Science Fiction was just something that we did as a family growing up. We’d always gather to watch various iterations of Star Trek as family. Family movie nights usually consisted of whatever science fiction titles the local movie rental place would have on hand, which usually meant watching a lot of B-movie junk, but it was fun. It might sound silly, but I think growing up with all those science fiction movies and books really informed my career choice, electrical engineer. You see, in these movies and books the women just got the job done. I thought, why can’t I do it too??
Lyvia Bax-Dupree just wants to do her job as independent intergalactic transporter and maybe have enough money for a beer left over at the end of a run. But her ship is on its last leg, one of the Keeper’s goons just stole her last drone, and her best friend, Heidi, an android, is in dire need of repairs. So when a customer offers a fare that seems too good to be true, she has no choice but to go against her instincts, and accept it. Lyvia soon finds that completing this job is the least of her worries and she must reconnect with her estranged husband and her outlaw parents if she wants to survive. But enduring her family might prove to be more challenging than living through the biggest conspiracy the galaxy has seen.
Full disclosure, Mary Fan and I partner on editing the Brave New Girls series. However, that doesn’t make this book any less awesome. Jane Colt is 20-something working a boring corporate job until she witnesses her friend, Adam, get kidnapped. Before she knows it, she’s embroiled in an interstellar chase along with her brother who has a past in the most lawless corners of the galaxy. This book is a little Blade Runner and a little Firefly, and it explores what it means to be human and the real meaning of family. I love this book because it is fast-paced with a fun and sometimes bratty (in a good way) main character. I’m a sucker for across-the-galaxy adventures and this book definitely delivers.
Jane Colt is just another recent college grad working as an Interstellar Confederation office drone—until the day she witnesses her best friend, Adam, kidnapped by a mysterious criminal. An extensive cover-up thwarts her efforts to report the crime, shaking her trust in the authorities. Only her older brother, Devin, believes her account.
Devin hopes to leave behind his violent past and find peace in a marriage to the woman he loves. That hope shatters when he discovers a shocking secret that causes him to be framed for murder.
With little more than a cocky attitude, Jane leaves everything she knows…
Okay, I know me, and zillion other people love this movie and book. And I also know that it’s super cliché to say that the book was better (I do love the movie though). But I’m listing this book here because as an engineer I found the banter between everyone in the book so genuine, engaging, and funny. It reminded me of times when I used to get to work in the labs with a team on a project. The energy projected is just so real. The book goes into a lot more detail about how Watney survives on Mars. I love how he MacGvyers his way through a gauntlet of scientific and technical challenges. I love the teamwork and the chemistry between all the characters.
Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.
Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there.
After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he's alive--and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.
Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old human error are…
This is somewhat science fiction, but more of an alternate historical fiction novel. This is the first in the Lady Astronaut series. It starts off with a bang, literally, when a meteorite hits Earth in 1952. This meteorite destroys much of the east coast and sets off a ticking time bomb where Earth will no longer be habitable in a matter of decades. Now there is a full effort to colonize space so humans can find another home. Women who were once thought not able to become astronauts are now able to vie for spots in the Astronaut Corps along with their male counterparts. I love science history and reading about the women “calculators” of this area (Katherine Johnson, Rear Adm Grace Hopper, etc.). So if there’s a space adventure set in this era, count me in!
A meteor decimates the U.S. government and paves the way for a climate cataclysm that will eventually render the earth inhospitable to humanity. This looming threat calls for a radically accelerated timeline in the earth's efforts to colonize space, as well as an unprecedented opportunity for a much larger share of humanity to take part.
One of these new entrants in the space race is Elma York, whose experience as a WASP pilot and mathematician earns her a place in the International Aerospace Coalition's attempts to put man on the moon. But with so many skilled and experienced women pilots…
This book is just pure fun. As you probably guessed, I’m a huge fan of Firefly and this book really sated my Firefly need. Set in the far future, an heiress of one of the major houses or large corporations that run the “ ‘verse” is on the run from her family to avoid a political marriage. She and one of the galaxy’s most ruthless outlaws are forced to team up to stay alive. This book has it all: sexy outlaw dudes, space chases, snarky heroines, and political espionage.
"Polaris Rising is space opera at its best, intense and addictive, a story of honor, courage, betrayal, and love. Jessie Mihalik is an author to watch."--Ilona Andrews, #1 New York Times bestselling author
A space princess on the run and a notorious outlaw soldier become unlikely allies in this imaginative, sexy space opera adventure-the first in an exciting science fiction trilogy.
In the far distant future, the universe is officially ruled by the Royal Consortium, but the High Councillors, the heads of the three High Houses, wield the true power. As the fifth of six children, Ada von Hasenberg has…
This is actually the third book in the Lunar Chronical series, a sci-fi/fairy tale mash-up. I totally enjoyed the whole series, but if I was forced to pick my favorite in the series this would be it. I think this one stood out to me because the main character, Cress, is so different from most heroines in novels I read. Obviously, I love the outspoken, snarky, adventurous females in these books, but Cress was a little different. Cress, a hacker stuck on a satellite since childhood, is quiet and thoughtful and not the guns blazing type. Cress lacks a lot of self-confidence your typical sci-fi heroines have and I really enjoyed the journey watching Cress gain that self-confidence.
Cress is the third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, following Cinder and Scarlet.
Incarcerated in a satellite, an expert hacker and out to save the world - Cress isn't your usual damsel in distress.
CRESS grew-up as a prisoner. With only netscreens for company she's forced to do the bidding of the evil Queen Levana. Now that means tracking down Cinder and her handsome accomplice Emperor Kai. But little does Levana know that those she seeks, and the man she loves, are plotting her downfall . . .
As paths cross and the price of freedom rises, happily…
Born Nameless. Raised in ice and snow. Destined to rule.
Arya Nameless has sidestepped her destiny in favour of joining House Ravenstrike and helping Thiara Ravenstrike become High Warlord of Dunidaen. First, Arya must ensure that Thiara’s only son, Rorin, succeeds in running the Dreadwater Gate into Khadini, a deadly rite of passage that none have survived for decades. If they triumph, Arya will be named general of Ravenstrike’s army and land a political blow against their powerful adversary, Warlord Mathas Crowtalon.
Yet Khadini holds challenges far beyond what they expected. And while Arya contends with wild jungles, fierce enemy warriors, and potential new allies, the Nightstalker continues to seek her with relentless intensity. The monsters hunting her wield a dark magic she has no way of countering. Survival relies on staying hidden, secret.
Yet, when Arya’s wyvern calls, the time for hiding is over.
Born Nameless. Raised in ice and snow. Destined to rule.
Arya Nameless has sidestepped her destiny in favour of joining House Ravenstrike and helping Thiara Ravenstrike become High Warlord of Dunidaen. First, Arya must ensure that Thiara's only son, Rorin, succeeds in running the Dreadwater Gate into Khadini, a deadly rite of passage that none have survived for decades. If they triumph, Arya will be named general of Ravenstrike's army and land a political blow against their powerful adversary, Warlord Mathas Crowtalon.
Yet Khadini holds challenges far beyond what they expected. And while Arya contends with wild jungles, fierce enemy…
