Coxwell's Digital Bookshelf
Recent Reading from My Favorite Science Fiction Authors,
Books and Short Stories
The following is a fairly comprehensive list of science fiction novels and short stories I've read over the past few years. My family gave me a Kindle Fire HD for Christmas several years ago, and I started downloading and reading one story after another. Like a chain smoker, I was "lighting one off the other." Reading once again became my new hobby, one that I had unfortunately neglected in recent years. So, with all that time spent reading, I've had considerably less time to pursue writing of my own. It's a miracle I was able to manage the preps for my teaching load. Got to "keep the day job" for now -- my students need me more than I need to write. Plenty of time for that when I retire in a few more years.
But now, since my imagination has been pumped full of fresh inspiration from all these stories, I'll try to remedy that situation with some stories of my own. Weekends, holidays, summers. Watch for news on this website and postings on Facebook.
Don't be surprised when you fail to see represented in the list below such science fiction greats as Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov. I read both of them extensively as I was growing up, and they shaped my fascination with science fiction in a major way. I have a bookshelf loaded with "antique" print copies of Clarke, Asimov and others. But as I made the effort to bring The Epsilon Wish to print, I made a deliberate effort to read stories by new writers that were in the market today. I wanted to see what was current in science fiction, with an eye toward edging my work in that direction.
Some of the authors and titles you may easily recognize, especially if you are a regular reader of science fiction and fantasy, but a great deal of those listed here are independently published writers brand new to the field. Their work is often exceptional, yet they have been overlooked by the mainstream publishers, shut out of the typical routes to major publicity and distribution. That's one reason I wanted to provide a list of authors and titles on my site, in order to give a shout-out to the many other "indie" writers who, like me, are trying to make it in the publishing world.
I enjoyed every title in the list below, some much more than others, but all to some extent, or I wouldn't have taken the time to compile them here. Consider all titles presented in the accompanying list as being a "Coxwell-Three-Star" or higher. Many of these would most certainly be a "Five-Star" by my reckoning.
But now, since my imagination has been pumped full of fresh inspiration from all these stories, I'll try to remedy that situation with some stories of my own. Weekends, holidays, summers. Watch for news on this website and postings on Facebook.
Don't be surprised when you fail to see represented in the list below such science fiction greats as Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov. I read both of them extensively as I was growing up, and they shaped my fascination with science fiction in a major way. I have a bookshelf loaded with "antique" print copies of Clarke, Asimov and others. But as I made the effort to bring The Epsilon Wish to print, I made a deliberate effort to read stories by new writers that were in the market today. I wanted to see what was current in science fiction, with an eye toward edging my work in that direction.
Some of the authors and titles you may easily recognize, especially if you are a regular reader of science fiction and fantasy, but a great deal of those listed here are independently published writers brand new to the field. Their work is often exceptional, yet they have been overlooked by the mainstream publishers, shut out of the typical routes to major publicity and distribution. That's one reason I wanted to provide a list of authors and titles on my site, in order to give a shout-out to the many other "indie" writers who, like me, are trying to make it in the publishing world.
I enjoyed every title in the list below, some much more than others, but all to some extent, or I wouldn't have taken the time to compile them here. Consider all titles presented in the accompanying list as being a "Coxwell-Three-Star" or higher. Many of these would most certainly be a "Five-Star" by my reckoning.
245 Recommended books and short stories as of April 7, 2019
Bobby Akart
36 Hours
36 Hours
Poul Anderson
Fragile Distant Suns
Fragile Distant Suns
Rachel Aukes
Fringe Runner
Fringe Station
Fringe Campaign
Fringe War
Fringe Legacy
Fringe Runner
Fringe Station
Fringe Campaign
Fringe War
Fringe Legacy
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Drew Avera
Haven: A Post-Apocalyptic Short Story
Haven: A Post-Apocalyptic Short Story
Scott Baird
Magellan
Magellan
Stephen Baxter
Landfall: Tales from the Flood/Ark Universe
Moonseed
Voyage
Titan
Proxima
Ultima
Landfall: Tales from the Flood/Ark Universe
Moonseed
Voyage
Titan
Proxima
Ultima
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Greg Bear
The Forge of God
The Anvil of Stars
Eon
Eternity
Blood Music
Moving Mars
Darwin's Radio
Hardfought
Just Over the Horizon
The Forge of God
The Anvil of Stars
Eon
Eternity
Blood Music
Moving Mars
Darwin's Radio
Hardfought
Just Over the Horizon
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Gregory Benford
Matter's End
Timescape
Eater
Backscatter
The Best of Gregory Benford
Matter's End
Timescape
Eater
Backscatter
The Best of Gregory Benford
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Samuel Best
Mission One
Mission One
Alan Black
Chewing Rocks
Chewing Rocks
Ben Bova
The Towers of Titan
The Kinsman Saga
Powersat
Moonrise
Venus
The Towers of Titan
The Kinsman Saga
Powersat
Moonrise
Venus
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Gerald Brennan
Zero Phase: Apollo 13 on the Moon
Public Loneliness: Yuri Gagarin's Circumlunar Flight
Island of Clouds: The Great 1972 Venus Flyby
Zero Phase: Apollo 13 on the Moon
Public Loneliness: Yuri Gagarin's Circumlunar Flight
Island of Clouds: The Great 1972 Venus Flyby
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David Brin
Heart of the Comet (with Gregory Benford)
The Crystal Spheres
The River of Time
The Giving Plague
Tank Farm Dynamo
Dr. Pak's Preschool
Reality Check
Stones of Significance
Heart of the Comet (with Gregory Benford)
The Crystal Spheres
The River of Time
The Giving Plague
Tank Farm Dynamo
Dr. Pak's Preschool
Reality Check
Stones of Significance
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Ryk Brown
Arrival
Arrival
Jeff Carlson
Long Eyes
Interrupt
The Frozen Sky
The Frozen Sky 2: Betrayed
The Frozen Sky 3: Blindsided
The Frozen Sky 4: Battlefront
Long Eyes
Interrupt
The Frozen Sky
The Frozen Sky 2: Betrayed
The Frozen Sky 3: Blindsided
The Frozen Sky 4: Battlefront
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Jeffrey A. Carver
Neptune Crossing
Strange Attractors
The Infinite Sea
Sunborn
Neptune Crossing
Strange Attractors
The Infinite Sea
Sunborn
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Jack Castle
Europa Journal
Europa Journal
Peter Cawdron
Anomaly
My Sweet Satan
Revolution
Hello World
Free Fall
Collision (Colliding Worlds Trilogy)
Impact (Colliding Worlds Trilogy)
Maelstrom (Colliding Worlds Trilogy)
Shadows
Little Green Men
Space Alien Tentacle Porn
Trixie and Me
Retrograde (previously published as Mars Endeavour)
Losing Mars
Anomaly
My Sweet Satan
Revolution
Hello World
Free Fall
Collision (Colliding Worlds Trilogy)
Impact (Colliding Worlds Trilogy)
Maelstrom (Colliding Worlds Trilogy)
Shadows
Little Green Men
Space Alien Tentacle Porn
Trixie and Me
Retrograde (previously published as Mars Endeavour)
Losing Mars
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Ann Christy
Silo 49: Going Dark
Silo 49: Deep Dark
Silo 49: Dawn Till Dark
Silo 49: Going Dark
Silo 49: Deep Dark
Silo 49: Dawn Till Dark
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Joe T. Coxwell
The Epsilon Wish
Third Contact: A Short Story
The Fermi Diet: A Science Fiction Short Story
Please forgive the shameless self-promotion.
It helps motivate me to write when I see my work in such great company.
The Epsilon Wish
Third Contact: A Short Story
The Fermi Diet: A Science Fiction Short Story
Please forgive the shameless self-promotion.
It helps motivate me to write when I see my work in such great company.
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Joshua Dalzelle
Blueshift
Blueshift
John Dreese
Red Hope
Blue Hope
Red Hope
Blue Hope
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Matt Eaton
Sleeping Gods
Apollo 8.1
Sleeping Gods
Apollo 8.1
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Ava Felsenstein
Connor's Light
Connor's Light
Allan Ferrenberg
300 Suns
300 Suns
Daniel Guiteras
Launch on Need
Launch on Need
Jason Gurley
The Settlers
The Colonists
The Settlers
The Colonists
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Ray Hammond
The Cloud
The Cloud
James P. Hogan
Code of the Lifemaker
The Immortality Option
Worlds in Chaos
Prisoners of Tomorrow
The Two Moons
The Two Worlds
Mission to Minerva
Endgame Enigma
Realtime Interrupt
The Genesis Machine
The Proteus Operation
Voyage from Yesteryear
Thrice Upon a Time
Cradle of Saturn
Code of the Lifemaker
The Immortality Option
Worlds in Chaos
Prisoners of Tomorrow
The Two Moons
The Two Worlds
Mission to Minerva
Endgame Enigma
Realtime Interrupt
The Genesis Machine
The Proteus Operation
Voyage from Yesteryear
Thrice Upon a Time
Cradle of Saturn
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Hugh Howey
Wool
Shift
Dust
Half Way Home
The Box
Glitch
Promises of London
Second Suicide
The Walk Up Nameless Ridge
Beacon 23
Machine Learning (Short Story Compilation)
Wool
Shift
Dust
Half Way Home
The Box
Glitch
Promises of London
Second Suicide
The Walk Up Nameless Ridge
Beacon 23
Machine Learning (Short Story Compilation)
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Dennis Ingram
Foothold
The Seasoning
Serendipity
Revolution
Foothold
The Seasoning
Serendipity
Revolution
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Mike Jenne
Blue Gemini
Blue Darker Than Black
Pale Blue
Blue Gemini
Blue Darker Than Black
Pale Blue
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Ralph Kern
Steel Eye
Endeavour
Erebus
Steel Eye
Endeavour
Erebus
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Gerald M. Kilby
Colony One Mars
Colony Two Mars
Colony Three Mars
Jezero City: Colony Four Mars
Entanglement: Book One -- The Belt
Entropy: Book Two -- The Belt
Evolution: Book Three -- The Belt
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William Massa
Crossing the Darkness
Crossing the Darkness
Alastair Mayer
Alpha Centauri: First Landing, vol. 1
Alpha Centauri: Sawyer's World, vol. 2
Alpha Centauri: The Return, vol. 3
Alpha Centauri: First Landing, vol. 1
Alpha Centauri: Sawyer's World, vol. 2
Alpha Centauri: The Return, vol. 3
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Scott McElhaney
Beyond the Event Horizon
Dominion
Erinyes
Alastair
Ghosts of Ophidian
Vestige
Colonization: Kepler Moon Alpha (Book 1)
Colonization: Black Hole (Book 2)
Colonization: Gateway (Book 3)
Colonization: Valhalla (Book 4)
Colonization: Fossil (Book 5)
Endeavor
Maelstrom
Terraformer
Beyond the Event Horizon
Dominion
Erinyes
Alastair
Ghosts of Ophidian
Vestige
Colonization: Kepler Moon Alpha (Book 1)
Colonization: Black Hole (Book 2)
Colonization: Gateway (Book 3)
Colonization: Valhalla (Book 4)
Colonization: Fossil (Book 5)
Endeavor
Maelstrom
Terraformer
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John McWilliams
Landfall
176 Milliseconds
Landfall
176 Milliseconds
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Andrew J. Morgan
Vessel
New Dawn
New York Deep
Vessel
New Dawn
New York Deep
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Brandon Q. Morris
The Enceladus Mission
The Titan Probe
The Io Encounter
Return to Enceladus
The Enceladus Mission
The Titan Probe
The Io Encounter
Return to Enceladus
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Larry Niven
Ringworld
The Ringworld Engineers
Neutron Star
A World Out of Time
Limits
N-Space
Ringworld
The Ringworld Engineers
Neutron Star
A World Out of Time
Limits
N-Space
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Larry Niven &
Matthew Joseph Harrington
The Goliath Stone
Matthew Joseph Harrington
The Goliath Stone
Andre Norton
Visions of Distant Shores
Visions of Distant Shores
Thomas Norwood
Conception
(previously published as
Perfectible Animals)
Conception
(previously published as
Perfectible Animals)
Samuel Peralta
HereAfter
Humanity
Liberty: Seeking Support for a
Writ of Habeas Corpus for a Non-Human Being
HereAfter
Humanity
Liberty: Seeking Support for a
Writ of Habeas Corpus for a Non-Human Being
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Phillip P Peterson
Paradox
Paradox2
Paradox
Paradox2
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Douglas E. Richards
Split Second
Split Second
Jeremy Robinson
Beneath
Beneath
Kim Stanley Robinson
Red Mars
Green Mars
Blue Mars
2312
Icehenge
Aurora
Red Mars
Green Mars
Blue Mars
2312
Icehenge
Aurora
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Felix R. Savage
Freefall (Earth's Last Gambit, Book 1)
Lifeboat (Earth's Last Gambit, Book 2)
Shiplord (Earth's Last Gambit, Book 3)
Killshot (Earth's Last Gambit, Book 4)
Freefall (Earth's Last Gambit, Book 1)
Lifeboat (Earth's Last Gambit, Book 2)
Shiplord (Earth's Last Gambit, Book 3)
Killshot (Earth's Last Gambit, Book 4)
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Nicholas Sansbury Smith
The Biomass Revolution
A Royal Knight
Squad 19
Orbs
Orbs II: Stranded
Orbs III: Redemption
Orbs IV: Exodus (with Anthony Melchiorri)
Solar Storm
White Sands
Red Sands
Extinction Horizon
Extinction Edge
Extinction Age
Extinction Evolution
Extinction End
Extinction Aftermath
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T. J. Sedgwick
Home Planet: Part 1 -- Awakening
Home Planet: Part 2 -- Apocalypse
Home Planet: Part 3 -- Arcadia
The First Exoplanet
Home Planet: Part 1 -- Awakening
Home Planet: Part 2 -- Apocalypse
Home Planet: Part 3 -- Arcadia
The First Exoplanet
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Logan T. Snyder
This Mortal Coil
Being Violet
This Mortal Coil
Being Violet
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Allen Steele
Angel of Europa
Labyrinth of Night
Lunar Descent
Sex and Violence in Zero-G
Angel of Europa
Labyrinth of Night
Lunar Descent
Sex and Violence in Zero-G
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Will Swardstrom
Contact Window
Contact Window
Richard Tongue
One False Step
One False Step
Brad R. Torgersen
Gemini 17
Outbound
Ray of Light
Gemini 17
Outbound
Ray of Light
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John Varley
The Ophiuchi Hotline
The Ophiuchi Hotline
James David Victor
Zenith: ESS Space Marines, Book 1
Daikon: ESS Space Marines, Book 2
Star Chaser: ESS Space Marines, Book 3
Zenith: ESS Space Marines, Book 1
Daikon: ESS Space Marines, Book 2
Star Chaser: ESS Space Marines, Book 3
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Andy Weir
The Martian
The Martian
Jennifer Foehner Wells
Fluency
Remanence
Inheritance
Valence
Vengeance
The Grove: A Short Story
Symbiont Seeking Symbiont: A Short Story
Fluency
Remanence
Inheritance
Valence
Vengeance
The Grove: A Short Story
Symbiont Seeking Symbiont: A Short Story
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Collections and Anthologies
At the Helm: 2017 Sci-Fi Bridge Anthology, Vol. 1
Foreword by Samuel Peralta
Foreword by Samuel Peralta
At the Helm: 2017 Sci-Fi Bridge Anthology, Vol. 2
Foreword by Jay Allan
Foreword by Jay Allan
At the Helm: 2017 Sci-Fi Bridge Anthology, Vol. 3
Foreword by Chris Fox
Foreword by Chris Fox
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Wool Gathering: Stories from the Silo
Foreword by Hugh Howey
Foreword by Hugh Howey
Deep Breath Hold Tight:
Stories About the End of Everything
Edited by Jason Gurley
Stories About the End of Everything
Edited by Jason Gurley
Dangerous Visions
Edited by Harlan Ellison
Edited by Harlan Ellison
The End: Visions of Apocalypse
Edited by N.E. White
Edited by N.E. White
Paradox
Edited by Ian Whates
Edited by Ian Whates
The Future Chronicles Anthologies
The AI Chronicles
Edited by Ellen Campbell,
Foreword by Samuel Peralta
Edited by Ellen Campbell,
Foreword by Samuel Peralta
The Alien Chronicles
Edited by David Gatewood,
Foreword by Stefan Bolz
Edited by David Gatewood,
Foreword by Stefan Bolz
The Cyborg Chronicles
Edited by Crystal Watanabe,
Foreword by Samuel Peralta
Edited by Crystal Watanabe,
Foreword by Samuel Peralta
The Doomsday Chronicles
Edited by Crystal Watanabe
Foreword by Samuel Peralta
Edited by Crystal Watanabe
Foreword by Samuel Peralta
The Galaxy Chronicles
Edited by Jeff Seymour,
Foreword by Samuel Peralta
Edited by Jeff Seymour,
Foreword by Samuel Peralta
The Robot Chronicles
Edited by David Gatewood,
Foreword by David Simpson
Edited by David Gatewood,
Foreword by David Simpson
The Time Travel Chronicles
Edited by Crystal Watanabe
Foreword by Samuel Peralta
Edited by Crystal Watanabe
Foreword by Samuel Peralta
Chronicle Worlds: No Way Home
Samuel Peralta, Series Editor
Alex Roddie & Lucas Bale, Guest Editors
Foreword by Jennifer Foehner Wells
Samuel Peralta, Series Editor
Alex Roddie & Lucas Bale, Guest Editors
Foreword by Jennifer Foehner Wells
