If you read military science fiction—or if you get book recommendations from George R.R. Martin—you likely already know Marko Kloos. His Frontlines series, which launched with Terms of Enlistment, focuses on the personal impact of war on the battlefield and beyond. Both red-hot action and deep soul-searching are the result of fighting aliens and, sometimes, your own people, as enlistee Andrew Grayson soon finds out.
This month Kloos embarked upon a new series with Aftershocks. A fiery insurrection threatens to unravel the hard-won stability of the Gaia system only five years after the last war ended—and just as the losing side's prisoners of war are being released into society.
We took the opportunity to check in with Kloos to see what he's been reading and loving lately.
Marko Kloos' recent reads
My summer reading is a little curtailed this year because of a vicious attack by converging deadlines, but I did manage to get some reading in over the last few weeks. Here are the last three novels I’ve read on my Kindle Oasis, along with brief reviews.

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The Hangman’s Daughter by Oliver Pötzsch
First in a best-selling series by a well-known German writer, this is a historical murder mystery that takes place in 17th-century Germany. It’s a dark tale about superstitions, belief, and the social dynamics of the age, seen through the eyes of the protagonist (a traveling executioner) and his scientifically minded, medically trained sidekick. A fast-paced narrative set in an uncommon time and place, it reminded me of Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose.

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Rosewater by Tade Thompson
First book in the Wormwood trilogy by British author Tade Thompson, Rosewater is set in a near-future version of Nigeria, where a mysterious biodome has appeared that may or may not portend an alien invasion. An intriguing and inventive science fiction blend of mystery, psychology, and action, with shades of Arrival and Annihilation.

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Voyage of the Dogs by Greg van Eekhout
This is a stand-alone, a charming middle-grade science fiction novel. The protagonists are dogs called Barkonauts, trained to assist the human astronauts in their mission. When their spaceship fails and the humans go missing, the dogs must save the ship and the day. I read this with my daughter, who loved it so much that she named her new robotic toy dog Lopside after the canine protagonist. Two paws up!
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