by Peter Watts (2006)
Two months after sixty-five thousand alien probes photograph the entire Earth in a blinding firestorm, the research vessel Theseus is dispatched to the edges of the solar system. Commanded by a genetically resurrected vampire and crewed by cognitively altered specialists, they encounter an alien entity that questions whether consciousness itself is merely an evolutionary dead end.
Andy Weir
Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment. He must solve an extinction-level scientific puzzle with only an unexpected alien companion.
James S.A. Corey
Humanity has colonized the solar system, but tensions between Earth, Mars, and the Asteroid Belt are at a boiling point. When ice-hauler captain Jim Holden discovers an abandoned derelict ship, he uncovers a conspiracy threatening humanity's existence.
Sheri S. Tepper
Generations ago, humans fled to the cosmic anomaly known as Grass. But before humanity arrived, another species had already claimed Grass for its own. It too had developed a culture...... Now a deadly plague is spreading across the stars, leaving no planet untouched, save for Grass. But the secret of the planet's immunity hides a truth so shattering it could mean the end of life itself.
Norman Spinrad
Journals of the Plague Years by Norman Spinrad is an acclaimed literary work showcasing celebrated storytelling, rich characterization, and distinguished literary artistry.