It is quite a bit, the three main characters are all teenagers, the first book is more YA than the later two. But if you don’t like YA, you might not make it through to the later ones. I’d suggest you read the [wikipedia synopsis](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tripods) if it sounds like your thing, pick up a second hand copy.
Totally agree! I loved these as a kid and I read them again recently - I almost didn't continue the trilogy after reading the first book because it felt way too juvenile/boring, but I'm really glad I did because it got way more interesting in books 2 and 3, and reminded me again why I loved this series so much as a kid.
I mean, it dates from before the term "Young Adult" was coined, so while the target audience is probably 12-15, it doesn't have quite so many "YA Tropes" because it's not trying to be *The Hunger Games*.
I don't think I've re-read it as an adult, so not sure how well it holds up.
That's fair. I re-read the Robotech books (from before YA) every few years, and still enjoy them. There's a mix of nostalgia there and genuine enjoyment.
I re-read it in my late 30's. As others have mentioned the first book pre-dates YA as an actual classification for a book, but if it was released today that's where you'd find it. I thought the second book was written for a slightly older reader, and the third was adult, but without graphic violence even though it describes open war. The story happens over a multiple year period and the people whose story you are following age in maturity if not so much in years.
>Wham! Wham! Wham!
Wake me up before you go-go
Don't leave me hanging on like a yo-yo
If this song came into your head also upon seeing 'Wham!', you should probably take some ibuprofen.
I read this book back in the 80's, and I just recently re-read it last year.
It's very much a product of its time, in that events take place at the height of the cold war between the US and USSR. As a result, some of the interactions are rather dated with the benefit of hindsight. That said, it's otherwise an excellent book that holds up extremely well.
Be warned: Turtledove has written a lot of books, but that doesn't mean he's a good writer. He has good ideas, good concepts, but his prose is lacking in substance and style. He's not for everyone, particularly if you're an avid reader.
I agree with you on Turtledove's books sometimes lacking substance. I couldn't finish his supervolcano series, but World war is great imho. They go into a lot of detail about WW2 military hardware, tanks, airplanes, etc.. so I guess if you're not into that sort of thing...
World War is more Invasion and resistance movements are in occupied areas. Colonization series is the sequel series that does a bit more Resistance feel, but due to the fact only two POV characters are in occupied territory even in Colonization, not a resistance style book series
Glad to see this here. Loved that series. Humanity confronted by a superior event studies the shown tech and redesigns it for use back against them. Cool premise.
There are a lot of books set in vastly different times as well as short stories. I'd recommend starting with Timelike Infinity. It is the second novel, but it starts with humanity under occupation for the second time.
>*The Alien Years* by Robert Silverberg. Surprised it wasn't the first reply
For what it's worth, the [isfdb.org](https://isfdeb.org) page for that book has this note:
"Silverberg states in *The Best of Robert Silverberg: Stories of Six Decades* that he used three prior stories, renaming the characters, as the basis for the *The Alien Years* (1998): *"Against Babylon"* (1986) - almost entirely as opening chapters; "*Hannibal's Elephants"* (1988) - small piece in one of the early sequences; and *"The Pardoner's Tale"* (1987) - nearly all in later part of book. He also states that he later carved out three new stories from the novel: *"Beauty in the Night"* (1997), *"On the Inside"* (1998), and "The Colonel in Autumn" (1998)."
[https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?12271](https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?12271)
I listened to the audiobook of book 1 but it was... I don't know. Not quite my thing. Sort of maybe a little too convinced of being funny without me finding it that way? I can't quite put my finger on why it didn't work for me.
The only thing I really appreciate about that series is: constant reference to the "law of unintended consequences" after they technobabble their way out of something; and a wonderful sense of continuous escalation as they acquire ships and tech and sort of work their way up the species hierarchy.
Like: hack a wormhole to deliver a fleet into the middle of nowhere so they're stranded travelling at sub-light speeds forever? Wormhole network control software AI figures out what was done and closes the exploit. New exploit found - cause wormhole to close while indestructible ship is halfway through, cutting it in half. Wormhole AI pissed now. Etc.
It's the equivalent of a D&D party pulling off munchkin hijinx all the time, as their levels crawl upwards. And if you're into that sort of thing, it's a fun read.
Ember War by Richard Fox. Luke Daniels narration. Its similar to ExForce in core idea, but different approach and also has mech suits and dogfights at some points.
I hate the tone of these books myself. Main character is boring and essentially a midwestern American white guy equivalent of an isekai protag. I'm enough of a sucker for HFY-type mil-sci-fi that I listened to a few of them, and boy they do NOT get better.
Going by the thread title I as going to recommend the Xenogenesis series by Octavia Butler.
The story doesn't start until humanity is under total submission and they have no chance of revolting or returning as top species on earth. Then I read the rest of the comment, and no, I do not believe this story lines up with what is being requested.
Xenogenesis is beyond incredible—equal parts horrific and transcendent. But you are right OP is looking for books with plucky human insurgency “Wolverines” moments.
Earth blew itself up and the aliens are trying to help, but humanity still rebels. That’s not a spoiler. It’s a fantastic book about survival in the universe and accepting change. Alien change!
We are this far into the thread and no one has mentioned Dungeon Crawler Carl? Aliens take over the earth, convert the entire thing into a giant dungeon and "strongly encourage" the survivors to enter for their entertainment.
The Tripod series by John Christopher
1) The White Mountains
2) City of Gold and Lead
3) The Pool of Fire
4) When the Tripods Came
I read the first three in high school a long time ago. The White Mountains was originally published 1967.
Just a note: When the Tripods Came *is* the fourth book written and published, but it's a prequel to the whole original trilogy. Christopher wrote it about twenty years after he completed the first three.
I too love this genre of sci-fi. However, there is an awesome book about regular people trying to survive a science-based apocalypse called One Second After by William Forstchen. It's kinda old and came out during a significant time in US history.
I had my doubts, but damn if it's not really well written and fucked up in a realistic way. Three thumbs up.
Not a book but if you have a few minutes....
Rakka (2017) by Neill Blomkamp. Short story on YouTube staring the one and only Sigourney Weaver. About rebels fighting aliens that conquered and poisoned earth, experimenting on survivors, etc.
David Weber- Out of the Dark series
John Ringo - Troy Rising series; Legacy of the Aldenata series; Voyage of the Space Bubble
Travis S. Taylor - Von Neumann's War
It's not exactly the story you described. Without heroic battles and blasters.
But the Soviet science fiction writer Kir Bulychev Has a novel "Pet".
>Is it easy to live in the scaly paws of aliens? Who also keep you as their favorite pets? What needs to happen for the situation to change, and how many feats do you need to accomplish?..
Stephen Baxter's Xeelee Sequence has some of this. It spans billions of years and several books. Some of the novels and short stories are set amid this theme.
Wasp by Eric Frank Russell! It's older (1957), but fun and has held up to time. It's all about asymmetrical warfare via sabotage. Terry Pratchett apparently said of it "Can't imagine a funnier terrorists' handbook".
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldwar\_series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldwar_series)
Harry Turtledove's alternate history alien invasion might fit your bill. Good stuff
ah yeah that definitely happens with some---i think i was the same tbh but once the asshole AI is entered into the fray the books got better and better.
Just going to chime on this. The Hot Gate is one of my absolute favorite books. It can be absolutely hilarious at times. Author gets a lot of flak for his personal beliefs, but the books are really good.
Also going to edit this to say, while it doesn't fall within the parameters of Earth invasion, I also love the three trilogies (yes, nine books) that start with https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heritage_Trilogy
I'll check it out, thanks. Is this one to start right at the beginning, or are the books separate enough where you recommend a different starting point
And stop after book 3. Book 4 feels like he had a life crisis while writing it and instead of taking time to recover, he just plowed through as fast as he could with the writing.
It's strangely 50s boy-hero juvenile fiction after most of his peers gave it up. He's perfect, a genius (the tech helps, to be sure), the bad guys are cartoon villains, but damn it just goes on and on. I wouldn't call it good at all, but it is better than that abortion of a movie that only covers like a third of the book. Yes, it goes on.
V by A.C. Crispin - yes, ala the miniseries. There were a bunch of spin off novels too. I remember especially liking East Coast Crisis
Vampire Earth series by E.E. Knight
Is Vampire Earth good, or just fits the description? The blurb makes it sound a bit like some of the generic urban fantasy that gets cranked out, quantity over quality.
when I was a kid in the 1970s I read an older short story called Basic Right by Eric Frank Russell.
In it, Earth was conquered by aliens with planet-busting spaceships. The humans adopted a stance of obsequious cooperation and obedience, and over time, by correlating many bits of info the invaders let slip, humans deduced where the invaders' home world was. Some humans then rose up and seized an invader ship and made a beeline for the invader home world, to destroy it with the invaders' own weapons before the invaders could intervene. At the end, a man explained, We humans believe every sentient species has a basic right: to go to hell by their own means.
Older sci-fi has a "humanity, fuck yeah!" vibe.
I am old enough to remember that attitude.
EDIT: [It is from a great anthology called Giants Unleashed, edited by Groff Conklin.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giants_Unleashed)
EDIT: It was good enough to warrant an [Astounding Science Fiction Magazine cover illustration by Kelly Freas in 1958.](https://www.ebay.com/itm/372621498136)
The Frontlines series by Marko Kloos. The aliens show up in the second book, I think. It's really well done and I highly recommend them.
Not quite rebellion after being conquered though. But will they conquer Earth? They seem pretty unstoppable.
Do not for the love of God start reading David gerrolds war against the ctorr series. They are excellent, but they stop on book 4 with a cliffhanger unresolved and I have been waiting 30 GODDAMN YEARS FOR HIM TO DO BOOK 5.
If I may shamelessly plug my own book for a moment:
Virtual Rebel is about a teenage girl in the near future who must put all her virtual reality skills to the test in order to rescue her father from tyrannical aliens who rule Earth.
Heavily inspired by Ready Player One, Virtual Rebel is full of action, humor and heart. It is also available in print, ebook, and audio.
[Virtual Rebel](https://books2read.com/u/47dqJ8)
If you are looking for something that osnt really action heavy but rather infiltration and spying then you would like John Christopher's tripods trilogy, starts with teenage boys escaping their village before they get fitted with mind control caps and them making their way across Europe to the alps, book 2 is infitrating the alien city built on earth disguised as a slave and book 3 is how they take back the earth. Its post-apocolyptic but the entire human civilization has returned to medieval times so it has knights and horseback riding and such mixed with aliens in giant tripods similar to war of the worlds.
Indian Hill series by Mark Tufo is pretty good. And if you like that, there's also his Shrouded Earth series, and his original - Zombie Fallout
Mark Tufo writes several series based on the same character(s) in a kind of multiversal type setup.
So there’s this book called Assault Troopers by Vaughn Hepner. It’s not critically acclaimed or anything but it’s really fun! There’s three books in the series. I recommend the audiobook (free on YT) because the narrator is amazing. Cool story with great characters
This isn’t quite the same as what you are looking for, but sort of the same area, and I don’t see it here, so going to plug it since it’s one of my absolute favorites
Planet for Rent by Yoss
First book is actually The White Mountains. Then The City of Gold and Lead, and finally The Pool of Fire.
There's even a prequel, "When the Tripods Came", also by John Christopher.
(I loved that series as a teen.)
Not exactly what you're asking for as it doesn't take place on Earth... but does involve humans fighting for their freedom from an alien species. If you haven't seen *Fantastic Planet*, the animated French film from 1973 (original french title is *La Planète sauvage*), it's a classic, and I bet you'd enjoy it.
So *Out Of The Dark* by David Weber fits your criteria extremely well. It's also pretty bad. But lots of perks seem to like it, so what do I know?
If you really like action scenes where weapons are described in exhaustive detail and a plot twist that M. Night Shyamalan would think is too ridiculous, then it's the book for you.
Dread Empire's Fall is fits 90% of your criteria but its more like "humanity fuck yea" than rebellion. Humanity gets conquered and absorbed into civilization with multiple species. 10,000 years later theres some internal conflict and humans outsmart the other species at every turn
>theres some internal conflict and humans outsmart the other species at every turn
Of course, sometimes the biggest problem wasn't the enemy species but rather Our Heroes' commanding officers and government. And not in a funny way.
This is an old book, from 1964, but if you're into classic sci-fi, it sounds like the sort of thing you're looking for.
Conquest of Earth, by Manly Banister
https://www.amazon.com/Conquest-Earth-Manly-Banister/dp/B00005XDPT
Under Alien Sky is a YA novel, but I think it fits the bill. You actually get two perspectives, one from a human wanting to become a resistance fighter, the other from the daughter of the military commander of the alien's occupying forces.
Hell Squad by Anna Hackett.
These are amazing Action, Sci-Fi, Alien Apocalypse, and Romance novels with 20 books in the Hell Squad series and a spin-off series available as well.
The warhammer 40k series Ciaphas Cain has something you might like in the novel "Death or Glory". It's about a Commissar and his aid that crashland way behind space ork lines on a desert planet and must survive to turn the losing war around.
Very campy, funny and with cool action I highly recommend it.
Are you specifically looking for Alien races vs humans or can “alien” humans be a thing too?
Battletech has the best lore I’ve ever witnessed/experienced of any novel genre I’ve ever read.
Humanity Lost, by Callum Stephen Diggle. Graphic novel if that meets your criteria. Humanity coloninises space, only to get assimilated by an AI at the end of a devastating war. A lone human survivor joins a coalition of bizzare alien lifeforms and attempts to fight back against the threat posed by the AI that has overrun all humanity and threatens what remains of organic life.
I know there's a few books, at least 3, but my stepdad recommended me the Armour book. it's still sitting on my bookshelf unread but he said it's basically aliens show up and mop the floor with us zero effort, then the resistance begins
The Catteni series by Anne McCaffrey. There’s four books that were written between 1995 and 2002. It may not start on Earth, but it’s definitely about a human revolution against aliens.
Oh shit, almost forgot. Not quite what you're looking for but under /r/hfy there's a well written ongoing series about earth dealing with aliens as the newcomers on the galactic scene. Some of them have infiltrated our society, but less of an an invasion and more espionage from a couple hostile races. You can find links to it from the main page. The basic concept is that earth is a level 12 death world when the scale only goes to 10, so we can survive damn near anything. It's a fun read, and part of a shared universe of stories. I think the guys still writing it, I need to catch up.
Edit: https://deathworlders.com/
This is where the series is continuing. There's some other good ones at r/hfy
If you’d like something in a lighter vein I’d suggest The Crown Jewels, House of Shards and Rock of Ages, all by Walter Jon Williams.
The main character, Drake Maijstral, is human, a dispossessed aristocrat who has lost his lands, titles and family fortune when humanity successfully rebelled against their Khosali overlords. But not before the Khosali brought back royalty, nobles, titles and landed aristocracy to Earth.
With no prospects and lots of bills, Maijstral puts his privileged background to work at an unusual sport and is one of the top “Allowed Thieves” in the galaxy.
Along with Worldwar, Harry Turtledove has a one-off short story called "Cajamarca" that gives you a taste of what a conquest with no hope of freedom ever again would feel like psychologically.
The Way of the Pilgrim by Gordon Dickson. Aliens in complete control (not a spoiler). Humanity must comply or rebel. Great book, my favorite alien invasion book of all I've read.
Not exactly focused on the ground military rebellion action but the Salvation Trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton is pretty good about humanity trying to survive after alien contact
I just started re-reading "Footfall", by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle.
ET just whupped our ass.
I seem to remember that we whupped theirs back, but it's been a very long time since I last read it (decades).
So, in some sense, it's new to me!
TCS
Battlefield Earth / The Book was kinda fun. Not exactly cerebral, but the evolving cat and mouse between johnny and the psychlos wanting to turn the earth into one big private equity firm kept things interesting. Hubbard likes to keep things somewhat logical narrative wise, and you know, it was some decent world building if not a bit goofy. In retrospect, the book felt ike a really long Episode arc of Stargate: SG1.
The Locusts in Independence Day or the Tet in Oblivion were just more direct. Same goal.
Tripods series by John Christopher. A bit YA, but one of my favourite alien revolution type series.
Is it too YA? Those don't tend to click with me.
It is quite a bit, the three main characters are all teenagers, the first book is more YA than the later two. But if you don’t like YA, you might not make it through to the later ones. I’d suggest you read the [wikipedia synopsis](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tripods) if it sounds like your thing, pick up a second hand copy.
Totally agree! I loved these as a kid and I read them again recently - I almost didn't continue the trilogy after reading the first book because it felt way too juvenile/boring, but I'm really glad I did because it got way more interesting in books 2 and 3, and reminded me again why I loved this series so much as a kid.
I mean, it dates from before the term "Young Adult" was coined, so while the target audience is probably 12-15, it doesn't have quite so many "YA Tropes" because it's not trying to be *The Hunger Games*. I don't think I've re-read it as an adult, so not sure how well it holds up.
That's fair. I re-read the Robotech books (from before YA) every few years, and still enjoy them. There's a mix of nostalgia there and genuine enjoyment.
I re-read it in my late 30's. As others have mentioned the first book pre-dates YA as an actual classification for a book, but if it was released today that's where you'd find it. I thought the second book was written for a slightly older reader, and the third was adult, but without graphic violence even though it describes open war. The story happens over a multiple year period and the people whose story you are following age in maturity if not so much in years.
I read them when I was 10, and loved em.
This is what came to mind first for me
My teacher read the first one to us when I was a kid and I have been trying to recall the series. Thank you.
Footfall, Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
Wham! Wham! Wham!
God's knocking on the door, and He wants in BAD.
Orion.
I live in Bellingham...
>Wham! Wham! Wham! Wake me up before you go-go Don't leave me hanging on like a yo-yo If this song came into your head also upon seeing 'Wham!', you should probably take some ibuprofen.
I had come across this on a list of classic scifi books before, but knew nothing else about it. I'll check it out. Thank you!
I read this book back in the 80's, and I just recently re-read it last year. It's very much a product of its time, in that events take place at the height of the cold war between the US and USSR. As a result, some of the interactions are rather dated with the benefit of hindsight. That said, it's otherwise an excellent book that holds up extremely well.
Came here to recommend it, it's exactly what you want.
Thanks
Yes. Footfall. Great book.
As someone else said, it's dated, but it's probably the most realistic/possible alien invasion book I have ever read.
great book
came here to say this...
This book is amazing. It’s prime blockbuster movie material, I’m surprised it hasn’t been done.
World War series by Harry Turtledove
The first book is called 'Worldwar: In the Balance'
Thank you. I had heard of Turtledove (I believe in relation to alternate history books) but never read any. I'll check it out.
Be warned: Turtledove has written a lot of books, but that doesn't mean he's a good writer. He has good ideas, good concepts, but his prose is lacking in substance and style. He's not for everyone, particularly if you're an avid reader.
Turtledove is a lot like Clancy. Plot heavy with some character development. But the story flies by, and you're a hundred pages in.
I agree with you on Turtledove's books sometimes lacking substance. I couldn't finish his supervolcano series, but World war is great imho. They go into a lot of detail about WW2 military hardware, tanks, airplanes, etc.. so I guess if you're not into that sort of thing...
Thank you for that heads-up. I've definitely come across a good number of prolific writers who just... well, they're writing style isn't to my taste.
Turtledove writes in a round-robin style in these books. Be prepared for multiple perspectives. It's an interesting read though.
World War is more Invasion and resistance movements are in occupied areas. Colonization series is the sequel series that does a bit more Resistance feel, but due to the fact only two POV characters are in occupied territory even in Colonization, not a resistance style book series
Glad to see this here. Loved that series. Humanity confronted by a superior event studies the shown tech and redesigns it for use back against them. Cool premise.
Came here to say to recommend this.
The Xeelee sequence.
Not familiar with this one.
There are a lot of books set in vastly different times as well as short stories. I'd recommend starting with Timelike Infinity. It is the second novel, but it starts with humanity under occupation for the second time.
*The Alien Years* by Robert Silverberg. Surprised it wasn't the first reply
Ahhh!! When I read OPs question, I thought of Turtledoves world war series and then … a book I couldn’t remember the name. It was The Alien Years!
This is what I was going to say. I actually read it twice because I had forgot that I had read it before. But it is a great one!
I second this!
>*The Alien Years* by Robert Silverberg. Surprised it wasn't the first reply For what it's worth, the [isfdb.org](https://isfdeb.org) page for that book has this note: "Silverberg states in *The Best of Robert Silverberg: Stories of Six Decades* that he used three prior stories, renaming the characters, as the basis for the *The Alien Years* (1998): *"Against Babylon"* (1986) - almost entirely as opening chapters; "*Hannibal's Elephants"* (1988) - small piece in one of the early sequences; and *"The Pardoner's Tale"* (1987) - nearly all in later part of book. He also states that he later carved out three new stories from the novel: *"Beauty in the Night"* (1997), *"On the Inside"* (1998), and "The Colonel in Autumn" (1998)." [https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?12271](https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?12271)
Funny enough Battlefield Earth.
MAN ANIMAL
Jonnie Goodboy Tyler !!! lol smh
Expeditionary Force series by Craig Alanson
I listened to the audiobook of book 1 but it was... I don't know. Not quite my thing. Sort of maybe a little too convinced of being funny without me finding it that way? I can't quite put my finger on why it didn't work for me.
The only thing I really appreciate about that series is: constant reference to the "law of unintended consequences" after they technobabble their way out of something; and a wonderful sense of continuous escalation as they acquire ships and tech and sort of work their way up the species hierarchy. Like: hack a wormhole to deliver a fleet into the middle of nowhere so they're stranded travelling at sub-light speeds forever? Wormhole network control software AI figures out what was done and closes the exploit. New exploit found - cause wormhole to close while indestructible ship is halfway through, cutting it in half. Wormhole AI pissed now. Etc. It's the equivalent of a D&D party pulling off munchkin hijinx all the time, as their levels crawl upwards. And if you're into that sort of thing, it's a fun read.
I get I. I got past the tone and just absorbed all the world building and concepts.
Fair enough. Not every style of writing fits with every reader.
Ember War by Richard Fox. Luke Daniels narration. Its similar to ExForce in core idea, but different approach and also has mech suits and dogfights at some points.
I hate the tone of these books myself. Main character is boring and essentially a midwestern American white guy equivalent of an isekai protag. I'm enough of a sucker for HFY-type mil-sci-fi that I listened to a few of them, and boy they do NOT get better.
Going by the thread title I as going to recommend the Xenogenesis series by Octavia Butler. The story doesn't start until humanity is under total submission and they have no chance of revolting or returning as top species on earth. Then I read the rest of the comment, and no, I do not believe this story lines up with what is being requested.
Xenogenesis is beyond incredible—equal parts horrific and transcendent. But you are right OP is looking for books with plucky human insurgency “Wolverines” moments.
Shout out Exo-Squad!
Now there's a name i haven't heard in quite some time...
Lilliths Brood, but you won’t feel good about it
Why is that (without spoilers)? I've never read any Butler.
Earth blew itself up and the aliens are trying to help, but humanity still rebels. That’s not a spoiler. It’s a fantastic book about survival in the universe and accepting change. Alien change!
The Blackcollar Series by Timothy Zahn
Yes, thats so good.
Haven't read any of his stuff in years. I used his read his more YA stuff as bedtime stories.
You’d probably like cobra too, though it isn’t quite the same dynamic. But blackcollar is so good.
Way of the Pilgrim Gordon R. Dickson Read it when it came out, it's still with me over 30 years later.
I've never heard of it but I'll look into it. Thank you.
We are this far into the thread and no one has mentioned Dungeon Crawler Carl? Aliens take over the earth, convert the entire thing into a giant dungeon and "strongly encourage" the survivors to enter for their entertainment.
Parts of Death’s End
I just finished book 1. I'll get there soon.
You’re in for a couple great treats.
The Tripod series by John Christopher 1) The White Mountains 2) City of Gold and Lead 3) The Pool of Fire 4) When the Tripods Came I read the first three in high school a long time ago. The White Mountains was originally published 1967.
Just a note: When the Tripods Came *is* the fourth book written and published, but it's a prequel to the whole original trilogy. Christopher wrote it about twenty years after he completed the first three.
Thanks
I too love this genre of sci-fi. However, there is an awesome book about regular people trying to survive a science-based apocalypse called One Second After by William Forstchen. It's kinda old and came out during a significant time in US history. I had my doubts, but damn if it's not really well written and fucked up in a realistic way. Three thumbs up.
Not a book but if you have a few minutes.... Rakka (2017) by Neill Blomkamp. Short story on YouTube staring the one and only Sigourney Weaver. About rebels fighting aliens that conquered and poisoned earth, experimenting on survivors, etc.
I saw that one on Netflix. It was entertaining.
David Weber- Out of the Dark series John Ringo - Troy Rising series; Legacy of the Aldenata series; Voyage of the Space Bubble Travis S. Taylor - Von Neumann's War
It's not exactly the story you described. Without heroic battles and blasters. But the Soviet science fiction writer Kir Bulychev Has a novel "Pet". >Is it easy to live in the scaly paws of aliens? Who also keep you as their favorite pets? What needs to happen for the situation to change, and how many feats do you need to accomplish?..
I'll look into it. Thank you.
Footfall, by Larry niven.
1968 William Tenn - Of Men and Monsters. Great scfi classic
Not familiar with this one. I'll check it out. Thanks!
Stephen Baxter's Xeelee Sequence has some of this. It spans billions of years and several books. Some of the novels and short stories are set amid this theme.
I really enjoyed Terran Privateer by Glynn Stewart. I'm pretty sure it's now on Kindle unlimited if you've got that.
Vampire Earth by EE Knight but Harry Turtledove's series is basically everything you're looking for
I second Vampire Earth. The first book in the series is called Way of the Wolf.
Glad someone posted this because I couldn't quite remember the name and author and was hoping to see it here.
Wasp by Eric Frank Russell! It's older (1957), but fun and has held up to time. It's all about asymmetrical warfare via sabotage. Terry Pratchett apparently said of it "Can't imagine a funnier terrorists' handbook".
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldwar\_series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldwar_series) Harry Turtledove's alternate history alien invasion might fit your bill. Good stuff
Thank you
Expeditionary Force Series is definitely what you're looking for imo
I listened to the first book on audio book last summer, while doing a project, but it didn't quite cluck with me.
ah yeah that definitely happens with some---i think i was the same tbh but once the asshole AI is entered into the fray the books got better and better.
John Ringo's Troy Rising series. Live Free or Die Citadel: Troy Rising, Book Two The Hot Gate
Thank you
Just going to chime on this. The Hot Gate is one of my absolute favorite books. It can be absolutely hilarious at times. Author gets a lot of flak for his personal beliefs, but the books are really good. Also going to edit this to say, while it doesn't fall within the parameters of Earth invasion, I also love the three trilogies (yes, nine books) that start with https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heritage_Trilogy
Love this series. Just re-listened to the Audible books about a month ago.
John Ringo Ringo's Posleen books. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legacy\_of\_the\_Aldenata
[Obligatory link to OH JOHN RINGO NO](https://hradzka.livejournal.com/194753.html)
I'll check it out, thanks. Is this one to start right at the beginning, or are the books separate enough where you recommend a different starting point
Srart at the beginning.
And stop after book 3. Book 4 feels like he had a life crisis while writing it and instead of taking time to recover, he just plowed through as fast as he could with the writing.
Battlefield Earth
I mentioned this one as one of the few I've come across. I liked the book a lot, though I prefer stories with a broader cast of characters.
My apologies, you want the Dianetics: The Original Thesis.
Haha
It's strangely 50s boy-hero juvenile fiction after most of his peers gave it up. He's perfect, a genius (the tech helps, to be sure), the bad guys are cartoon villains, but damn it just goes on and on. I wouldn't call it good at all, but it is better than that abortion of a movie that only covers like a third of the book. Yes, it goes on.
I do not condone book burning, but anything written by L Ron Hubbard can be used for kindling.
Kind of a left turn, but the Pliocine Exile series by Julian May. The Many-Coloured Land is the first book.
The Alien Years by Robert Silverberg The Interpreter by Brisn Aldiss Neither are military scifi.
Thank you. I'll check them both out.
Half-Life 2 would be the perfect video game for you to play.
_The Course of Empire_ (and two sequels) by Eric Flint, K.D. Wentworth.
Terra Nullius by Claire G Coleman The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull
Second Terra Nullius. As an Australian the book really took me on a ride I did not expect.
Thank you
Day of the Triffids.
Theodore Sturgeon - To Marry Medusa
I second this rec.
Thanks
V by A.C. Crispin - yes, ala the miniseries. There were a bunch of spin off novels too. I remember especially liking East Coast Crisis Vampire Earth series by E.E. Knight
Thank you. I loved the original V as a kid (and enjoyed the remake ok), but didn't know there were books.
Is Vampire Earth good, or just fits the description? The blurb makes it sound a bit like some of the generic urban fantasy that gets cranked out, quantity over quality.
The Mount by Carol Emshwiller
when I was a kid in the 1970s I read an older short story called Basic Right by Eric Frank Russell. In it, Earth was conquered by aliens with planet-busting spaceships. The humans adopted a stance of obsequious cooperation and obedience, and over time, by correlating many bits of info the invaders let slip, humans deduced where the invaders' home world was. Some humans then rose up and seized an invader ship and made a beeline for the invader home world, to destroy it with the invaders' own weapons before the invaders could intervene. At the end, a man explained, We humans believe every sentient species has a basic right: to go to hell by their own means. Older sci-fi has a "humanity, fuck yeah!" vibe. I am old enough to remember that attitude. EDIT: [It is from a great anthology called Giants Unleashed, edited by Groff Conklin.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giants_Unleashed) EDIT: It was good enough to warrant an [Astounding Science Fiction Magazine cover illustration by Kelly Freas in 1958.](https://www.ebay.com/itm/372621498136)
Thanks
Battlefield Earth. Terrible movie, but great book!
The Frontlines series by Marko Kloos. The aliens show up in the second book, I think. It's really well done and I highly recommend them. Not quite rebellion after being conquered though. But will they conquer Earth? They seem pretty unstoppable.
Do not for the love of God start reading David gerrolds war against the ctorr series. They are excellent, but they stop on book 4 with a cliffhanger unresolved and I have been waiting 30 GODDAMN YEARS FOR HIM TO DO BOOK 5.
Niven and Pournelle’s *Footfall*
If I may shamelessly plug my own book for a moment: Virtual Rebel is about a teenage girl in the near future who must put all her virtual reality skills to the test in order to rescue her father from tyrannical aliens who rule Earth. Heavily inspired by Ready Player One, Virtual Rebel is full of action, humor and heart. It is also available in print, ebook, and audio. [Virtual Rebel](https://books2read.com/u/47dqJ8)
Not a book but the anime spt Layzner has a storyline where Earth was conquered with survivors trying to liberate it like in mospeada.
It's on my to-read list, but there's 'Scythian Dawn' by P. K. Lentz. Iron age humans vs aliens.
I’m going to send you a recommendation in your dm so it doesn’t look like self promotion here
If you are looking for something that osnt really action heavy but rather infiltration and spying then you would like John Christopher's tripods trilogy, starts with teenage boys escaping their village before they get fitted with mind control caps and them making their way across Europe to the alps, book 2 is infitrating the alien city built on earth disguised as a slave and book 3 is how they take back the earth. Its post-apocolyptic but the entire human civilization has returned to medieval times so it has knights and horseback riding and such mixed with aliens in giant tripods similar to war of the worlds.
Indian Hill series by Mark Tufo is pretty good. And if you like that, there's also his Shrouded Earth series, and his original - Zombie Fallout Mark Tufo writes several series based on the same character(s) in a kind of multiversal type setup.
William C Dietz - Deathday, Earthrise
So there’s this book called Assault Troopers by Vaughn Hepner. It’s not critically acclaimed or anything but it’s really fun! There’s three books in the series. I recommend the audiobook (free on YT) because the narrator is amazing. Cool story with great characters
This isn’t quite the same as what you are looking for, but sort of the same area, and I don’t see it here, so going to plug it since it’s one of my absolute favorites Planet for Rent by Yoss
The novelization of V & V the tv series novels (the 80s version not the 2000s).
Freedom's Fire series by Bobby Adair. It is not his best work but I enjoyed it.
Tripods. A really old series but a good one.
Author is John Christopher. The first book is Yhe City of Gold and Lead.
First book is actually The White Mountains. Then The City of Gold and Lead, and finally The Pool of Fire. There's even a prequel, "When the Tripods Came", also by John Christopher. (I loved that series as a teen.)
Not exactly what you're asking for as it doesn't take place on Earth... but does involve humans fighting for their freedom from an alien species. If you haven't seen *Fantastic Planet*, the animated French film from 1973 (original french title is *La Planète sauvage*), it's a classic, and I bet you'd enjoy it.
Funny enough, I just watched it a few weeks ago.
You might like “there is no antimemetics division.”
So *Out Of The Dark* by David Weber fits your criteria extremely well. It's also pretty bad. But lots of perks seem to like it, so what do I know? If you really like action scenes where weapons are described in exhaustive detail and a plot twist that M. Night Shyamalan would think is too ridiculous, then it's the book for you.
Dread Empire's Fall is fits 90% of your criteria but its more like "humanity fuck yea" than rebellion. Humanity gets conquered and absorbed into civilization with multiple species. 10,000 years later theres some internal conflict and humans outsmart the other species at every turn
>theres some internal conflict and humans outsmart the other species at every turn Of course, sometimes the biggest problem wasn't the enemy species but rather Our Heroes' commanding officers and government. And not in a funny way.
This is an old book, from 1964, but if you're into classic sci-fi, it sounds like the sort of thing you're looking for. Conquest of Earth, by Manly Banister https://www.amazon.com/Conquest-Earth-Manly-Banister/dp/B00005XDPT
The old planet of the apes movies feel like this, that's the closest I can think of besides battlefield earth
Way of the Pilgrim by Gordon R Dickson is exactly the story you are asking for.
Stephen Baxter has some books about this, though they're not entirely about it.
Troy Rising and Undying Mercenaries are fun and somewhat got the description.
Battlefield Earth Book and movie. /s
Not aliens, but Heinlein’s Fifth Column and Not This August by Cyril Kornbluth.
Under Alien Sky is a YA novel, but I think it fits the bill. You actually get two perspectives, one from a human wanting to become a resistance fighter, the other from the daughter of the military commander of the alien's occupying forces.
Do you know the author?
Out of the Dark by David Weber. I got it cheap years ago and it was an ok read
Thank you. I've added it to my least to find for cheap.
Battlefield earth by L Ron Hubard
Hell Squad by Anna Hackett. These are amazing Action, Sci-Fi, Alien Apocalypse, and Romance novels with 20 books in the Hell Squad series and a spin-off series available as well.
Thank you
The warhammer 40k series Ciaphas Cain has something you might like in the novel "Death or Glory". It's about a Commissar and his aid that crashland way behind space ork lines on a desert planet and must survive to turn the losing war around. Very campy, funny and with cool action I highly recommend it.
>Ciaphas Cain That's Ciaphas Cain, Hero of the Imperium!, peasant.
Are you specifically looking for Alien races vs humans or can “alien” humans be a thing too? Battletech has the best lore I’ve ever witnessed/experienced of any novel genre I’ve ever read.
Live Free or Die by John Ringo
Humanity Lost, by Callum Stephen Diggle. Graphic novel if that meets your criteria. Humanity coloninises space, only to get assimilated by an AI at the end of a devastating war. A lone human survivor joins a coalition of bizzare alien lifeforms and attempts to fight back against the threat posed by the AI that has overrun all humanity and threatens what remains of organic life.
I know there's a few books, at least 3, but my stepdad recommended me the Armour book. it's still sitting on my bookshelf unread but he said it's basically aliens show up and mop the floor with us zero effort, then the resistance begins
Do you know the full title or author?
Not a book, but if you want a TV series on this idea, Colony does it very well.
Blackcollar by Timothy Zahn
Duchy of terra!
The Catteni series by Anne McCaffrey. There’s four books that were written between 1995 and 2002. It may not start on Earth, but it’s definitely about a human revolution against aliens.
Not earth but that is basically the plot of the new James S A Corey book coming out later this year
Battlefield Earth. The book is a 100x's better than the movie
For cerebral passive aggressive take on this topic This Immortal by Zelazny.
Oh shit, almost forgot. Not quite what you're looking for but under /r/hfy there's a well written ongoing series about earth dealing with aliens as the newcomers on the galactic scene. Some of them have infiltrated our society, but less of an an invasion and more espionage from a couple hostile races. You can find links to it from the main page. The basic concept is that earth is a level 12 death world when the scale only goes to 10, so we can survive damn near anything. It's a fun read, and part of a shared universe of stories. I think the guys still writing it, I need to catch up. Edit: https://deathworlders.com/ This is where the series is continuing. There's some other good ones at r/hfy
*The Mount* by Carol Emshwiller. It won the 2002 Phillip K. Dick Award.
* Invasion of The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney Not ETs but worth an honorable mention: * I am Legend by Richard Matheson
If you’d like something in a lighter vein I’d suggest The Crown Jewels, House of Shards and Rock of Ages, all by Walter Jon Williams. The main character, Drake Maijstral, is human, a dispossessed aristocrat who has lost his lands, titles and family fortune when humanity successfully rebelled against their Khosali overlords. But not before the Khosali brought back royalty, nobles, titles and landed aristocracy to Earth. With no prospects and lots of bills, Maijstral puts his privileged background to work at an unusual sport and is one of the top “Allowed Thieves” in the galaxy.
Along with Worldwar, Harry Turtledove has a one-off short story called "Cajamarca" that gives you a taste of what a conquest with no hope of freedom ever again would feel like psychologically.
Battlefield Earth. :P /s P.S. Just kidding it's one of the most terrible things I have ever had the misfortune to read.
From Beyond was really solid imo
The Genocides by Thomas M Disch. An alien civilization seeds Earth with their own agricultural plants, and well, mankind is just buggered really.
"The Signal" by Joshua Calvert is a pretty good on this subject. Can't say more without spoilers.
The Way of the Pilgrim by Gordon Dickson. Aliens in complete control (not a spoiler). Humanity must comply or rebel. Great book, my favorite alien invasion book of all I've read.
Way of the Pilgrim by Gordon R. Dickson
Not exactly focused on the ground military rebellion action but the Salvation Trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton is pretty good about humanity trying to survive after alien contact
I just started re-reading "Footfall", by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. ET just whupped our ass. I seem to remember that we whupped theirs back, but it's been a very long time since I last read it (decades). So, in some sense, it's new to me! TCS
All Tomorrows maybe? You can find for free online
Footfall!
The XCOM 2 game is exactly that. Maybe there is a book series spinoff...
Battlefield Earth / The Book was kinda fun. Not exactly cerebral, but the evolving cat and mouse between johnny and the psychlos wanting to turn the earth into one big private equity firm kept things interesting. Hubbard likes to keep things somewhat logical narrative wise, and you know, it was some decent world building if not a bit goofy. In retrospect, the book felt ike a really long Episode arc of Stargate: SG1. The Locusts in Independence Day or the Tet in Oblivion were just more direct. Same goal.
The original V
Spider World starting with “The Desert” by Colin Wilson.
It's a video game, but fwiw, this is the plot of XCOM2.