Among the Stars

Adventurous stories of space exploration, settling distant planets or making first contact make up these gripping stories.
 
The Mercy of Gods
by James S. A. Corey

When the Carryx decimate the human population, taking the best and brightest of Anjiin society to serve on their homeworld, Dafyd Alkhor, swept along with them, is forced to compete against the other captive species with extinction as the price of failure.
Floating Hotel
by Grace Curtis

Each guest has a secret, every member of staff a universe unto themselves. At the center of these interweaving lives and interlocking mysteries stands Carl, one time stowaway, longtime manager, devoted caretaker to the hotel. It’s the love of his life and the only place he’s ever called home. But as forces beyond Carl’s comprehension converge on the Abeona, he has to face one final question: when is it time to let go?
Calamity
by Constance Fay

Temperance Reed tries to keep her crew together on her beloved, but obsolete ship while facing off with Arcadio Escajeda on a scouting mission to the backwater desert planet Herschel 2.
The Stars too Fondly
by Emily Hamilton

When they accidentally steal a spaceship, Cleo and her friends are soon en route to Proxima Centauri, and as they go deeper into space, the laws of physics start twisting, old mysteries come back to life and Cleo's battle with the hologram of the ship's missing captain turns into something desperate. 
Jumpnauts
by Jingfang Hao

Three rising scientists within the Pacific League of Nations form an uneasy alliance to secure first contact with a mysterious alien race before their rivals formulate a potentially disastrous military response, forcing them to solve puzzles rooted within human antiquity, confront their personal demons and discover truths of the universe.
The Deep Sky
by Yume Kitasei

When a lethal bomb knocks the The Phoenix—a ship carrying humanity's last hope—off course, Asuka, the only surviving witness, is an immediate suspect and with the crew turning on each other, she is determined to find the culprit before the bomber strikes again.
The Stardust Grail
by Yume Kitasei

Once the best art thief in the galaxy, anthropology student Maya Hoshimoto, when an old friend comes to her with a job she cannot refuse: find a powerful object that could save an alien species from extinction, sending her on a breakneck quest through the universe with her visions as a guide.
Translation State
by Ann Leckie

With the long-stranding treaty between humans and the dangerous alien Presger on the line, three individuals—Qvwn, a rebellious AI; Enae, a reluctant diplomat; and Reet, an adopted mechanic—make decisions that have ripple effects across the stars.
Escape Velocity
by Victor Manibo

Aboard the premier luxury resort in low Earth orbit for their lavish 25th reunion to advance their applications to live in an exclusive Mars settlement—because only the best deserve to save themselves, four friends, settling scores and racking up points, will soon regret underestimating those they left behind on Earth.
Dungeon Crawler Carl
by Matt Dinniman

Join Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, as they try to survive the end of the world—or just get to the next level—in a video game-like, trap-filled fantasy dungeon.
A Half-Built Garden
by Ruthanna Emrys

Alerted to unknown pollutants in the Chesapeake Bay in 2083, Judy discovers the first alien visitors to Earth, who have come to save humanity from their ecologically ravaged planet, despite the earthlings not wanting to be rescued. 
These Burning Stars
by Bethany Jacobs

When she discovers a secret that could take down Kindom, the ruling power of the galaxy, occasional thief Jun Ironway is hunted by the two most brutal clerics of the Kindom while a ghost from their shared pasts, known only as Six, tracks all three. Original.