Fans pick 100 books like From History's Shadow

By Dayton Ward,

Here are 100 books that From History's Shadow fans have personally recommended if you like From History's Shadow. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Yesterday's Son

Scott Pearson Author Of The More Things Change

From my list on Star Trek novels that are sequels to the series.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m a lifelong raving Star Trek fan; I literally canā€™t remember a time I didnā€™t love Trek, which I was watching in syndication by the time I was in the second or third grade over fifty years ago. I started reading Trek novels in the seventies when the books and the underrated animated series were the only new Trek to be had. My dedication to the franchise eventually turned professional, first by writing some stories and novellas published by Simon & Schuster and then by becoming the freelance copyeditor of the novels. (In fact, I copyedited the last novel on this list.) Choosing just five was painfully difficult!

Scott's book list on Star Trek novels that are sequels to the series

Scott Pearson Why did Scott love this book?

I love a great Spock story, especially when his struggle between logic and emotion is at the forefront. That struggle is externalized and emphasized in this book when he discovers he has an adult son who has not been raised as a Vulcan. The tension between father and son plays off Spockā€™s troubled relationship with his own father.

It came out just a year after Star Trek II, four years prior to The Next Generation, so I eagerly awaited each book for my Trek fix, especially when they played off an episode because it was often a challenge to see the old shows in the eighties. In the episode ā€œAll Our Yesterdays,ā€ Spock, stranded in the distant past, had reverted to a pre-logic Vulcan and fallen in love, providing Crispin with her setup; she eventually wrote a follow-up, Time for Yesterday.

By A. C. Crispin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Yesterday's Son as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A cave painting of a Vulcan convinces Spock to journey five thousand years into the past through a time portal on the planet Gateway to reclaim his son


Book cover of Star Trek: Mirror Universe: The Sorrows of Empire

Scott Pearson Author Of The More Things Change

From my list on Star Trek novels that are sequels to the series.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m a lifelong raving Star Trek fan; I literally canā€™t remember a time I didnā€™t love Trek, which I was watching in syndication by the time I was in the second or third grade over fifty years ago. I started reading Trek novels in the seventies when the books and the underrated animated series were the only new Trek to be had. My dedication to the franchise eventually turned professional, first by writing some stories and novellas published by Simon & Schuster and then by becoming the freelance copyeditor of the novels. (In fact, I copyedited the last novel on this list.) Choosing just five was painfully difficult!

Scott's book list on Star Trek novels that are sequels to the series

Scott Pearson Why did Scott love this book?

One of my favorite ā€œBut what happened after that?ā€ moments of the original series was the challenge Kirk issued the goateed Spock at the end of "Mirror, Mirror": What will it be? Past or future? Tyranny or freedom? It's up to you. David Mack weaves a three-decade-long epic that answers the questionsā€”with shades of the psychohistory of Asimovā€™s classic Foundation trilogyā€”as Spock plays a three-dimensional chess game of moves and countermoves to bring about the downfall of an empire.

The Sorrows of Empire has everything I want from a Mirror Universe story: revolutionary intrigue, imperial treachery, and a cast of interesting mirror versions of characters we know and often love from the ā€œtrueā€ universe. It also deftly incorporates the increasingly complicated canon of the Mirror Universe introduced by the other series over the years.

By David Mack,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Star Trek as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'In every revolution, there is one man with a vision.' Those prophetic words were spoken by Captain James T. Kirk to Commander Spock of the Terran Empire, hoping to inspire change -- but he could not have imagined the impact his words would have.
Armed with a weapon of terrifying power and a vision of a noble Federation within the mirror universe, Spock seizes control of the Terran Empire and institutes the process of democratic reform. Rivals within the Empire try to stop him while enemies outside it unite to destroy it. Few suspect the shocking truth: that Spock isā€¦


Book cover of Star Trek: The Original Series: Foul Deeds Will Rise

Scott Pearson Author Of The More Things Change

From my list on Star Trek novels that are sequels to the series.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m a lifelong raving Star Trek fan; I literally canā€™t remember a time I didnā€™t love Trek, which I was watching in syndication by the time I was in the second or third grade over fifty years ago. I started reading Trek novels in the seventies when the books and the underrated animated series were the only new Trek to be had. My dedication to the franchise eventually turned professional, first by writing some stories and novellas published by Simon & Schuster and then by becoming the freelance copyeditor of the novels. (In fact, I copyedited the last novel on this list.) Choosing just five was painfully difficult!

Scott's book list on Star Trek novels that are sequels to the series

Scott Pearson Why did Scott love this book?

A novel from Greg Cox is always going to bring me the kind of deep-cut Trek continuity I love, but Foul Deeds Will Rise goes above and beyond by bringing me the sequel I didnā€™t know I needed: the return of Lenore Karidian, last seen twenty years earlier suffering a psychotic break after accidentally killing her mass-murderer father in the episode ā€œThe Conscience of the King.ā€

I also love when Trek plays in other genres, and here we get a murder mystery: Kirk has to investigate whether Lenore was successfully rehabilitated after serving her time for psychiatric treatment, or if has she fallen off the wagon and gone on a killing spree that could derail an entire peace process. Beyond the immediate plot, it plays amusingly well off Kirkā€™s long history of getting involved in doomed relationships. 

By Greg Cox,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Star Trek as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In the year 2288, not long after the events of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier: Captain James T. Kirk, in command of the Enterprise-A, is on a peacekeeping mission to an independent star system, where two rival planets, Oyolo and Pavak, are attempting to negotiate a settlement after years of bitter conflict. Oyolo has fought violently against Pavak's past attempts to exploit and colonize it, with atrocities and bloodshed on both sides. Neither world is aligned with the Federation, which has been aware of the situation in this sector for some time, but stayed out of the conflict untilā€¦


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Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor by FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan. The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced, it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run theā€¦

Book cover of The Face of the Unknown

Scott Pearson Author Of The More Things Change

From my list on Star Trek novels that are sequels to the series.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m a lifelong raving Star Trek fan; I literally canā€™t remember a time I didnā€™t love Trek, which I was watching in syndication by the time I was in the second or third grade over fifty years ago. I started reading Trek novels in the seventies when the books and the underrated animated series were the only new Trek to be had. My dedication to the franchise eventually turned professional, first by writing some stories and novellas published by Simon & Schuster and then by becoming the freelance copyeditor of the novels. (In fact, I copyedited the last novel on this list.) Choosing just five was painfully difficult!

Scott's book list on Star Trek novels that are sequels to the series

Scott Pearson Why did Scott love this book?

I always wanted to know what happened after the episode "The Corbomite Maneuver," which ended with a young crew member sent off to the mysterious First Federationā€”never to be heard from again in the shows. I always enjoy Christopher L. Bennettā€™s meticulous sci-fi world-building, and in his hands, the First Federation is revealed to be a suitably fascinating, if isolated, society.

I loved the sense of vastness achieved by getting beyond the United Federation of Planets. I also enjoy when a story takes full advantage of the continuity of the franchise, and The Face of the Unknown smoothly sets up elements of the often overlooked Animated Series of the 1970s as well as Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

By Christopher L. Bennett,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Face of the Unknown as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Investigating a series of violent raids by a mysterious predatory species, Captain James T. Kirk discovers that these events share a startling connection with the First Federation, a friendly but secretive civilization contacted early in the USS Enterprise's five-year mission. Traveling to the First Federation in search of answers, the Enterprise suddenly comes under attack from these strange marauders. Seeking refuge, the starship finds its way to the true home of the First Federation, an astonishing collection of worlds hidden from the galaxy beyond. The inhabitants of this isolated realm are wary of outsiders, and some accuse Kirk and hisā€¦


Book cover of Another Science Fiction: Advertising the Space Race 1957-1962

Matt Shindell Author Of For the Love of Mars: A Human History of the Red Planet

From my list on human connection to space.

Why am I passionate about this?

One of the reasons I love my job as a Space History Curator at the Smithsonianā€™s National Air and Space Museum is that I am fascinated to learn how people think about space, the cosmos, and their human connection with the universe. I am always eager to get beyond questions of what we know and how we know it and ask: Why do we ask the questions we ask in the first place? The books Iā€™ve listed here all explore our relationship with space and how we engage personally or collectively with space exploration.

Matt's book list on human connection to space

Matt Shindell Why did Matt love this book?

The early years of spaceflight coincided with the heyday of American advertising and eye-catching mid-century graphic design. The visual aesthetic of the Space Age, as expressed in the aerospace advertisements that populated magazines and trade journals of the day, reflected this intersection of futuristic technology and innovative design.

Collected together in a critical mass in this book, these advertisements evoke an era in which tomorrow was the product, aerospace was the currency, and American industry was set to reshape the cosmos.

By Megan Prelinger,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Another Science Fiction as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The late 1950s and early '60s were the golden age of science fiction, an era when the farthest reaches of imagination were fed by the technological breakthroughs of the postwar years. While science fiction writers expressed the dreams and nightmares of the era in pulp print, real-life rocket engineers worked on making space travel reality. The imaginations of many Cold War scientists were fed by science fiction literature, and companies often promoted their future capabilities with fantastical, colorful visions aimed at luring young engineers into their booming workforce. In between the dry articles of trade journals, a new visual vernacularā€¦


Book cover of Two Sides of the Moon: Our Story of the Cold War Space Race

Don Eyles Author Of Sunburst and Luminary: An Apollo Memoir

From my list on by Apollo insiders.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have read most of the books written about Apollo, especially those ostensibly written by my fellow participants. I have read these books for pleasure, to find out about parts of the moon effort that I did not see first-hand, and to learn what I could from the authorsā€™ mistakes and successes ā€” with a view to the writing of my own book. The books I have come to value the most are the books that seem to have been created for some other reason than commercial gain, the books unmarred by ghostwriting or heavy-handed editing, the books where the authorā€™s authentic voice speaks from the page.

Don's book list on by Apollo insiders

Don Eyles Why did Don love this book?

This is a buddy story, two guys telling their parallel stories in interleaved fashion. Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov flew in Earth orbit three times and made the first spacewalk. Dave Scott went to the Moon as commander of Apollo 15. They are the same age, both kids old enough to remember the Second World War. Both military pilots who might have been ordered to fight each other, who instead through the adventure of spaceflight became friends. They are thoughtful, open-minded, generous. Here, in their own words, they share their perspectives. 

By David Scott, Alexei Leonov, Christine Toomey

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Two Sides of the Moon as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"An extraordinary book."
---Arthur C. Clarke

Space was one of the most fiercely fought battlegrounds of the Cold War, the Moon its ultimate beachhead.

In this dual autobiography, Apollo 15 commander David Scott and cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, the first man to ever walk in space, recount their exceptional lives and careers spent on the cutting edge of science and space explorationā€•and their participation in the greatest technological race everā€•to land a man on the Moon.

With each mission fraught with perilous tasks, and each space program touched by tragedy, these parallel tales of adventure and heroism read like a modern-dayā€¦


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Book cover of The Circus Infinite

The Circus Infinite by Khan Wong,

Hunted by those who want to study his gravity powers, Jes makes his way to the best place for a mixed-species fugitive to blend in: the pleasure moon where everyone just wants to be lost in the party. It doesnā€™t take long for him to catch the attention of theā€¦

Book cover of Red Moon Rising: Sputnik and the Hidden Rivalries That Ignited the Space Age

Segun R. Bello Author Of Agricultural Machinery & Mechanization

From my list on agricultural mechanization.

Why am I passionate about this?

My fascination with agriculture began in childhood, growing up in the countryside, where traditional farming was the way of life. This early exposure fueled my desire to pursue a career in agricultural engineering at university and continue farming on a larger scale. With years of experience in machinery design and mechanization, I have been inspired to document my journey. Hearing about great pioneers who had innovatively transformed farming through their inventions into a more efficient and enjoyable practice from the Industrial Revolution to the present day deepened my passion for writing on agricultural mechanization. I am so confident you will enjoy these books as much as I enjoyed writing about their innovations.

Segun's book list on agricultural mechanization

Segun R. Bello Why did Segun love this book?

I love this book because it brought to the fore my childhood memories of stories and fantasies about space exploration and alien wars in the zeniths in the early 1970s. It revealed the secret behind-the-scenes stories of the fierce battles that launched the world superpowers into space. It gave a succinct description of the spy planes that drove Nikita Khrushchev crazy each time the Americans pried into the Soviet Union air space.

The characters perfectly depicted the scientists and astronauts prior to the launching of Korolev's satellite in October 1954, giving rise to the emergence of Sputnik adventures that led to the historic moon landing, the invention of cell and mobile communication gadgets, and, ultimately, the internet revolution.

Matthew Brzezinski critically explored the nitty-gritty of the Kremlin, the White House, secret military facilities, and the halls of Congress in this book, simplifying the exploits of the rival Russians and Americanā€¦

By Matthew Brzezinski,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Red Moon Rising as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

For the fiftieth anniversary of Sputnik, the behind-the-scenes story of the fierce battles on earth that launched the superpowers into space The spy planes were driving Nikita Khrushchev mad. Whenever America wanted to peer inside the Soviet Union, it launched a U-2, which flew too high to be shot down. But Sergei Korolev, Russia's chief rocket designer, had a riposte: an artificial satellite that would orbit the earth and cross American skies at will. On October 4, 1957, the launch of Korolev's satellite, Sputnik, stunned the world.
In Red Moon Rising, Matthew Brzezinski takes us inside the Kremlin, the Whiteā€¦


Book cover of Space Race: The Epic Battle Between America and the Soviet Union for Dominion of Space

Nick Abadzis Author Of Laika

From my list on the Soviet space program.

Why am I passionate about this?

I wrote and drew a book about the Russian dog called Laika, the first living being to go into orbit around the planet Earth. Part of the conception of this book was that I wanted to create a graphic novel that almost anyone could read - a comic for people who might not usually read comics. It had to be accessible - you didnā€™t have to be steeped in comics lore, geek culture or space history to find your way into it. I've been creating books, magazines, comics, and stories for both adults and children for more than thirty-five years, with work published all over the world. 

Nick's book list on the Soviet space program

Nick Abadzis Why did Nick love this book?

Space Race was originally a companion book to a BBC docudrama from the mid-2000s and as such shares all the climactic page-turning paciness youā€™d expect from such an account. While it doesnā€™t share the deep detail of some of the books mentioned above, itā€™s an illuminating and highly enjoyable overview of the historical events that culminated in the Americans landing on the Moon in Apollo 11 in 1969.

By Deborah Cadbury,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Space Race as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One of the most exhilarating true adventures in history, the race into space was marked by courage, duplicity, political paranoia, astonishing technological feats, and unbelievable triumphs in the face of overwhelming adversity. It is the story of an unparalleled rivalry between superpowers and of the two remarkable men at the center of the conflict. On the American side was Wernher von Braun, the camera-friendly former Nazi scientist, who was granted hero status and almost unlimited resources by a government panicked at the thought of the Cold War enemy taking the lead. The Soviet program was headed by Sergei Korolev, aā€¦


Book cover of Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race

Timothy Knapman Author Of The Book of Blast Off!: 15 Real-Life Space Missions

From my list on making space exploration a blast for kids.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a kid I loved space, and devoured science fiction (Doctor Who was my favorite). Now Iā€™m a grown-up, I write books for kids - 70 so far and counting. (My latest picture book is called Sometimes I Am Furious, illustrated by Joe Berger.) The Book of Blast Off! is my second book about space (the first one was just called Space ā€“ not the most imaginative title, itā€™s true). I love writing non-fiction for kids because, unlike grown-ups, you canā€™t blind them with science. You have to know what youā€™re talking about so you can explain things clearly. Theyā€™re the best audience and you want to be worthy of them.

Timothy's book list on making space exploration a blast for kids

Timothy Knapman Why did Timothy love this book?

This is a childrenā€™s version of the book that inspired the movie.

Like everyone else who saw that movie, I was blown away by the story ā€“ I was also thoroughly ashamed that I hadnā€™t heard about these amazing women before.

Iā€™m no math whizz, so making all those impossibly complicated calculations ā€“ on which peopleā€™s lives would depend ā€“ is already completely beyond me. But doing so with such dignity and determination in the face of the daily grind of petty prejudice and poisonous ignorance puts them in the superhero category.

I was in tears in the movie, and once again when reading the book.

By Margot Lee Shetterly, Laura Freeman (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Hidden Figures as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Based on the New York Times bestselling book and the Academy Award-nominated movie, author Margot Lee Shetterly and illustrator Laura Freeman bring the incredibly inspiring true story of four black women who helped NASA launch men into space to picture book readers!

Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden were good at math...really good.

They participated in some of NASA's greatest successes, like providing the calculations for America's first journeys into space. And they did so during a time when being black and a woman limited what they could do. But they worked hard. They persisted. And theyā€¦


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Book cover of Captain James Heron First Into the Fray: Prequel to Harry Heron Into the Unknown of the Harry Heron Series

Captain James Heron First Into the Fray by Patrick G. Cox, Janet Angelo (editor),

Captain Heron finds himself embroiled in a conflict that threatens to bring down the world order he is sworn to defend when a secretive Consortium seeks to undermine the World Treaty Organisation and the democracies it represents as he oversees the building and commissioning of a new starship.

When theā€¦

Book cover of Live from Cape Canaveral: Covering the Space Race, from Sputnik to Today

Rebekah Lyn Author Of Undaunted

From my list on on space exploration.

Why am I passionate about this?

Growing up on the Space Coast, with my dad working on the Space Shuttle, and launches a regular occurrence, over time I took the program for granted. When the last Shutte launched, though, it left a hole in my heart. Gradually a desire to write about my hometown and its place in space history gave birth to the Jessie Cole trilogy. A combination of stories from my dadā€™s childhood in Titusville, conversations with docents at our historical society, and scores of books, magazine articles, and archived news footage helped reshape my view of space exploration. It was hard to choose just five books to highlight. More are noted in the Research Library section of my website.

Rebekah's book list on on space exploration

Rebekah Lyn Why did Rebekah love this book?

This is a must-read for anyone who wants to follow the history of the US Space program from the very first launch onward. Barbree was the only journalist to cover every launch and while doing so met many of the astronauts and provides behind-the-scenes stories of dedication and comraderie. I had the privilege to participate in a book signing with Mr. Barbree at the US Space Museum in Titusville, FL in 2014. Heā€™s a funny man who has loved all things space since the launch of Sputnik. This book is filled with humor, personal stories, and an understanding of how the media coverage of the space program and NASA has changed over the years. Barbree has also written an outstanding biography of Neil Armstrong, completed just prior to this pioneerā€™s death. 

By Jay Barbree,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Live from Cape Canaveral as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

ā€œFrom Sputnik to the International Space Station, Jay Barbree has seen it all, and reported it well. ā€˜Live from Cape Canaveralā€™ encapsulates the most technically exciting half century in history.ā€ ā€“Neil Armstrong

Some fifty years ago, while a cub reporter, Jay Barbree caught space fever the night that Sputnik passed over Georgia. He moved to the then-sleepy village of Cocoa Beach, Florida, right outside Cape Canaveral, and began reporting on rockets that fizzled as often as they soared. In "Live from Cape Canaveral," Barbreeā€”the only reporter who has covered every mission flown by astronautsā€”offers his unique perspective on the spaceā€¦


Book cover of Yesterday's Son
Book cover of Star Trek: Mirror Universe: The Sorrows of Empire
Book cover of Star Trek: The Original Series: Foul Deeds Will Rise

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Interested in space race, the Cold War, and presidential biography?

Space Race 21 books
The Cold War 265 books