also, Freehold and The Weapon. Especially The Weapon. His others are a bit hit or miss.
John Ringo has the Troy Rising series which is very good. He also did a Starship Troopers type series beginning with A Hymn Before Battle, then Gust Front (my favorite of the series), Dance with the Devil, and Hell's Faire. There are additional book set in the same universe which are also very good.
Okay, what, an intelligent tank?? I'm definitely going to check that out. Thank you for the recommendations!
@@LeeReads his original effort in the Bolo universe took the tanks from Mk I thru Mk XXX if I remember correctly. In his cannon, all Bolo's from Mk XX on were self-aware and intelligent. All of the anthologies written by other authors in his universe are worth a read also.
Fyi: the story of the first self-aware Bolo gets me every time. It's called "For the honor of the regiment" if I remember correctly. Another one that makes your eyes sweat a bit is about a Bolo named Lenny (unit LNY) and the last surviving member of his regiment.
Jack Campbell, Lost Fleet series, and Stark’sWar andJAG in Space series.
It's a nitpick, but The Expanse is not military sci-fi, it's space opera. For recommendations, try audiobook versions of Craig Alanson's Expeditionary Force (you'll get to meet Skippy the Awesome!); B.V. Larson's Star Force and Undying Mercenaries series (entertaining stories about James McGill, a member of the Varus Legion of mercenaries who die but then get revived over and over etc.); and Ian Douglas's Star Carriers series (amazing world building and phenomenal extrapolations of time travel by spinning wormholes, Dyson spheres, Alcubierre drives, etc.).
The War World Series as edited by John F. Carr is a good starting place, both the anthologies and the novels. It will introduce you to many of the old guard.
I recommend "Hammer's Slammers" for some good old school military sci-fi.
Hi, great video. Joe Halderman’s Forever War is in my opinion, an SF must read. It’s an antiwar book, written by someone who experienced the horrors of Vietnam.
Yes! I did finally read this one. It was realy interesting, like... this was a person who went off to defend our way of life, but when he got back it was like what was "normal" had changed and it was hard to recognize/understand that way of life anymore. Like he became unanchored. At least that's what I took from it.
@@LeeReads Yes, that aspect was interesting to me as well, but also the pointlessness of war, loss of family, loss of innocence; fighting aliens, and not understanding why the war is being fought. Training in extreme cold temperatures only to end up fighting in unbearable heat (or was it the other way around?). All these things were direct and authentic reflection on authors experiences in the Vietnam War. Forever War stands opposite to books like Starship Troopers which glorify war.
I also liked Forever Free, the direct sequel to FW, although I seem to be in the minority. I really like Haldeman's writing, I suppose.
@@dapawaz8310 I have not read FF, it’s not talked much about. Maybe I’ll pick it up. 👍
Thanks
@@LeeReadsIt sounds like your first book, The Light Brigade, also took from The Forever War, since it dealt with time travel and how it affected the characters’ experience. I know it often gets boiled down to just Joe Haldeman’s experience in Vietnam, but I think it sells his book short. Thanks for your video!
I'm going to take the risk of being a bit of a basic bitch:
1. On Basilisk Station by David Weber. TBH all of Honor Harrington is great, but I'm not going to recommend that many books at once. This is a good place to start.
2. A Hymn Before Battle by John Ringo. Also the start of a series and quite good. The series goes a little weird later. And the author gets really weird in some of his works, but this is a pretty solid bit.
3. The Tank Lords by David Drake. It can be a bit disturbing, but it's really worth the read. The author wrote these stories to deal with his experiences in Vietnam in the war.
All of these are available for free from Baen in their free online library as well.
Oh cool, thanks for the tip about Baen!
I've been seeing Weber recommended a lot recently, so he's going to the top of the list! Haven't heard of the others but I'm excited to check them out.
@@LeeReads Don't Google John Ringo. MUCH later on he gets kinda weird with his idfic thriller series, Paladin of Shadows. And with how well it did he doesn't bother to hide his freak flag properly in his other works after that. Unless you like doses of kinky added to your Zombie Apocolype or whatever.
@@GamingWithUncleJon Good to know!
Weber is my favorite Baen author, especially the Honor Harrington series and his Starfire series written with Steve White. I am also a big fan of author Ian Douglas who writes the Star Carrier series for Harper-Voyager. Just finished the first book in a new series by him called Solar Warden. I enjoyed it immensely.
I've got to agree with Jon, the Honor Harrington series is great!. I've only listened to the first four books so far but I've loved each of them. I like how the series follows Honor's career and her rise up the ranks in the Navy as the series goes along.
As is said many times below; "Old Mans War", "Armor" (which I believed I was the only living person who had read it.), "Ender's Game", (the short story compilations) "Bezerk", "Star fighter", and IF you can put up with the machismo, "Hammer's Slammers".
Armor by John Steakley wasn't it? read it back in the '80s David Drake's Hammers Slammers books are awesome
Nice Video…
Heinlein is one of the True Godfathers of Sci-Fi… “Starship Troopers” (1959) is one of my Favorites. (I’ve read most of his books a few times.)
Drake’s “Complete Hammer’s Slammers” Series is Outstanding! And can be had collected in three Volumes… As a crusty old Tanker myself, I love the Slammers..!
Ringo’s “Troy” Series is Top Shelf.
Scalzi’s “Old Man’s War” Series is Top Shelf.
Just to name a few…
I have Read and Listened to each of these books and series more than a few times, and I’ll come back to them again in the future. Though I’m always on the hunt for Good Mil-Sci-Fi, and Good Sci-Fi in general… Finding a Series worth Reading more than once can be difficult…
Cheers!
One of my favorite series features a very unusual hero, Miles Vorkosigan. This military/political SF series traces the arc of the Vorkosigan clan as told through the career of a charismatic genius with a serious handicap. The books are full of surprises, humor and wormhole control politics. A truly enjoyable read from Lois McMaster Bujold.
Yes, Vorkosigan! I currently have the Young Miles omnibus waiting to be read. I enjoyed Shards of Honor and Barreyar and I'm excited to read Miles' stories! :)
Oh, hell yeah! Miles Naismith Vorkosigan, the tiniest, bravest, most breakable hero in space opera.
Can these be read in any order? Ive read Memory and really enjoyed it.
@@baconeggburger6826 I think the author recommends them in chronological order but I haven't read enough to say whether it's fine to stray!
@@LeeReads I read the whole series in one big binge, and I still didn't have enough.
Many of Iain Banks' _Culture_ novels have military SciFi elements. My favorite is _Use of Weapons._
I've since read Consider Plebas and Player of Games, which I really liked. Use of Weapons is on my list to get to this year!
I loved Consider Phlebas! It had some of the most beautiful scenes I ever read as well as the most disgusting (in which excrement and cannibalism feature). Couldn't get into the other books, however.
Troy Rising series by John Ringo.
I’ve seen a lot of recommendations for Jack Campbell’s Lost Fleet series, and I understand why: it’s wonderful. One series I adore that I’ve never seen mentioned is the Black Fleet series by Joshua Dalzelle. I found it during the summer of 2020 and absolutely fell in love.
I have Lost Fleet queued up on my kindle!!
@@LeeReads do yourself a favor and read both series. If you enjoy military science fiction, you will definitely like them
Others have already mentioned The Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell. Also the Honor Harrington series by David Weber. I'd add the Planet Pirate books by Anne McCaffrey and other authors. Her Freedom books also delve into the military aspects of sci-fi. I saw Armor mentioned a few times, I remember reading that as a young teen in the 90`s, and enjoyed it. But there were some slow parts in the middle. John Ringo has several series, but I've only read the Prince Rogue series he cowrote with Weber.
I've read a few of Elizabeth Moons Vattas War and the Serrano Legacy that I really liked. Never can seem to find them all in order! The Red Rising books by Pierce Brown. Don't know if you like graphic novels, but F.E.AR. Agent by Rick Remender were entertaining.
Definitely need to read The Expanse books, I've loved the series!
I've just published Price of Vengeance, which is part of my Dreamscape Warriors universe. Two other books in the series are coming out this year.: Legacy of Valor comes out June 20, and Promise of Mercy comes out October 10. I call it paranormal military science fiction.
Oooh that's an interesting mix of genres!
@@LeeReads I thought so. If you wish, I can send you a copy. How would I get one to you?
Honor Harrington - David Weber
Forbidden Borders Trilogy - Michael W. Gear
here are a few good series/books
Humorous:
"Phule's Company" by Robert Asprin
Serious:
"Hammer's Slammers" by David Drake
"Honor Harrinton" by David Weber
Human vs Aliens:
"Starfist" by David Sherman & Dan Cragg
"Jack Forge, Fleet Marine" by James David Victor
"Old Man's War" by John Scalzi
Alien vs Alien:
"The Bug Wars" by Robert Asprin
AI vs Humans or Aliens
"Bolos" by Keith Laumer
Single Books:
"Armored" by John Joseph Adams
"Body Armor 2000" by Joe Halderman
"Armor" by John Steakley
I love how you categorized these! I'm a bit of a mood reader so narrowing it down like this makes it easier to find the right sort of vibe. What would you recommend for a "First Contact" (With or Without War) category?
I just picked up Old Man's War, but I'm intrigued by some of these other titles too!
@@LeeReads a couple of older stories I like for first contact are: "Little Fuzzie" by H. Beam Piper or "Phylogenesis" by Alan Dean Foster. Both books are the begininng of a series of books. A stand alone book with lots of alien animals is "Tuf Voyaging" by George R R Martin (same author of Game Of Thones")
Good video and some great recommendations! Of course Jack Campbell’s Lost Fleet series is one if the best. Cheers!
Old Man's War by John Scalzi is an excellent military sci-fi. It's one of my absolute favorite series.
I recently read that one! I enjoyed it, it's a series I plan to continue once I finally finish The Expanse!
@@LeeReads The entire series is excellent.
Christopher G Nuttall has two series Ark Royal and The Empire’s Corp also Jag in Space by Jack Campbell.
Ok cool! I've been recommended some other works by Jack Campbell, I definitely thing I should check out that author.
Woah 🤯 😳 😅 The Light Brigade 💡! Sounds similar to my chronology in my universe!
One of my favorites is Armor by John Steakley. It is a bit like Starship Troopers, but greater depth to the story, and actually a much better book, IMO.
Well worth a read.
I think I have seen the recommended before! I do like that Starship Troopers vibe...
Absolutely one of the best ever written.
Ok I just picked up a really gorgeous copy of Armor at B&N! :) Shall be reading it soon.
Great. I hope you enjoy the read!
BOLO - ALL DAVID DRAKE BOOKS - MOTE IN GODS EYE
Grunts in Space: Immersive but not much political or social philosophizing.
These two series are old classics of the scifi genre.
1. Hammer's Slammers: Armoured division hires out as mercenaries in an interstellar feudal system of constant wars.
2. Dorsai: Family traditions result in supersoldiers without the use of biological or cyborg adjustments.
Honorable Mention:
Ranks of Bronze: A whole Roman legion is abducted by aliens to fight their proxy wars. Galactic laws forbid advanced civs from attacking iron age planets. But they are allowed to send iron age soldiers as proxies. Roman legion takes on all kinds of alien soldiers.
Hammers Slammers series by DavidDrake for futuristic tank war and his Lt Leary series for a sci-fi update of Patrick O'Brian navel warefare
Oooh naval warfare you say? I'm intrigued!
Have been looking into MSF lately so nice to see some introductory titles 👌
Yay, glad to help!
Right now I'm reading a book called Space Carrier Avalon. It's about a ship which functions as an aircraft carrier but in space, therefore called a space carrier, called Avalon. Avalon is the first space carrier. And its crew, led by its new captain and its new wing commander, are meant to take it on a final tour to show it off before its decommissioning.
That sounds interesting! Makes me think of Battlestar Galactica, where it was being turned into a museum and then had to aprubtly be returned to service when the cylons attacked :)
The author of the X-Wing Rogue Squadron series, Michael J. Stackpole, wrote many books that are fiction tie-ins to a tabletop wargame called Battletech. The Battletech universe is huge and has probably a hundred novels, some good, some not. Stackpole's are all very good.
I've heard of battle tech but haven't read it! might be fun to explore.
The Forever war by Joe Haldeman,
Would be my recommendation.
Yes, I have this one on audiobook! I should start it next... I have to pick between this one, and On Basilisk Station by Weber.
@@LeeReads For me this is the story of William and Mary, will they survive basic training and then the army, their time in the war, (no spoilers) and time travel.
The audio book really does bring the characters and their stories to life.
Please make this book , the next on your to do list.
Yeah, The Light Brigade is really good. Here's some recs: The Forever War by Joe Haldeman (and the sequel The Forever Peace!) Solid (and somewhat classic) military SF.
I'm 75% done with the Forever War!!
@@LeeReads Awesome, I hope you like it, and even if you don't, I recommend The Forever Peace as it has a surprisingly distinct feel and theme.
As a bit of light reading try "starguard" by Andre Norton. (her real name was Alice).
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman a good description of a military conflict with interesting characters.
Yes, I've read it since then! Really gave me a lot to think about.
Another great series which was finished recently (2022) was Pournel's *Jannisaries.* There's an interesting backstory as to how the series came to be in the forward by David Weber to the final volume, *Mamelukes.*
Jack Campbell is a very thorough, hard military scifi writer.
Another classic published around the time of Starship Troopers is Dorsai, by Gordon R. Dickson. It's more from the perspective of a general rather than an individual trooper.
In the vein of the X-Wing books, an old favorite of mine is the Wing Commander book series, based on the video game series of the same name. Most of them are written by William R. Forstchen, who is a military historian. I like how he draws on that expertise in his stories. I also enjoyed his John Matherson trilogy, which is a post-apocalyptic story that builds into a military focus later on.
Oh those look cool, thank you!
I just finished Planetside (audiobook) by Michael Mammay and I wasn’t aware Mammay is ex-military. I didn’t know what to expect going in but it was outstanding. Colonel Butler reminded me of Miller from The Expanse. I will definitely heed your recommendations.
Glad you enjoyed it!!
Two of my favorites. Elliot Kay's Poor Man's Fight series, (5 books), and the Front Line series by Marco Kloos (6 books).
Poor Man's Fight is great
Marko Kloos's Frontlines 1st book was pretty good.
Try the entire Downbelow Station series (Union-Alliance universe) by C J Cherryh.
Also, Weapon, and Solo, by Robert Mason (author of the Vietnam War classic, Chickenhawk).
#LeeReeds
Recommendations:
1) The Chronicles of Promise Paen by W.C Bauers
2) The Red Trilogy by Linda Nagata
3) Genocidal Organ by Project Itoh
4) Frontline series by Marko Kloos
5) The Destroyermen series
Ooh The Red! I read the first book a long time ago. I love the idea of the faceless handler in the operator's head, creates lots of good conflict. I need to check out the rest of that series... and the other books you recommended!
Addendum:
#LeeReeds
Red Noise (2020).
David Weber’s Honor Harrington series, John Ringo, David Drake, and Tom Kratman have all put out excellent military scifi
I know of a whole host of military Sci Fi but the one the that I've been reading for several years is by Ian Douglas. He's got three trilogies that I love. They are the Star Marines, Star Carrier, and Star Corpsman. He is a former US Navy Corpsman so he writes from that perspective. He uses a lot of hard science in how he explains ship to ship combat in a SciFi genre ands in real space travel concepts.
Wow that sounds really intriguing and authentic. I definitely want to short-cut that to the top of my list. Which of the three trilogies should I try first?
@@LeeReads I would say start with the Star Marine sagas, it has three trilogies that follows the US Marines through the whole series. It chronicles humans getting into space a first contact with alien species.
whoa whoa whoa, hold on just one second. Expanse better than Battlestar? What the Frak? Anyways, I'm an old man who's read most of these, as well as everything the other commenters have mentioned, and for some reason, when I think "Military Sci-Fi", my mind immediately goes to Hammers Slammers. Read it probably 30 years ago, but something about it was just very memorable. I can still recall passages, plot points, and concepts from it. It's no literary masterpiece, but it was a very fun read.
Thank you for the video and analysis. I have been hearing about "The Light Brigade", and I will have to get a copy. I have been reading SF since 1963, it was mostly Golden Age in the libraries thru the late 1960s. I read a lot SF magazine offerings, and SF was largely short story driven thru the 1960s.
Starship Troopers I place at the pinnacle of military SF. Everyone since has learned from RAH, and he learned from Campbell Jr. and van Vogt. Just my opinion!
Storm Over Warlock by Andre Norton is a very good small-scale military action novel, A Plague Of Demons by Keith Laumer is amazing - also his Bolo short stories.
Wolfling by Gordon R Dickson and for some early Golden Age military SF - Mission To The Stars - A E van Vogt. A young woman in command of a starship so large you transport from area to area, tractor beams, telepathy, lost human civilizations, mutations, civil rights considerations, ship command wranglings, space opera.
Thank you! I know this video is old but I just found it and it helped me decide to finally start reading Leviathan Wakes. I want to read more sci-fi in this year and I had no idea the genre of military sci-fi existed.
Awesome! Glad you found it and that you decided to give Leviathan Wakes a try! There are tons and tons of good military sf suggestions in the comments of this video.
Your comment actually inspired me to update my favorite SF list (broad genre not just military) which went up today! Maybe it can give you more ideas to try.
Thank you! I'll definitely check it out, sci-fi has always been a genre I was most afraid of, so these kind of videos help me a lot :)@@LeeReads
I will have to check these recommendations out. I'm an old Veteran (both Military SF, and combat veteran [Iraq, twice}...), so my list of 'introduction to military science fiction' is a bit different... But that isn't a bad thing. My father (a Cold War Veteran) introduced me to to this sub-genre with some David Drake and S.M. Stirling novels ("The General Series" by both authors, "The Fleet" short story compilations edited by David Drake and Bill Fawcett), as well as the base novels ("Starship Troopers" by Heinlein and "Forever War" by Haldeman; both are important...). When I read David Drake's works, prior to going to war myself, it was good but not impactful. After serving a couple of combat tours, suddenly the nuance and grittiness took on an entirely different meaning (for example, the taste and smell of the environment along with the emotional reaction to events). Any of the "Hammers Slammers" short stories by Drake are incredible for anyone who ever rode in an armored vehicle in training or in combat, and Drake's 'Magnum Opus' has to be his novel "Redliners" where he finally was able to 'let go' of his own Vietnam experience and come to terms with post traumatic stress himself. I cannot say it's 'a good introduction' unless a reader has themselves faced death in a very dramatic and traumatic fashion and somehow lived, but it is a very profound work of military science fiction (possibly the best to date). I'm working my way through "The Fleet" again right now, the first time re-reading since going to war (the first time I read them was in high school back in the 90's.... yeesh, I'm old...), and I must say, for a series written in the late 80's/early 90's a great many of the stories hold up well in the second decade of the 21st century. Drake's short stories, as well as those by Janet Morris, and few others still have great impact (and sometimes more than when I was a high schooler...); others are just great entertainment like those by Gary Gygax (yes, the author of D&D dabbled in writing SF stories...), Larry Niven, and Piers Anthony are just pure Space Opera entertainment. If you want to delve into the roots of military SF and Space Opera, "The Fleet" books 1 through 6 are a great look back at the refinement of both sub-genres in the late 80's and early 90's that would lead to the current generation of authors like Michael Z. Williamson (gunsmith to Jim Baen), John Ringo, and others.
Oooh, you offer a really cool perspective, thanks for commenting! I'll definitely check out The Fleet!
As long as you bring up Stirling, his Domination of the Draka series (Marching Through Georgia, Under the Yoke, and The Stone Dogs) is good and quite disturbing. I don't think you can find them in bookstores anymore; there is an omnibus edition titled The Domination. The individual books are available on Audible.
This is not a series with a happy ending.
Excellent post! And yes, Redliners is one of the best Drake ever wrote. I read it at least once a year. Not everyone can handle it, and I have to take some time after reading to process(and reprocess) it and its lessons. Drake said he never could have written the RCN/Lt. Leary series before he dealt with his PTSD by writing Redliners.
Velocity Weapon was great! I have The Light Brigade on my list. Looking forward to it. 🙂
I picked up Velocity Weapon once but I don't think I was in the right frame of mind for it (ironically, because of the time skips--my mood-reading brain is weird sometimes). However right now I'm in the mood to meet an AI spaceship, so I'm eager to give it another try! Plus I've heard the whole trilogy is very strong. :) Your recommendation is bumping it higher on my TBR!!
@@LeeReads Enjoy! Now the sci-fi I am reading is Network Effect (A Murderbot Novel) by Martha Wells. Then I will dive into The Light Brigade. (I read romance and fantasy in rotation with sci-fi. Got to have a balanced reading diet. 🙂)
@@themusespeakstome4467 Murderbot!!! Please let me know what you think of Network Effect. :)
I definitely agree about the balanced reading diet! Although I am being intentional about reading more SF, Fantasy is what I'm drawn to most, and I love romance (although most of the romance I read is adult contemporary or YA Fantasy). I wish there was more romantic SF on the market!
@@LeeReads Yay for more romance SFs. Big hint to romance and SF writers out there. Let's have more marrying of the genres! 🙂
All good recommendations -- I agree with you about reading Hurley over Heinlein. And I *love* Mechanical Failure -- not a lot of people know about that one, so I'm glad you covered it. If you're looking for a good read that is more pure military SF, I really enjoyed CRY PILOT by Joel Dane.
Oooh, thank you so much for the recommendation. Rogue bioweapons?! Awesome!
Stop!! What is this I hear? Heresy!! Heinlein is father, Heinlein is mother, Heinlein is not only great sci-fi adventure, it is also elevated social commentary and life lessons, all rolled into one.
the light brigade is highly promoted at bookstores and i tend to shy away from that, but sounds great i should give it a read thanks.
It was fun and twisty. I haven't noticed it at bookshops lately but maybe I've not been paying attention. It's a few years old, now!
Others have recommended pretty much everything I could think of to suggest, other than the Republic Commando series by Karin Traviss. Like the X-Wing series, they're set in the Star Wars IP, but deal with Clone troopers, and the Jedi who command them, rather than pilots. They're very well written, and deal with some quite serious themes of identity, the ethics and morality of using effectively a slave army, and surrogate parenthood, among others.
I haven't heard of that series but I like the sound of it! Thank you!
lots of stuff by Jerry Pournelle & Larry Niven are exactly what you are looking for , like the Man-Kzin Wars ; and ofc others have mentioned "Armor" as well as the Honor Harrington series by David Drake
"The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted." By. Harry Harrison......one of a number of Stainless Steel Rat books, but it is sci-fi and he does get drafted, well, on purpose for another reason.
I'm always intrigued when they have ulterior motives for getting drafted...
@@LeeReads He does.....but good ulterior motives.....
Seen some of the stuff mentioned but if it hasnt been I’d recommend Dread Empire’s fall series, it has clever set piece battles, space opera story, and great story telling. It’s a trilogy but I couldn’t put it down till I finished the last book. An yes I whole heartedly recommend the Honor series, amazing books.
Thank you for the rec! I just sent a sample of The Praxis to my kindle to check out!
"Galaxy's Edge" Star wars from the point of view of a special operations team. The prequels and spins off series are pretty freakin awesome
"The Ember Wars" Galacy spanning Alien Invasion to wipe out all sentient beings. Special operation team, fun read, good action.
"Murder Bot Diaries" A murder bot hacks its regulator. He has social anxiety and a desire to just chill and watch movies but he gets caught up in all kinds of situations he needs to use his arm blasters. Unique quick fun read
"Red Rising" Si-fantasy. GoT meets Dune in space. Pretty epic. The first book is very Hunger games esk. Most like it but if the first doesn't do it for you, trust me it ramps up in the other books.
"We are Legion We are Bob" Modern Sifi, fun read. Guys consciousness is uploaded. Finds himself uploaded into a seed ship built to find new habitable planets. He makes copies of himself and they build more ships...First contact, action, humor.
"Forgotten Ruin" Random one by the same authors of Galaxy's Edge. This is a Military Si-fantasy. Green Berets find themselves in the future. A nano plague has coveted everything into a something that looks like DnD...It's bizarre but a fun read
Jack Campbell
M.D. Cooper
He is very prolific and very talented. Aeon14 is his universe a lot of fun. Lots of female protagonists. Female badasses have always been my favorite
You got some really good recommendations and I just want to add a couple. Also I should mention Phule's Company recommended by Gordon is a very light and fast read so easy to squeeze in.
If you find David Drake's Hammers Slammers (The Tank Lords) a little tough, "With the Lightnings" is a little lighter and also free from Baen.
If you decide to try the Lensman Series I recommend you skip the first book "Triplanetary" and maybe even the second "First Lensman" in favor of reading "Galactic Patrol". Although the first three books are about the same broad story line the last 4 make a good series and the first two are more background and expansion.
Thank you! Will definitely add these to the list. It's so nice how many free books Baen offers.
David Drake was in a dark place when he wrote the Slammer books. Excellent books, but very brutal and harsh.
Warhammer 40k: Dan Abnett's "Eisenhorn" and "Tanith First and Only" are the top military SciFi books.
Thanks for the list. I’ve read one on your list but did not like it. The others I have not read. Yet. Keep up the videos!
I think my first Military SciFi was David Drake’s Hammer Slammers back in the 80s.
Nice list and great thumbnail sketches
Honor Harrington by David Weber - On Basilisk Station first of 14 books or so.
Armor by John Steakley
The Dorsai novels by Gordon R Dickson - there are 7 or 8
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - there are a dozen or so but you don't have to read more than the first book
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
I've read The Forever War and several of Ender's Game! But one on your list I haven't grabbed yet that I really need to get to is Honor Harrington!
Velocity weapon is pretty good but the series just kind of wandered off and I eventually just put it down about halfway thru book 3
Empire of man series by David Webber
You inspire me to read!! Keep up the good work 🙌
Thank you!!
Try The Confederation Series by Tanya Huff, Kris Longknife by Mike Shepard, In Fury Born by David Weber, The Paradox Trilogy by Rachael Bach, and The Hostile Takeover Trilogy by S. Andrew Swann.
You should defintely read David Weber's Honor Harrington books.
Those are really high on my TBR at the moment!
@@LeeReads Don't forget to check out Toby Frost's "Space Captain Smith" series. For a jolly good time!
I would like to suggest you try Starfist, another in a series of Military SciFi, very grounded, be rich in human experience and opportunity to engage other species and worlds. Very enjoyable and intense at times as you follow a company of Space Marines.
Oooh sounds intriguing!
So this a rare but very famous book “Armour by John Steakley…it’s very normal in the beginning, than becomes depressing because of the hopelessness, than the hero somehow survived, or did he…amazing book and the ending makes you hope…worth reading, it’s a little different than what you’ve recommended…thank you for your suggestion’s, I will check a few of them out…thank you
Armour is hard! I'm about a third of the way done and had to let it rest a bit because it was very dark and intense. But I do intend to continue one day!
Well all I can say is it gets harder, then it becomes a completely different book, and in the end they make sense…I will tell you that regarding how dark it is,it makes the book worth it, I suggest you power thru, but I realize it’s powerful dark, trust me it’s worth it.. good luck, if you do..fyi I’m trying a few your recommendations, looking forward..if you want an amazing book try “a gift of time” by J Merritt, book is amazing, Audiobook even better, also has very rough 1st chapter in more ways than one, this is an amazing story w/ending, well worth it..read both books multiple times..ty
Oooh, Velocity Weapon sounds great. Thanks! Did you like The Priory of the Orange Tree (I think that’s the title…)? I almost got half-way through. It seemed good.
I enjoyed Elizabeth Moon's "Serrano Legacy" series and McCaffery/Moon's "Planet Pirates"trilogy....Moon's Vatta series is next on my list to read....I think most of these were written in the 90s.
I have some Moon I need to read!!
even though never have been a big military sci-fi fan and even at times thought of it as a kind of joke picked up the light brigand recently and am really enjoying it thanks for no spoilers⚛😀
Yay glad you're having fun with that one! It's a ride.
Expeditionary Force (1-16) by Craig Alanson is awesome and hilarious military sci-fi. A definite must read (listen to R.C. Bray, outstanding narrator, brings the story to life) or both (immersion reading is fantastic). Bobiverse (1-4, soon 5) by Dennis Taylor are great too! 😀
I love RC Bray! I've read (listened) up to book 4 or 5 of ExFor, it's definitely on my to-continue list! It's a lot of fun. The name Nagatha made me cackle with delight lol Oh Skippy.
You will absolutely love the rest of the series! I laugh out loud so much when reading/listening to this series. So good. Trust the awesomeness! Hehe. Nagatha is a scream. The initial introduction by Skippy had me rolling. So damn funny.
Poor Man's Fight and it's two sequels by Elliott Kay.
Happily endorse Scalzi's Old Man's War. VERY easy to read.
One of my favorite science fiction books which I guess isn't strictly military is the Dosadi Experiment. The author is Frank Herbert and it's sort of a special agent drama.
Oooh. I've read several DUNE novels, and I'm interested to see Herbert's take on a special agent...
Funny that nobody mentioned Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. It's a military scifi classic.
Yeah that is funny and I totally forgot about that series too!! 🤣
The Confederation Series by Tanya Huff is Great and for a fun read try Mary Gentle's Grunts
I REALLY need to try some Tanya Huff!
"Armor" By Steakley is fun. The "Midshipman's Hope" series is very good. But for me, starting with "Warrior: En Garde" by Michael A. Stackpole is the first book in The Warrior Trilogy and a great starting point into the Battletech universe of 100 plus books. Amazingly rich stories about humanity's galactic future. But if you want something small and fun, "Earthlight" by Arthur C. Clark is a great choice. It's what the Expanse books were based on. Finally, "Rendezvous with Rama" is a must.
I picked up a copy of Armour last month and plan on getting to it pretty soon! All your recs sound cool, my TBR is getting so long...
Military sci-fi "World War Mars" by Rick Partlow.
Try Neal Asher's books.
A bit more on the humorous side you should check out the expeditionary force series. The first book if which is Columbus day.
Also the undying mercenaries series, the first book of which is steel world.
Both definitely military sci fi series. Some interesting ideas, entertaining characters, and fun stories.
I've read that one since I made this video! I really like it, the main character cracks me up. I told myself I couldn't continue with that series until I finish The Expanse, though...
@@LeeReads well, with leviathan falls coming out that shouldn't be too far off!
The ex force series only gets better the farther in you get.
@@joshwarner5676 I'm on book 7 but hopefully can finish in the next few months!
If you want something excellent from a non-American perspective, I can thoroughly recommend Edmond Barrett’s “Nameless war” trilogy and his new novels in the prequel “Contact war.”
Hard sci-fi in the very near future. Great stories and interesting and believable characters.
A great read.
Freehold series and the Falkenberg's legion series
Hadn't heard of those, thanks!
Weber's Honor Harrington series starting with 'On Basilisk Station' or his Safehold series, although that one is harder to classify into 'military' sci fi. Nuttal's Empire Corp series, essentially Asimov's Foundation series but written (and I'm going to be hated for this) much, much better.
Try John Ringo
He has been recommended a lot! I haven't quite made it there yet...
Mine would be the Mote in God's Eye - an older book, though.
You're the second person who has suggested Mote in God's Eye!
This list is incomplete without Joe Haldeman "The Forever War".
Yep a lot of people recommended that so I've read it since! Lots to think about.
After watching your video I started Planetside by Mammay. I am enjoying it so far and right now it looks like I will read the rest of the series.
I did not like Unconquerable Sun the constant 1960's pop culture references seemed unnecessary and kept taking me out of the book. And the trains! There had to be more scenes on trains than on spaceships.
I would recommend the Company Wars stories by C.J.Cherryh. (Fair warning I recommend Cherryh to everyone). Her books don't focus on the military but The Company Fleet is an ever-present threat.
A. Bertram Chandler's Rimworlds series follows the Space Navy (and beyond) career of John Grimes. An older series that may be dated but I like them.
I need to read some CJ Cherryh! I tried one novel and didn't click, but I don't want to give up. I see what you mean about the pop culture/reality TV aspect in Unconquerable Sun. Although I also kind of think that sort of thing would *probably* happen since a person of that status would be a celebrity for sure.
So glad you liked Planetside!! He recently released another novel that I also enjoyed (review incoming).
@@LeeReads Cherryh can be an acquired taste, it took me a few books but now she is the author I compare others to.
I finished Planetside and liked it. The plot reminded me of Apocalypse Now if the main character was Spenser from Robert B. Parker's books (and TV show Spenser: For Hire). An odd combination but it worked.
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman 😁
YES! I have the audiobook, just need to start it.
@@LeeReads 😁
Odyssey One by Evan Currie, first a quartet and then becomes series, I enjoy it anyway, even if it's not the best written and it has the most disturbing FTL travel i ever came across. First trip outside the solar system gets them into a war nobody wants.
That sounds like a cool premise!