Here are 100 books that Hard Reboot fans have personally recommended if you like Hard Reboot. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Deal with the Devil

Michael J Brooks Author Of Republic Falling

From my list on delivering thought-provoking social inspection.

Why am I passionate about this?

Since childhood, I’ve been a consumer of fiction entertainment. I’m a fan of comic books, anime, television series, fiction books, movies, video games, etc. Influenced by all of these forms of storytelling, I seek to entertain people with my science fiction books and help take their minds off their troubles. At a young age, I also realized fiction can be a gateway into exploring and bringing awareness to crucial issues. With an MFA from Howard University, I’m naturally a creative person, and if I’m not creating, I’m not living. I hope readers will check out my latest book, and best so far, Republic Falling: Advent of a New Dawn.

Michael's book list on delivering thought-provoking social inspection

Michael J Brooks Why Michael loves this book

What I found unique about Deal with the Devil was that it was written by two authors who specialize in writing steamy romance books, who, together, go by the pen name Kit Rocha. Genetically and cybernetically enhanced humans has always been one of my favorite sci-fi concepts. This book has two teams of enhanced humans. There is Nina and her all-female crew, who are the book’s main characters, and there is Knox and his all-male crew. I enjoyed learning about the different abilities and troubled pasts of these characters. And with the setting being in a dystopian environment, another concept I enjoy, coupled with the book having all the spiciness and sensuality you'd usually find in an urban fantasy novel, this sci-fi story was intriguing. I believe it will be a winner for adult male and female readers.

By Kit Rocha ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Deal with the Devil as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Deal with the Devil is Orphan Black meets the post-apocalyptic Avengers by USA Today and New York Times bestselling author duo Kit Rocha.

Nina is an information broker with a mission--she and her team of mercenary librarians use their knowledge to save the hopeless in a crumbling America.

Knox is the bitter, battle-weary captain of the Silver Devils. His squad of supersoldiers went AWOL to avoid slaughtering innocents, and now he's fighting to survive.

They're on a deadly collision course, and the passion that flares between them only makes it more dangerous. They could burn down the world, destroying each…


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Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor by FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.

The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…

Book cover of The Blood Trials

Brent C. Lambert Author Of A Necessary Chaos

From my list on fantasy happening in modern-inspired worlds.

Why am I passionate about this?

Worldbuilding is something I absolutely adore, and I have always wanted to see more fantasy in worlds created around a more modern thought process. Worlds that got away from the medieval and instead found inspiration in places like 1920s America or 1950s Mexico or anywhere with cars and motorcycles existing right alongside dragons. It’s what I try to write and its desperately what I want to read. Fantasy has so much more range than I think it is given credit for. 

Brent's book list on fantasy happening in modern-inspired worlds

Brent C. Lambert Why Brent loves this book

I love this book because it marries the brutality of military sci-fi with epic fantasy in a colossally satisfying fashion. It has dark gods, blood magic, and the grueling rigors of military training. And Ikenna, the main character, takes no crap from anyone, no matter how powerful. You can’t help but to root for her!

By N. E. Davenport ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Blood Trials as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Blending fantasy and science fiction, N. E. Davenport's fast-paced, action-packed debut kicks off a duology of loyalty and rebellion, in which a young Black woman must survive deadly trials in a racist and misogynistic society to become an elite warrior.

It's all about blood.

The blood spilled between the Republic of Mareen and the armies of the Blood Emperor long ago. The blood gifts of Mareen's deadliest enemies. The blood that runs through the elite War Houses of Mareen, the rulers of the Tribunal dedicated to keeping the republic alive.

The blood of the former Legatus, Verne Amari, murdered.

For…


Book cover of Gun Runner

Michael J Brooks Author Of Republic Falling

From my list on delivering thought-provoking social inspection.

Why am I passionate about this?

Since childhood, I’ve been a consumer of fiction entertainment. I’m a fan of comic books, anime, television series, fiction books, movies, video games, etc. Influenced by all of these forms of storytelling, I seek to entertain people with my science fiction books and help take their minds off their troubles. At a young age, I also realized fiction can be a gateway into exploring and bringing awareness to crucial issues. With an MFA from Howard University, I’m naturally a creative person, and if I’m not creating, I’m not living. I hope readers will check out my latest book, and best so far, Republic Falling: Advent of a New Dawn.

Michael's book list on delivering thought-provoking social inspection

Michael J Brooks Why Michael loves this book

Sometimes I just want to be immersed in a purely fun action and adventure science fiction book, with no weighty themes or complex plots/subplots to contemplate. Gun Runner is one such book, and being an anime fan, I was drawn to the anime-like concepts within Gun Runner: giant robots battling Kaiju and battling each other, a young cyborg woman who makes small killer robots, etc. The main hero also kept me glued to the story, a young man who was once under mind control and forced to harm people but now finds himself in a similar predicament, which he must struggle against to prevent an encore of his horrible past. This is a story that will appeal to readers of all ages, from young to old.

By Larry Correia , John D. Brown ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Gun Runner as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE HEART OF A WARRIOR

Once, Jackson Rook was a war hero. Raised from boyhood to pilot an exosuit mech, he'd fought gallantly for the rebellion against the Collectivists. But that was a long time ago, on a world very far away.

Now, Jackson Rook is a cri


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Book cover of Trusting Her Duke

Trusting Her Duke by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke with rigid opinions, a Lady whose beliefs conflict with his, a long disputed parcel of land, a conniving neighbour, a desperate collaboration, a failure of trust, a love found despite it all.

Alexander Cavendish, Duke of Ravensworth, returned from war to find that his father and brother had…

Book cover of E-Day

Michael J Brooks Author Of Republic Falling

From my list on delivering thought-provoking social inspection.

Why am I passionate about this?

Since childhood, I’ve been a consumer of fiction entertainment. I’m a fan of comic books, anime, television series, fiction books, movies, video games, etc. Influenced by all of these forms of storytelling, I seek to entertain people with my science fiction books and help take their minds off their troubles. At a young age, I also realized fiction can be a gateway into exploring and bringing awareness to crucial issues. With an MFA from Howard University, I’m naturally a creative person, and if I’m not creating, I’m not living. I hope readers will check out my latest book, and best so far, Republic Falling: Advent of a New Dawn.

Michael's book list on delivering thought-provoking social inspection

Michael J Brooks Why Michael loves this book

I have always loved the idea of exo-suits. As a kid, I watched the animated series Exosquad, I am a fan of Iron Man, I have watched exo-suit anime like Bubblegum Crisis, etc. So I was drawn to E-Day, a book involving warfare with the use of exo-suits. The action and the plot twists sucked me in and left me wanting to purchase the next book.

By Nicholas Sansbury Smith ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked E-Day as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Artificial Intelligence is our last hope of saving the war-ravaged Earth in this near future science fiction thriller from the apocalyptic mind of New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sansbury Smith (Hell Divers, The Extinction Cycle, Orbs).

The most advanced soldiers in human history are about to become obsolete.

Engines. Genetically modified warriors that keep the great Nova Alliance war machine churning against the enemy Coalition. Most days, Engines are all that stand between salvation and chaos. Led by legendary Engine, Captain Akira Hayashi, Shadow Squad has fought on the frontlines for a decade. They are on the brink of…


Book cover of Voyage from Yesteryear

Will Holcomb Author Of Journey into Insight

From my list on that transform how we think and make us grow.

Why am I passionate about this?

One piece of advice I give my kids is to listen to people who are wrong. One of two things happen: you’ll have to define, refine, and explore your personal positions in order to articulate why they’re wrong; or you discover you’re wrong and you grow. I spent 25 years in a church that made no sense to me. That caused me to read and think about why I didn’t believe what they said was “absolute truth.” My writing is the result of a long soul-searching experience that has led me to a place I’m comfortable with and others are finding comfort in the wisdom of The Infinite Jeff.

Will's book list on that transform how we think and make us grow

Will Holcomb Why Will loves this book

One of my philosophy professors said science fiction writers were the new philosophers. I couldn’t agree more. Science fiction authors can create worlds to test hypotheses about social structures. Hogan creates a world seeded with humans with the goal of finding a planet they can move to before the impending self-inflicted destruction of Earth. Without the connection to Earth, the society that forms is a highly productive world without an exchangeable currency. The robots that brought the ship to the planet can build everything they need. After generations, Earthlings make their way to the planet, bringing the ideas and philosophies that destroyed Earth. The locals welcome them and are amused at the absurd ideas. This book does a wonderful job exploring concepts of wealth, social structure, and so much more. 

By James P. Hogan ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Voyage from Yesteryear as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Book Club Edition


Book cover of The Paths Between Worlds

M.G. Herron Author Of The Auriga Project

From my list on fantasy with unusual portals to other worlds.

Why am I passionate about this?

Is there any genre so purely escapist as a portal fantasy adventure? I grew up on stories like these, devouring any book I could find that had a portal in it, from Alice in Wonderland to The Chronicles of Narnia to Tunnel in the Sky. Books, in a way, are portals to other places and times, and as a child I wandered through the stacks of the local library, plumbing the depths of every strange world I could get my hands on. If you want to experience the long-lost thrill of falling into a story, few do it like those that take their characters through portals to other worlds.

M.G.'s book list on fantasy with unusual portals to other worlds

M.G. Herron Why M.G. loves this book

The doorway in this novel is a departure from the usual.

And though it is unusual, yet it ties to humankind's fascination with portals.

The first portal in storytelling history, really, is the threshold a person must pass through to get from life to death.

That threshold has been epitomized in mythology as long as human beings have been using stories to explain the strangeness of existence.

In this sci-fi story, death is once again the portal between worlds. What would you do if, right before you died, an alien entity asks if you’d like to be saved?

Would you do it?

That’s exactly what happens to Meredith Gale. She regrets jumping off that bridge, so she says yes.

The story that follows is surprising and witty and full of heart. A friendly robot pulls the girl from the sea, along with a dozen others like her, every one of…

By Paul Antony Jones ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Paths Between Worlds as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Welcome Children of Earth. Do not be afraid.
After a devastating car crash leaves her addicted to pills and her best friend dead, Meredith Gale has finally been pushed to her breaking point. Ending her life seems like the only way out, and that choice has left her dangling by her fingertips from a bridge above the freezing water of the San Francisco Bay.

But someone, or some thing, has other plans for Meredith. As her fingers slip from the cold steel of the bridge, a disembodied voice ask her a simple question: “Candidate 13: Do you wish to be…


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Book cover of The Duke's Christmas Redemption

The Duke's Christmas Redemption by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke who has rejected love, a Lady who dreams of a love match, an arranged marriage, a house full of secrets, a most unneighborly neighbor, a plot to destroy reputations, an unexpected love that redeems it all.

Lady Charlotte Wyndham, given in an arranged marriage to a man she…

Book cover of The Boy at the End of the World

Juliana Brandt Author Of The Wolf of Cape Fen

From my list on middle grade fantasy to escape into when life is overwhelming.

Why am I passionate about this?

For me, books have always been an incredible way to escape, most especially when life is overwhelming. I read books as an escape when I was young, and now as an author, I write books to escape as well. My favorite books to escape into always include heart pounding adventure, fantastical magic, and characters I wish I could know in real life. These are the sorts of books I write; ones that give readers the chance to exist as someone else in another place, perhaps go on a wild adventure. My hope as an author is that my books allow readers to leave their own world and their own worries behind.

Juliana's book list on middle grade fantasy to escape into when life is overwhelming

Juliana Brandt Why Juliana loves this book

Set in a post-apocalyptic world where the last human left alive is a young boy, Fisher, this dystopian, fast-paced adventure story lets us glimpse a future where people tried...and failed...to save humanity. Determined to find out what happened, Fisher heads out on a wild journey with his robot, Click. This is one of the most unexpectedly laugh-out-loud middle grade novels I’ve ever read, and it combines the hilarity with incredible action scenes and a truly creepy “bad guy.” I devoured it in one sitting—this is a book I wish I could read for the first time again.

By Greg Van Eekhout ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Boy at the End of the World as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 10, 11, 12, and 13.

What is this book about?

This is what he knew:


His name was Fisher.


The world was dangerous.


And he was alone.


Fisher is the last boy on Earth - and things are not looking good for the human race. The carefully crafted survival dome where Fisher and dozens of other humans have been sleeping for millenia has been destroyed. Through a lucky accident, only Fisher survived.


The world Fisher wakes up in is a lot like ours - but it's changed, too. After the human race wiped itself out, nature took over, and wild creatures evolved into barely familiar beasts. Fisher must face them…


Book cover of Turned on: Science, Sex and Robots

Susie Alegre Author Of Freedom to Think: Protecting a Fundamental Human Right in the Digital Age

From my list on how technology affects your human rights.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been passionate about social justice as a writer and as an international human rights lawyer. I had worked on human rights, surveillance, and privacy for decades around the world, but it was when I first read about Cambridge Analytica back in 2017 that it felt personal – privacy is the gateway to our right to freedom of thought and opinion and Big Tech is increasingly acting as the gatekeeper to all our human rights. These books have all helped me to understand what the risks are and how to tackle them.

Susie's book list on how technology affects your human rights

Susie Alegre Why Susie loves this book

In Turned On, Kate Devlin takes us on a ride through the history of sex and technology, from the Ancient Greeks to modern sex robots. 

This book is written by a technologist with an acute sense of the human. Not strictly a book about human rights, Devlin raises human rights and ethical considerations around sex tech as well as offering optimism and imagination about the ways that we could enhance our intimate lives with technology. 

The way we experience sex and intimacy is at the heart of our right to private lives, Turned On offers an erudite, funny, and sensitive exploration of what technology could mean for us.

By Kate Devlin ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Turned on as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Illuminating, witty and written with a wide open mind' Sunday Times

The idea of the seductive sex robot is the stuff of myth, legend and science fiction. From the myth of Laodamia in Ancient Greece to twenty-first century shows such as Westworld, robots in human form have captured our imagination, our hopes and our fears. But beyond the fantasies there are real and fundamental questions about our relationship with technology as it moves into the realm of robotics.

Turned On explores how the emerging and future development of sexual companion robots might affect us and the society in which we…


Book cover of Boy and Bot

Nancy Shaw Author Of Sheep Trick or Treat

From my list on picture books about foolishness.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m the author of Raccoon Tune, Elena’s Story, and eight books about goofy sheep. My family didn’t get a TV until I was nine, so I used the library for entertainment. I liked all kinds of books. I’m still a voracious reader and I’m fascinated by the nuances of words. My kids loved silly books--especially where someone ignores the obvious--and so does my granddaughter. I also grew up playing with words. Once, on a car trip, I started rhyming about sheep driving a jeep, and even a preschooler knows you shouldn’t forget to steer. I think that seeing foolish characters in stories helps kids make sense of the world.

Nancy's book list on picture books about foolishness

Nancy Shaw Why Nancy loves this book

A boy and a robot decide to play together. The robot’s switch is bumped, and he turns off. The boy tries to help—he feeds the robot applesauce, reads him a story, and tucks him in. When his switch is bumped again, Bot tries to help the sleeping boy, giving him oil, reading him an instruction manual, and getting a battery. Only when the inventor shouts, “Stop! That is a boy!” do the friends sort of understand each other. You can do your best robot voice reading this aloud, and the brightly-colored pictures add warmth and jokes to the story.

By Ame Dyckman , Dan Yaccarino (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Boy and Bot as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One day, a boy and a robot meet in the woods. They play. They have fun.

But when Bot gets switched off, Boy thinks he's sick. The usual remedies—applesauce, reading a story—don't help, so Boy tucks the sick Bot in, then falls asleep.

Bot is worried when he powers on and finds his friend powered off. He takes Boy home with him and tries all his remedies: oil, reading an instruction manual. Nothing revives the malfunctioning Boy! Can the Inventor help fix him?

Using the perfect blend of sweetness and humor, this story of an adorable duo will win the…


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Book cover of Old Man Country

Old Man Country by Thomas R. Cole,

This book follows the journey of a writer in search of wisdom as he narrates encounters with 12 distinguished American men over 80, including Paul Volcker, the former head of the Federal Reserve, and Denton Cooley, the world’s most famous heart surgeon.

In these and other intimate conversations, the book…

Book cover of Leo Gray and the Lunar Eclipse

Evonne Blanchard Author Of Amelia, the Merballs and the Emerald Cannon

From my list on space books that will launch your kids into orbit.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a science fiction and fantasy children’s book author, who loves everything about space and science fiction. I’ve been fascinated by space ever since I was little; mesmerized by clips of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the moon. As a teenager, War of the Worlds by H.G Wells was my favorite book! My daughter’s complete lack of interest in space inspired me to write a space adventure series. How could I make space entertaining? When it comes to children, I’m a big fan of mixing space facts with a dollop of space fiction, so I hope you will enjoy the collection of books on this list!

Evonne's book list on space books that will launch your kids into orbit

Evonne Blanchard Why Evonne loves this book

The year is 2113 and Leo Gray is like any other normal science-loving boy. Except for his incredibly embarrassing family of course, who weirdly insists on living and dressing like it’s still 2013! Poor Leo has to wear century-old outfits and live in a house full of ancient clocks and TVs. Meanwhile everyone else zips around on flying cars and wears the latest electronic clothes. Leo is desperate to win a science competition so that he can attend the lunar academy on the moon, but his Dad is equally determined to keep him here on earth. Twists and turns abound. Why are the trees disappearing? What about those mysterious aliens the Lunalings? Leo will uncover the truth. But will he have enough time to save Earth from destruction?

By K.J. Kruk ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Leo Gray and the Lunar Eclipse as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

What kid hasn't dreamed of going to the moon? That dream for eleven-year-old Leo Gray is about to come true-but he's in for the surprise of his life!
In the year 2113, most people live in robotically maintained homes, ride around in self-flying cars, and wear ozone-resistant clothes. Most people that is; just not Leo Gray's parents. They're stuck in the past, and science know-it-all Leo is completely fed up with his beyond-embarrassing living arrangement with them. But when he enters a rocket-building competition for a chance to attend the Lunar Academy, Leo's luck finally seems to turn in his…


Book cover of Deal with the Devil
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Interested in robots, worldbuilding, and earth?

Robots 105 books
Worldbuilding 175 books
Earth 329 books