Recommendations based on "Metatropolis Original Science Fiction Stories in a Shared Future"

A physicist from isolated Anarres travels to the mother planet, Urras, in hopes of dissolving the hatred that exists between them

Alastair Reynolds continues his Revelation Space series with this “first-rate work of science fiction, a thoroughly modern space opera full of dangers and marvels to match”(SF Site).The Inhibitors were designed to eliminate any life form reaching a certain level of intelligence—and they’ve targeted Humanity. War veteran Clavain and a ragtag group of refugees have fled into hiding. Their leadership is faltering, and their situation is growing more desperate. But their little colony has just received an unexpected visitor: an avenging angel with the power to lead mankind to safety—or draw down its darkest enemy.And as she leads them to an apparently insignificant moon light-years away, it begins to dawn on Clavain and his companions that to beat one enemy, it may be necessary to forge an alliance with something much worse...

NOW A PRIME ORIGINAL SERIESThirteen hundred gates have opened to solar systems around the galaxy. But as humanity builds its interstellar empire in the alien ruins, the mysteries and threats grow deeper.In the dead systems where gates lead to stranger things than alien planets, Elvi Okoye begins a desperate search to discover the nature of a genocide that happened before the first human beings existed, and to find weapons to fight a war against forces at the edge of the imaginable. But the price of that knowledge may be higher than she can pay.At the heart of the empire, Teresa Duarte prepares to take on the burden of her father's godlike ambition. The sociopathic scientist Paolo Cortázar and the Mephistophelian prisoner James Holden are only two of the dangers in a palace thick with intrigue, but Teresa has a mind of her own and secrets even her father the emperor doesn't guess.And throughout the wide human empire, the scattered crew of the Rocinante fights a brave rear-guard action against Duarte's authoritarian regime. Memory of the old order falls away, and a future under Laconia's eternal rule - and with it, a battle that humanity can only lose - seems more and more certain. Because against the terrors that lie between worlds, courage and ambition will not be enough . . .The Expanse series:Leviathan WakesCaliban's WarAbaddon's GateCibola BurnNemesis GamesBabylon's AshesPersepolis RisingTiamat's WrathPraise for the Expanse:'The science fictional equivalent of A Song of Ice and Fire' NPR Books'As close as you'll get to a Hollywood blockbuster in book form' io9.com'Great characters, excellent dialogue, memorable fights' wired.com'High adventure equalling the best space opera has to offer, cutting-edge technology and a group of unforgettable characters . . . Perhaps one of the best tales the genre has yet to produce' Library Journal'This is the future the way it's supposed to be' Wall Street Journal'Tense and thrilling' SciFiNow

"An immense achievement, an impeccably crafted book without a single word out of place." —The New York TimesFrom bestselling author M. R. Carey comes a brilliant genre-defying story of humanity's expansion across millions of dimensions—and the AI technology that might see it all come to an end.INFINITY IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.The Pandominion: a political and trading alliance of a million worlds. Except that they’re really just one world, Earth, in many different realities. And when an A.I. threat arises that could destroy everything the Pandominion has built, they’ll eradicate it by whatever means necessary.Scientist Hadiz Tambuwal is looking for a solution to her own Earth’s environmental collapse when she stumbles across the secret of inter-dimensional travel, a secret that could save everyone on her dying planet. It leads her into the middle of a war on a scale she never dreamed of. And she needs to choose a side before every reality pays the price.“A fascinating window onto a dangerous and multifaceted universe.” —Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Time"A genuine treat for SF fans: an epic multiverse tale that moves like a thriller." —Kirkus (starred review)"Readers will be wowed." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)"Infinity Gate, with its in-depth science and rich characterization, is a must-read." —Booklist (starred review)

One of the very best science fiction novels of all time. An intelligent and thought provoking allegory for the Vietnam War. Private William Mandella is a reluctant hero in an interstellar war against an unknowable and unconquerable alien enemy. But his greatest test will be when he returns home. Relativity means that for every few months' tour of duty centuries have passed on Earth, isolating the combatants ever more from the world for whose future they are fighting. Readers can't stop thinking about The Forever War: 'More than just a book about a futuristic war, Haldeman describes a society built around the codependency of the industrial military complex and with a fluid dynamic socio-economic culture that is fascinating to watch unfold' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'A hugely important story from a very human angle . . . It will come as no surprise that this was written as a reaction to America's war in Vietnam' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'Catch-22 is often cited as one of the great books about the futility and inherent paradoxes of war. I think this is easily its equal' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'This book is a masterpiece, both as a straight-up science fiction story, but also as an allegory for the horrors and hopelessness of war' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'This is military-flavoured bootcamp-to-war Science Fiction in its finest form, as refreshing and thought provoking as it no doubt was when it was released in 1974 . . . a landmark classic of Science Fiction' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'Haldeman's story touched on a number of different themes (the horrors of war and those of personal traumatic injury, loneliness, alienation, loss, cultural indoctrination, and societal change over time) . . . a really good sci-fi classic' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

An edge-of-your-seat thriller about China's secret role in the space race--written by the New York Times bestselling author of The Apollo Murders and one of the most experienced astronauts alive. Houston, 1975. A new Apollo mission launches into orbit, on course to dock with a Russian Soyuz craft: three NASA astronauts and three cosmonauts, joining to celebrate a new dawn of Soviet-American cooperation. But as NASA Flight Controller Kaz Zemeckis listens in from Earth, a deadly accident onboard the orbiting spacecraft changes everything. Meanwhile, from a remote location in east Asia, the first Chinese spacecraft secretly launches. On board is China's first astronaut, Fang Kuo-chun, whose mission puts him on a collision course with the Apollo crew. As Kaz races against an enemy on the ground and for answers beyond the sky, the safety of the remaining crew hangs in the balance... Perfect for fans of Project Hail Mary and filled with shocking twists and real history--including the fascinating story of Professor Tsien Hsue-shen, the "Father of Chinese Rocketry" and founder of China's space program--Final Orbit accelerates to a thrilling conclusion that captures the beauty and terror of survival 270 miles above Earth, as could only be written by one of the world's most experienced astronauts.

World War Terminus had left the Earth devastated. Through its ruins, bounty hunter Rick Deckard stalked, in search of the renegade replicants who were his prey. When he wasn't 'retiring' them with his laser weapon,he dreamed of owning a live animal - the ultimate status symbol in a world all but bereft of animal life.Then Rick got his chance: the assignment to kill six Nexus-6 targets, for a huge reward. But in Deckard's world things were never that simple, and his assignment quickly turned into a nightmare kaleidoscope of subterfuge and deceit - and the threat of death for the hunter rather than the hunted ...

They are the special wing of the Colonial Defence Forces, elite troops created from DNA of the dead and turned into the perfect soldiers for the CDF’s toughest operations. The universe is a dangerous place for humanity, as three hostile races combine to halt our further expansion into space. Their linchpin is a turncoat scientist, Charles Boutin, who unfortunately knows the CDF’s biggest military secrets. And to prevail against this alliance, they must find out why Boutin did what he did. Jared Dirac is the only human able to provide answers, being a superhuman hybrid created form Boutin’s own DNA. Jared’s brain should therefore be able to access Boutin’s electronic memories . . . but when that appears to fail, Jared is instead passed on to the Ghost Brigades. Then, just as time is running out, Boutin’s memories slowly begin to surface within him . . . but all this while the enemy is planning something much worse for mankind than just military defeat. Praise for Old Man’s War: ‘Clever dialogue, fast-paced story and strong characters.’ The Times ‘An original idea, which is brilliantly executed’ Sc-Fi Now

As the planetoid Thanatos Minor explodes into atoms, a specially-fitted cruiser escapes the mass destruction and hurtles into space only a step ahead of hostile pursuit. On board Trumpet are a handful of bedraggled fugitives from an outlaw world - old enemies suddenly and violently thrown together in a desperate bid for survival. Among this unlikely crew of allies are Morn Hyland, once a UMC cop, now a prisoner to the electrodes implanted in her brain; her son, Davies, "force-grown" to adulthood by the alien Amnion and struggling to understand his true identity; the amoral space buccaneer Nick Succorso, whose most daring act of piracy could be his last; and Angus Thermopyle, unstoppable cyborg struggling to wrest control of his own mind from his UMC programmers.From the Paperback edition.

From Timothy Zahn, Hugo Award winner and New York Times bestselling author of two landmark Star Wars® series, comes an  original new tale featuring a renegade space pilot, his unusual alien partner, and an unknown cargo that can change the course of galactic history.Jordan McKell has a problem with authority. Unfortunately for him, the iron-fisted authority of the powerful Patthaaunutth controls virtually every aspect of galactic shipping. In order to survive, Jordan ekes out a living dabbling in interstellar smuggling for outlaw concerns that represent the last vestiges of free trade in the galaxy. So when Jordan and his partner, Ixil--an alien with two ferret-like "outhunters" linked to his neural system--are hired by a mysterious gentleman to fly a ship and its special cargo to Earth, they jump at the job.Caution has never been one of Jordan's strong suits. But this time he may have taken on more than even he can handle. The ship, Icarus, turns out to be a ramshackle hulk, the ragtag crew literally picked up off the street, and the cargo so secret, it's sealed in a special container that takes up most of the cramped and ill-designed ship. As if that weren't bad enough, it looks like the authorities already suspect something is afoot, there's a saboteur aboard, and the Icarus appears to be shaking apart at the seams.It doesn't seem as if things could get any worse. That is, until a beautiful crew member helps McKell uncover the true nature of the cargo he's carrying. With his enemies closing in on the lumbering Icarus, the unknown saboteur still aboard, and authorities on Earth pressured to turn them in, McKell and Ixil become fugitives. Their only chance is to stay one step ahead of their pursuers as they try to make it home.A bold and epic novel filled with unrelenting action and a good dose of humor, The Icarus Hunt is a wild hyperspace romp through the galaxy.