Recommendations based on Sixth Columnby Robert A. Heinlein

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  1. Tunnel in the Sky

    by Robert A. Heinlein
    A group of students are stranded on a distant planet during a survival test, facing challenges and forming their own society.

    A classic novel from the mind of the storyteller who captures the imagination of readers from around the world, and across two generations. The final exam for Dr. Matson's Advanced Survival class was ... (Goodreads)

  2. The Past Through Tomorrow

    by Robert A. Heinlein
    A collection of short stories exploring the future of humanity, from the near future to thousands of years ahead.

    Here in one monumental volume are all 21 of the stories, novellas and novels making up Heinlein's famous Future History—the rich, imaginative architecture of Man's destiny that many consider his ... (Goodreads)

  3. Time Enough for Love

    by Robert A. Heinlein
    A journey through time and space, exploring the boundaries of love, death and existence.

    The book covers several periods from the life of Lazarus Long (born Woodrow Wilson Smith), an early beneficiary of a breeding experiment designed to increase mankind's natural lifespan. The ... (Wikipedia)

  4. Second Foundation

    by Isaac Asimov
    A quest to find the mysterious force controlling the fate of the galaxy.

    Part I is about The Mule 's search for the elusive Second Foundation, with the intent of destroying it. The executive council of the Second Foundation is aware of The Mule's intent and, in the words ... (Wikipedia)

  5. The Foundation Trilogy

    by Isaac Asimov
    Intergalactic future-history saga of a Galactic Empire on the brink of collapse.

    A THOUSAND-YEAR EPIC, A GALACTIC STRUGGLE, A MONUMENTAL WORK IN THE ANNALS OF SCIENCE FICTION FOUNDATION begins a new chapter in the story of man's future. As the Old Empire crumbles into barbarism ... (Goodreads)

  6. The Renegades of Pern

    by Anne McCaffrey
    A group of rebels must protect their planet from a deadly plague and a powerful enemy.

    As long as the people of Pern could remember, the Holds had protected them from Thread, the deadly silver strands that fell from the sky and ravaged the land. In exchange for sanctuary in the huge ... (Goodreads)

  7. Neutron Star

    by Larry Niven
    An interstellar adventure of a human astronaut and an alien AI, discovering a mysterious neutron star.

    Beowulf Shaeffer , a native of the planet We Made It and unemployed for the last eight months due to a stock market crash, is contracted by a Pierson's Puppeteer, the Regional President of General ... (Wikipedia)

  8. Eon

    by Greg Bear
    A mysterious asteroid appears near Earth, and a team is sent to investigate. They discover a complex alien structure and a dangerous power struggle.

    The 21st century was on the brink of nuclear confrontation when the 300 kilometer-long stone flashed out of nothingness and into Earth's orbit. NASA, NATO, and the UN sent explorers to the asteroid's ... (Goodreads)

  9. Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern

    by Anne McCaffrey
    Epic science-fiction story of a fatal plague and a brave heroine's quest to save her world.

    The story begins with Moreta, the senior Weyrworman of Fort Weyr, traveling with her queen dragon Orlith (who is near the end of her pregnancy) to the Gather at Ruatha Hold. At the Gather there is ... (Wikipedia)

  10. Flag in Exile

    by David Weber
    Honor Harrington is exiled to a remote planet, where she must defend it against pirates and corrupt officials while navigating political intrigue.

    After the scandal caused by killing Pavel Young in a duel, Honor retreats to Grayson until things settle down on Manticore. She intends to oversee the development of her Steading, and overcome the ... (Wikipedia)

  11. 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)

  12. March Upcountry

    by David Weber
    Epic space opera featuring military conflict and political intrigue.

    Prince Roger is ordered by his mother and older half-brother to attend a ceremony in Leviathan. Roger travels on the spaceship Charles DeGlopper with Eleanora O'Casey, Kostas Matsugae, and Captain ... (Wikipedia)

  13. 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)

  14. 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)

  15. Honor Among Enemies

    by David Weber
    Captain Honor Harrington is stranded on a hostile planet with her crew, facing a deadly enemy and a race against time to survive.

    After more than three years in exile on Grayson, several of Honor's old political enemies decide to try to kill two birds with one stone. Klaus Hauptman is able to have Honor appointed as commander ... (Wikipedia)

  16. Foundation and Empire

    by Isaac Asimov
    A quest to save the Galactic Empire from destruction, featuring advanced science and politics.

    The first half of the book, titled "The General", tells how the enterprising General Bel Riose of the Galactic Empire launches an attack against the Foundation. The Empire still retains far more ... (Wikipedia)

  17. 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)

  18. 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)

  19. The Great Book of Amber

    by Roger Zelazny
    A magical and thrilling journey through magical planes of existence.

    Alternate cover edition can be found , here , Roger Zelazny's chronicles of Amber have earned their place as all-time classics of imaginative literature. Now, here are all ten novels, together in one ... (Goodreads)

  20. 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)

  21. The Great Dune Trilogy

    by Frank Herbert
    Epic saga of a desert planet, where a powerful family must save the universe from destruction.

    Duke Leto Atreides of the House Atreides , ruler of the ocean planet Caladan, is assigned by the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV to serve as fief ruler of the planet Arrakis . Arrakis is a harsh and ... (Wikipedia)

  22. Firestarter

    by Stephen King
    A young girl with pyrokinetic powers is pursued by a mysterious government agency.

    Andy and Charlene "Charlie" McGee are a father/daughter pair on the run from a government agency known as The Shop. During his college years, Andy had participated in a Shop experiment dealing with ... (Wikipedia)

  23. The Memory of Earth

    by Orson Scott Card
    In a post-apocalyptic world, a group of humans struggle to rebuild society using a computer network that holds the memories of their ancestors.

    Humanity has lived for 40 million years on a planet called Harmony, after leaving an Earth that has been destroyed by human conflict. In order not to repeat the mistakes that led to the destruction ... (Wikipedia)

  24. Transmetropolitan, Vol. 1: Back on the Street

    by Warren Ellis
    A journalist navigates a dystopian world, exposing corruption and social injustices.

    After years of self-imposed exile from a civilization rife with degradation and indecency, cynical journalist Spider Jerusalem is forced to return to a job that he hates and a city that he loathes. ... (Goodreads)

  25. Alien

    by Alan Dean Foster
    A human-alien hybrid battles an intergalactic empire to save his home planet.

    Based on the screenplay by Dan O'Bannon. The crew of the spaceship Nostromo wake from cryogenic sleep to distress signals from an unknown planet. One is attacked when they investigate a derelict ... (Goodreads)

  26. Childhood's End

    by Arthur C. Clarke
    Human race is transformed by an alien presence, leading to the dawn of a new age.

    The novel is divided into three parts, following a third-person omniscient narrative with no main character. , In some editions, the short first chapter is a separate prologue rather than the ... (Wikipedia)

  27. Killashandra

    by Anne McCaffrey
    A talented musician discovers a new world of crystal singing and faces challenges to prove herself worthy of the profession.

    Killashandra is a novel in which the crystal singer Killashandra is on a diplomatic mission. , Dave Langford reviewed Killashandra for, White Dwarf, #77, and stated that "the plot is candyfloss ... (Wikipedia)

  28. Split Infinity

    by Piers Anthony
    A young man's quest to save the universe from a dangerous cult, with magical help from an alien race.

    On the technological, decadent world of Proton, someone was trying to destroy Stile, serf and master Gamesman. His only escape lay in Phaze, a world totally ruled by magic. Soon he learned that his ... (Goodreads)

  29. The Mote in God's Eye

    by Larry Niven
    A journey of first contact between the human race and an alien species.

    In the year AD 3017, humanity is slowly recovering from an interstellar civil war that tore apart the first Empire of Man. The Second Empire is busy establishing control over the remnants of its ... (Wikipedia)

  30. Death Masks

    by Jim Butcher
    A magical detective's mission to protect an ancient artifact from a powerful necromancer.

    Harry shares a TV panel with a Vatican priest, Father Vincent, and São Paulo University Professor Don Paolo Ortega , a disguised Red Court Vampire noble. Father Vincent hires Dresden to recover the ... (Wikipedia)