Recommendations based on Agent to the Starsby John Scalzi

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. The Android's Dream

    by John Scalzi
    A diplomat embarks on a mission to save humanity from an interstellar war.

    A human diplomat kills his alien counterpart. Earth is on the verge of war with a vastly superior alien race. A lone man races against time and a host of enemies to find the one object that can save ... (Goodreads)

  2. Old Man's War

    by John Scalzi
    Elderly citizens enlist in an interstellar war to save humanity, discovering new strength and purpose.

    Old Man's War is about a soldier named John Perry and his exploits in the Colonial Defense Forces (CDF). The first-person narrative follows Perry's military career from CDF recruit to the rank of ... (Wikipedia)

  3. Redshirts

    by John Scalzi
    A group of space explorers uncover an unlikely conspiracy while on a mission to an alien planet.

    In the prologue, several senior officers of the Intrepid , flagship of the Universal Union, lament the unusually high number of casualties of low-ranking crew members during recent away missions and ... (Wikipedia)

  4. The Andromeda Strain

    by Michael Crichton
    Scientists race against time to contain a deadly virus of extraterrestrial origin.

    A team from an Air Force base is deployed to recover a military satellite that has returned to Earth, but contact is lost abruptly. Aerial surveillance reveals that everyone in Piedmont, Arizona , ... (Wikipedia)

  5. Snow Crash

    by Neal Stephenson
    A hacker's quest in a futuristic America dealing with a mysterious computer virus.

    Hiro Protagonist is a hacker and pizza delivery driver for the Mafia. He meets Y.T. (short for Yours Truly), a young skateboard Kourier ( courier ) who refers to herself in the third person , during ... (Wikipedia)

  6. Daemon

    by Daniel Suarez
    A thrilling techno-thriller, exploring the power of artificial intelligence and its potential for revolution.

    Upon publication of the obituary for Matthew A. Sobol, a brilliant computer programmer and CTO of Cyberstorm Entertainment, a Daemon is activated. Sobol, dying of brain cancer, was fearful for ... (Wikipedia)

  7. Cold Days

    by Jim Butcher
    Wizard Harry Dresden must protect Chicago from a powerful Winter Fae Lord.

    You can't keep a good wizard down - even when he wants to stay that way. For years, Harry Dresden has been Chicago's only professional wizard, but a bargain made in desperation with the Queen of Air ... (Goodreads)

  8. 14

    by Peter Clines
    A group of strangers with mysterious powers must join forces to save the world from a supernatural evil.

    Padlocked doors. Strange light fixtures. Mutant cockroaches. There are some odd things about Nate’s new apartment. Of course, he has other things on his mind. He hates his job. He has no money in the ... (Goodreads)

  9. Ghost Story

    by Jim Butcher
    A group of elderly men, who share a dark secret, are being haunted by a vengeful ghost. They must confront their past to save their future.

    Immediately following the events of, Changes, , Harry finds himself between life and the afterlife, where he is informed that there has been an "irregularity" with his death and is given the option ... (Wikipedia)

  10. Small Favor

    by Jim Butcher
    A wizard detective uses magic to solve a dangerous supernatural mystery.

    One year after the events in, White Night, , Dresden is confronted by Queen Mab calling in one of the favors owed her by Harry: that he be her "Emissary," and protect John Marcone. Despite repeated ... (Wikipedia)

  11. The Wise Man's Fear

    by Patrick Rothfuss
    Epic fantasy adventure of a young man's quest for knowledge, power and love.

    On the second day of his recounting the story of his life to Chronicler at the Waystone Inn, Kvothe continues the narrative commenced in, The Name of the Wind, , wherein a younger Kvothe pursues his ... (Wikipedia)

  12. Red Mars

    by Kim Stanley Robinson
    Colonists brave the harsh landscapes of Mars, striving to make the planet their new home.

    Red Mars starts in 2026 with the first colonial voyage to Mars aboard the Ares , the largest interplanetary spacecraft ever built and home to a crew who are to be the first hundred Martian colonists. ... (Wikipedia)

  13. Kill Decision

    by Daniel Suarez
    A thrilling techno-thriller about autonomous drones and the race to control them. Fast-paced and action-packed.

    The book opens with a video feed from predator drones in Karbala , Iraq, where it is observed that an unmarked drone with American colors fires a missile on the dense crowd during a religious ... (Wikipedia)

  14. Reamde

    by Neal Stephenson
    A thrilling adventure story set in the world of online gaming, with an international cast of characters.

    “Stephenson has a once-in-a-generation gift: he makes complex ideas clear, and he makes them funny, heartbreaking, and thrilling.” — Time The #1, New York Times, bestselling author of, Anathem, Neal ... (Barnes & Noble)

  15. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

    by Claire North
    A man born again and again, living the same life with different outcomes.

    Some stories cannot be told in just one lifetime. Harry August is on his deathbed. Again. No matter what he does or the decisions he makes, when death comes, Harry always returns to where he began, a ... (Goodreads)

  16. Needful Things

    by Stephen King
    Small-town horror story filled with dark secrets, testing the limits of human morality.

    A new shop named "Needful Things" opens in the small town of Castle Rock , Maine , sparking the curiosity of its citizens. The proprietor, Leland Gaunt, is a charming elderly gentleman seemingly from ... (Wikipedia)

  17. Bite Me

    by Christopher Moore
    A humorous and satirical take on the vampire genre, following a young woman's transformation into a vampire and her adventures with her undead friends.

    “Christopher Moore is a very sick man, in the very best sense of the word.” —Carl Hiaasen The undead rise again in Bite Me, the third book in New York Times bestselling author Christopher Moore’s ... (Goodreads)

  18. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

    by Douglas Adams
    Quirky sci-fi adventure following a group of time travelers seeking to save the future.

    Arthur Dent , Ford Prefect , Trillian , and Zaphod Beeblebrox leave the planet Magrathea on the Heart of Gold . A Vogon ship attacks them, and Arthur's attempt to have the ship's computer make him a ... (Wikipedia)

  19. We Are Legion

    by Dennis E. Taylor
    A retired businessman is uploaded into a computer, where he embarks on an intergalactic journey.

    Alternate Cover Edition can be found, here,. Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. ... (Goodreads)

  20. Blue Mars

    by Kim Stanley Robinson
    The final book in the Mars Trilogy, following the terraforming and colonization of Mars. The story explores the political, social, and environmental consequences of human expansion into space.

    Red Mars starts in 2026 with the first colonial voyage to Mars aboard the Ares , the largest interplanetary spacecraft ever built and home to a crew who are to be the first hundred Martian colonists. ... (Wikipedia)

  21. 2001: A Space Odyssey

    by Arthur C. Clarke
    An interstellar journey of exploration, confronting humanity's place in the universe.

    A mysterious alien civilization uses a tool with the appearance of a large crystalline monolith to investigate worlds across the galaxy and, if possible, to encourage the development of intelligent ... (Wikipedia)

  22. Falling Free

    by Lois McMaster Bujold
    A group of genetically engineered humans, designed for zero gravity work, fight for their freedom and identity.

    The novel is set about 200 years before the birth of Miles Vorkosigan , the protagonist of much of the Vorkosigan series. It deals with the creation of the "Quaddies", genetically modified people who ... (Wikipedia)

  23. The Fold

    by Peter Clines
    A scientist must unravel the secrets of a mysterious invention that could unlock the power of teleportation.

    STEP INTO THE FOLD. IT’S PERFECTLY SAFE. , The folks in Mike Erikson's small New England town would say he's just your average, everyday guy. And that's exactly how Mike likes it. Sure, the life he's ... (Goodreads)

  24. Joyland

    by Stephen King
    A young man's investigation into a mysterious amusement park, uncovering secrets and discovering his own identity in the process.

    The novel is set at a North Carolina amusement park in 1973 and involves a carny who must confront the "legacy of a vicious murder and the fate of a dying child". Devin Jones, age twenty-one, who ... (Wikipedia)

  25. Life, the Universe and Everything

    by Douglas Adams
    An intergalactic quest to find the answer to the ultimate question of life.

    After being stranded on pre-historic Earth after the events in, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, , Arthur Dent is met by his old friend Ford Prefect , who drags him into a space-time eddy , ... (Wikipedia)

  26. The Speed of Dark

    by Elizabeth Moon
    Lou Arrendale, an autistic man, faces a life-changing decision when offered a cure. Should he remain true to himself or conform to society's norms?

    Lou Arrendale is a bioinformatics specialist, has high-functioning autism , and has made a good life for himself. A new manager at the firm where he works puts pressure on the department where many ... (Wikipedia)

  27. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

    by Becky Chambers
    An intergalactic adventure filled with unlikely friendships and epic space battles.

    Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space-and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe-in this light-hearted debut space ... (Goodreads)

  28. Off to Be the Wizard

    by Scott Meyer
    A computer hacker discovers a file that allows him to manipulate reality and travels back in time to medieval England to become a wizard.

    Martin Banks is just a normal guy who has made an abnormal discovery: he can manipulate reality, thanks to reality being nothing more than a computer program. With every use of this ability, though, ... (Goodreads)

  29. Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings

    by Christopher Moore
    A hilarious and absurd tale of a man who discovers he was once a dolphin, and sets out on a quest to find his true identity.

    Whale researcher Nathan Quinn has a problem. It’s not a new problem; in fact, it’s been around for nearly 20 million years. And Nate’s spent most of his adult life working to solve it. You see, ... (Goodreads)

  30. The Forever War

    by Joe Haldeman
    A soldier's story of the horror of war and its consequences in the far future.

    The monumental Hugo and Nebula award winning SF classic— Featuring a new introduction by John Scalzi,The Earth's leaders have drawn a line in the interstellar sand—despite the fact that the fierce ... (Barnes & Noble)