Writing Military Science Fiction


Book Description

A crucial reference for writers of military science fiction and a priceless resource for other writers. What goes on during a firefight? What does a Staff Sergeant do? A Corporal? How big is a company? How far can soldiers march in a day? What are the mechanics of an orbital assault drop? Why aren't all soldiers equiped with machine guns? How many Marines are in a squad? What is the French Foreign Legion equivilent of a staff sergeant? What about a Iraqi soldier? This book covers things from types of armor, to types of weapons, biotechnolgoy, cybernetics, pisionics and so much more. While this book may not have it ALL, it tries and it has links to other resources as well. Over 200 pages of useful information.




The Red


Book Description

Lieutenant James Shelley commands a high-tech squad of soldiers in a rural district within the African Sahel. They hunt insurgents each night on a harrowing patrol, guided by three simple goals: protect civilians, kill the enemy, and stay alive. In a for-profit war manufactured by the defense industry, there can be no cause worth dying for. To keep his soldiers safe, Shelley uses every high-tech asset available to him, but his best weapon is a flawless sense of imminent danger as if God is with him, whispering warnings in his ear.




Terms of Enlistment


Book Description

The year is 2108, and the North American Commonwealth is bursting at the seams. For welfare rats like Andrew Grayson, there are only two ways out of the crime-ridden and filthy welfare tenements: You can hope to win the lottery and draw a ticket on a colony ship settling off-world, or you can join the service. Andrew chooses to enlist in the armed forces. But as he starts a career of supposed privilege, he soon learns that good food and decent health care come at a steep price.




Planetside


Book Description

“Planetside is a smart and fast-paced blend of mystery and boots-in-the-dirt military SF that reads like a high-speed collision between Courage Under Fire and Heart of Darkness.” – Marko Kloos, bestselling author of the Frontline series A seasoned military officer uncovers a deadly conspiracy on a distant, war-torn planet… War heroes aren't usually called out of semi-retirement and sent to the far reaches of the galaxy for a routine investigation. So when Colonel Carl Butler answers the call from an old and powerful friend, he knows it's something big—and he's not being told the whole story. A high councilor's son has gone MIA out of Cappa Base, the space station orbiting a battle-ravaged planet. The young lieutenant had been wounded and evacuated—but there's no record of him having ever arrived at hospital command. The colonel quickly finds Cappa Base to be a labyrinth of dead ends and sabotage: the hospital commander stonewalls him, the Special Ops leader won't come off the planet, witnesses go missing, radar data disappears, and that’s before he encounters the alien enemy. Butler has no choice but to drop down onto a hostile planet—because someone is using the war zone as a cover. The answers are there—Butler just has to make it back alive… “Not just for military SF fans—although military SF fans will love it—Planetside is an amazing debut novel, and I’m looking forward to what Mammay writes next.” – Tanya Huff, author of the Confederation and Peacekeeper series




War Stories


Book Description

In War Stories: New Military Science Fiction, editors Andrew Liptak and Jaym Gates collects short stories by science fiction and fantasy authors dealing with the effects of war prior, during, and after battle to soldiers and their families. War is everywhere. Not only among the firefights, in the sweat dripping from heavy armor and the clenching grip on your weapon, but also wedging itself deep into families, infiltrating our love letters, hovering in the air above our heads. It's in our dreams and our text messages. At times it roars with adrenaline, while at others it slips in silently so it can sit beside you until you forget it's there. Join Joe Haldeman, Linda Nagata, Karin Lowachee, Ken Liu, Jay Posey, and more as they take you on a tour of the battlefields, from those hurtling through space in spaceships and winding along trails deep in the jungle with bullets whizzing overhead, to the ones hiding behind calm smiles, waiting patiently to reveal itself in those quiet moments when we feel safest. War Stories brings us 23 stories of the impacts of war, showcasing the systems, combat, armor, and aftermath without condemnation or glorification. Instead, War Stories reveals the truth. War is what we are. Table of Contents: Foreword -- Gregory Drobny Graves -- Joe Haldeman Part 1: Wartime Systems In the Loop -- Ken Liu Ghost Girl -- Rich Larson The Radio -- Susan Jane Bigelow Contractual Obligation -- James L. Cambias The Wasp Keepers -- Mark Jacobsen Non-Standard Deviation -- Richard Dansky Part 2: Combat All You Need -- Mike Sizemore The Valkyrie -- Maurice Broaddus One Million Lira -- Thoraiya Dyer Invincible -- Jay Posey Light and Shadow -- Linda Nagata Part 3: Armored Force Warhosts -- Yoon Ha Lee Suits -- James Sutter Mission. Suit. Self. -- Jake Kerr In Loco -- Carlos Orsi Part 4: Aftermath War Dog -- Mike Barretta Coming Home -- Janine Spendlove Where We Would End a War -- F. Brett Cox Black Butterfly -- T.C. McCarthy Always the Stars and the Void Between -- Nerine Dorman Enemy States -- Karin Lowachee War 3.01 -- Keith Brooke Cover art by Galen Dara.




The Best Military Science Fiction of the 20th Century


Book Description

Explosive and provocative battles fought across the boundaries of time and space—and on the frontiers of the human mind. Science fiction’s finest have yielded this definitive collection featuring stories of warfare, victory, conquest, heroism, and overwhelming odds. These are scenarios few have ever dared to contemplate, and they include: “Superiority”: Arthur C. Clarke presents an intergalactic war in which one side’s own advanced weaponry may actually lead to its ultimate defeat. “Dragonrider”: A tale of Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern, in which magic tips the scales of survival. “Second Variety”: Philip K. Dick, author of the short story that became the movie Blade Runner, reaches new heights of terror with his post-apocalyptic vision of the future. “The Night of the Vampyres”: A chilling ultimatum of atomic proportions begins a countdown to disaster in George R. R. Martin’s gripping drama. “Hero”: Joe Haldeman’s short story that led to his classic of interstellar combat, The Forever War. “Ender’s Game”: The short story that gave birth to Orson Scott Card’s masterpiece of military science fiction. PLUS SEVEN MORE EPIC STORIES “Among Thieves” by Poul Anderson “Hangman” by David Drake “The Last Article” by Harry Turtledove “The Game of Rat and Dragon” by Cordwainer Smith “To the Storming Gulf” by Gregory Benford “Wolf Time” by Walter Jon Williams “The Scapegoat” by C. J. Cherryh Guaranteed to spark the imagination and thrill the soul, these thirteen science fiction gems cast a stark light on our dreams and our darkest fears—truly among the finest tales of the twentieth century.




Armor


Book Description

The military sci-fi classic of courage on a dangerous alien planet 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. Body armor has been devised for the commando forces that are to be dropped on Banshee—the culmination of ten thousand years of the armorers’ craft. A trooper in this armor is a one-man, atomic powered battle fortress. But he will have to fight a nearly endless horde of berserk, hard-shelled monsters—the fighting arm of a species which uses biological technology to design perfect, mindless war minions. 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.” This is Felix’s story—a story of the horror, the courage, and the aftermath of combat, and the story, too, of how strength of spirit can be the greatest armor of all.




On Basilisk Station


Book Description

Comprehensive Teacher's Guide available.




Cherries


Book Description

In 1970, John Kowalski was among the many young, inexperienced soldiers sent to Vietnam to participate in a contentious war. Referred to as “Cherries” by their veteran counterparts, these recruits were plunged into a horrific reality. The on-the-job training was rigorous, yet most of these youths were ill-prepared to handle the severe mental, emotional, and physical demands of combat. Experiencing enemy fire and observing death up close initiates a profound transformation that is irreversible. The author excels at storytelling. Readers affirm feeling immersed alongside the characters, partaking in their struggle for survival, experiencing the fear, awe, drama, and grief, observing acts of courage, and occasionally sharing in their humor. "Cherries" presents an unvarnished account, and upon completion, readers will gain a deeper appreciation for the trials these young men faced over a year. It's a narrative that grips the reader throughout.




Battlespace: Military Science Fiction Anthology


Book Description

Military Science Fiction Anthology presented by The Science Fiction Show and Knightwatch Press