Series

Books like Tom Kelly: 9 series to read next

Tom Kelly is thriller & suspense and military science fiction, about war, adventurous and tense in register. The 9 series below are ranked by how much of that they share — each card says which parts.

Tom Kelly is 2 books, 1983–1987.

“If you have a rough and dirty job you need done, you hire a man that has proven he has handled similar jobs with good results.”
from the catalogue description of Skyripper

The Tom Kelly page →Narrow this list →

Janissaries
Shane Schofield
Fifth Imperium
Animorphs
Out of the Dark (David Weber)
Old Man's War
Blackcollar
Empire of Man
Lokaran / The Stars

JanissariesSeries

seriesJerry Pournelle, Roland J. Green, David Weber & Phillip Pournelle4 books1979

About political intrigue and slavery, set in other star systems and far future.

“Janissaries are an American series of military and political-based science fiction novels are set in an interstellar confederation of races, in which humans are a slave race entrusted with military affairs and law enforcement.”
from the catalogue description
Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Start with Janissaries →

Shane SchofieldSeries

seriesMatthew Reilly5 books1998

About survival.

“Ice Station is Australian thriller writer Matthew Reilly's second novel, released in 1998.”
from the catalogue description of Ice Station

Start with Ice Station →

Fifth ImperiumSeries

seriesDavid Weber3 books1991

Space opera, about artificial intelligence, set in far future and space.

“The three novels were later collected as the omnibus Empire from the Ashes.”
from the catalogue description

Start with Mutineers' Moon →

AnimorphsUniverse

universe66 books1996

Science fantasy, about shapeshifters.

“The Yeerks are grey slugs the length of your thumb.”
from the catalogue description

Reading order →

Out of the Dark (David Weber)Series

seriesDavid Weber & Chris Kennedy3 books2010

Alien invasion.

“Out of the Dark begins when an overwhelming alien armada arrives to subjugate Earth, only for the invasion to run into unexpected resistance from an unlikely source within humanity itself.”
from the catalogue description

Start with Out of the Dark →

Old Man's WarSeries

seriesJohn Scalzi16 books2005

Space opera, set in far future and space.

“Sign a document at 65, saying you intend to join up 10 years later.”
from the catalogue description
Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Start with Old Man's War →

BlackcollarSeries

seriesTimothy Zahn3 books1983

Set in far future.

“Timothy Zahn's Blackcollar trilogy, his debut work, follows survivors of Earth's underground resistance against the Ryqril, an alien empire that conquered the planet a generation earlier.”
from the catalogue description

Start with The Blackcollar →

Empire of ManSeries

seriesDavid Weber & John Ringo4 books2001

Space opera, about survival, set in other star systems and far future.

Start with March Upcountry →

Lokaran / The StarsSeries

seriesSteve White2 books2000

About rebellion and revolution and colonialism.

“When the Lokaran suddenly appeared in the skies of Earth, America was enjoying victory in the off-and-on war that had occupied most of the 20th century.”
from the catalogue description of Eagle Against the Stars

Start with Eagle Against the Stars →

Why these

No sales rank, no star ratings, no readers also bought.

Shared terms are not a promise that a book feels the same. Two series can be far-future political intrigue and read nothing alike — what the ranking can say is what they are about, and each card says which parts it shares.

Questions readers ask

What should I read after Tom Kelly?: Janissaries — the closest match to Tom Kelly on what it is about, not on what sells.
Where do I start with Tom Kelly?: Skyripper. It is the entry the catalogue recommends for Tom Kelly.
How big is Tom Kelly?: Tom Kelly is 2 books, 1983–1987.
Is Tom Kelly finished?: Yes — 2 books, 1983–1987.

Books like Tom Kelly: 9 series to read next

Read next in Tom Kelly

Why these

Questions readers ask

Other series like this one