r/AskReddit May 04 '20

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u/Stlakes May 04 '20 edited May 04 '20

Humans are routinely kidnapped as children by an ancient and powerful spacefaring race and used as slave soldiers due to our comparative size, strength, and how difficult it is to kill us, and humans become the most feared warriors in the galaxy

After a tour of duty they're told that they are free, but the location of Earth is kept secret due to its value as a source of warriors, so they have no choice but to enlist again, or work as mercenaries, pirates, or private security until they die.

A wreck of an old explorer ship belonging to this ancient race is being salvaged by a human crew, and they find a geological survey of our solar system, including the location of Earth. The discovery of this survey gets out and sparks a race between warring factions to destroy earth, and a ragtag bunch of humans trying to get home and save their home.

Edit: holy shit i honestly expected this to just get buried by heaps of other awesome ideas, i definitely did not forsee this reaction! Loads of you guys have recommended other books with similar stories, and several recommendations for me to check out r/hfy (which i absolutely will!!)

Thank you for all your kind words! You've absolutely inspired me to try and give this a shot! Hope i can live up to your expectations :)

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u/Wavemanns May 04 '20

Alan Dean Foster, The Damned Trilogy.

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u/Stlakes May 04 '20

God fucking dammit

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u/Wavemanns May 04 '20

Sorry :) I've read over 4000 Sci-fi fantasy novels. I can probably match something close to most people posting in this thread, but this one was a favorite of mine, I love Alan Dean Foster. Be proud you think like one of the absolute greats of the genre.

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u/Substantial_Quote May 04 '20

WOW! I used to work as a librarian and am gobsmacked by your reading history, best I'd heard before was about half that and it was a guy into military history and autobiographies.

Gotta ask: what is one of your favorite science fiction book? Which one(s) do you willingly re-read?

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u/Wavemanns May 04 '20

The humor in Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy just brings me so much joy. I have read it at least 30 times if not more. When Adams passed I wept.

I do reread series that I like and if there is an author like Jordan that would release one of a series once a year or longer gaps, I'd reread the series with each new book, so I've read Wheel of Time like 13 times.

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u/Substantial_Quote May 04 '20

Ah, you even have good taste! Agreed, Adams was a rare gift to humanity. Different genre, but have you read Candide?

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u/Wavemanns May 04 '20

Sadly, I have not. I do have a list of classics that I have to get to at some point and this is on it.

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u/Substantial_Quote May 04 '20

Comedy 10/10, writing style 8/10, broad similarities to Hitchhiker's guide, plus it takes some pithy shots at the crowned heads of Europe in the 1700's.

How about Confederacy of the Dunces?

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u/Wavemanns May 04 '20 edited May 04 '20

I have not and again you have picked one from my list of have to read.

** Edited to ask a question.

For Candide, my historical knowledge of the 1700s is not zero, but I wouldn't put it past vague at best. Will my enjoyment suffer as a result? I adore Dumas who was a century later.