"Near future ( a la Attack Vector) space combat in novels?" Topic

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could point me to novels or short stories detailing "realistic" spaceship combat similar to that portrayed in Attack Vector: Tactical. I know about the Honor series (OK but not exactly what I'm looking for), and the 2 stories in the AV:T publications. Anything similar?

Hoser

I would think realistic near future space combat (say through 2050) would be pretty dull. One ship, maybe two per side, two or three missiles. Plot your vector, cross your fingers, then light a candle and pray, because if you overshoot, you're on a one way trip to Mars, sans oxygen--or about to have a close encounter with the nearest star. And . . . the government deducts the cost of your space ship from the insurance proceeds.

Now cis-lunar space using hopped up landers might be more interesting.

All the novels I've read lately basically require an extensive suspension of disbelief.

There's "Gradisil" by Adam Roberts ( TMP link ) , but it's even lower-tech than AV:T in much of it. Unguided home-made rockets aimed by eye. The fun part is the tiny recoil and center of mass shift from firing the rockets tilting the ship just a bit and sending the rest increasingly off line.

Old story in Dragon magazine … can't remember the title.

It's funny, because this level of technology and realism really gives you some great opportunities for drama.

The Battle at the Moons of Hell by Graham Sharp Paul is one of the closer fits for what you're looking for. It's Mr. Paul's first novel, but decent. Characterization is not is flat is some places, but the protagonist is a much more realistic green-officer-on-his-first-cruise type than the typical stereotypes of the genre. More importantly, the space combat is along the lines of what you might be looking for. Ships do have FTL, but main sensors are radar, lidar, and visual sighting. They use newtonian propulsion, and are not terribly fast. Primary weapons are missiles, lasers which have to paint the target for some time to damage, and railguns that spew out a tremendous number of shells in an attempt to 'bracket' the target in three dimensions.

link

The second book comes out this August.

There is also the classic Passage At Arms by Glenn Cook, which reads more as a 'Das Boot' in space, but the ship has to deal with excess heat, uses projectile weapons and missiles.

Jack Campbell's 'The Lost Fleet' series, though set in the distant future, is another series I would recommend.

TheGhost

*Edited for a mistake on my part.

I am not sure if combat will happen in a near-future tech level beyond orbital satellite tag.

Despite that, you might check out books like Luna Marine by Ian Douglas.

The novel "Earthlight" by Sir Arthur has a very nice bit of space combat though its short and snappy – Inspired by, but with more realistic physics than EE Smith.

"Despite that, you might check out books like Luna Marine by Ian Douglas."

I think Ian Douglas is a nomme de plume of William Keith. The book Europa Strike, the 3rd in the first series, has near future space combat set ~2050 between China/UN and US/UK forces, IIRC mostly using mass drivers and missiles. Great SF military series, it's up to 7 books, 2 more announced. The first three are near future (~2050-ish) and are called the "Heritage Trilogy," followed by three books set a ~hundred years after called the "Legacy Trilogy." The new trilogy is the "Inheritance" trilogy.

Importantly, it's Glen Cook with one "n." (Messes up searches in library catalogs, otherwise.) (Really oddly, the Los Angeles Public Library has one copy of Passage At Arms, but it's a Reference copy, so you would have to sit in the library to read it!)

A new series that is pretty good is the Lost Fleet series. There are three books out so far of a scheduled six book series. It is about fleet actions, but the combat is similar to Attack Vector with kinetic projectiles, a lot of maneuver, and a pretty good storyline. You can tell it's hard sci-fi when the commanders are basing their decisions on when the light from their positions(current and in the past) will reach enemy forces in the area and how it will constrain their decisions!

"The Mote in God's Eye" and it's sequel, "The Gripping Hand" as well as "Footfall." All are teamed by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle.

Spaceships in the Lost Fleet books seem to fly like airplanes, though.

-Kle.

"Spaceships in the Lost Fleet books seem to fly like airplanes, though."

I think you might be mixing it with another book, because they spend a lot of time flipping over and pointing their big thrusters to slow down and they have to thrust their turns/slide sliping and use gravity for mannovering the ships.

Maybe, but when I read the first book, I remember being very disappointed when they described the ships "curving around"…

I just didn't find it very good – lots of other people liked it though, YMMV.
-Kle.

Even with realistic vector movement, ships still travel in curves, you know. Lost Fleet has "magic" weapons, grav technology, and ignores the issues of reaction mass quite nicely, but the actual ship maneuvering is pretty accurate to a realistic physics model.