If you only read the Big 5 published Sci-Fi then you’re missing out on some cool stuff. Not just the works of Hugh Howey but lots of writers whom you might not even be aware of, like Jasper T Scott or Joseph Rhea. I’ve just finished reading novellas from both of those writers and really enjoyed them.
Jasper T Scott writes the same kind of fun, Space Opera that I write. His novel Dark Space is doing quite well and it’s just as good as anything else you may be reading. He’s created a sort of dystopian future where the human race has been overrun by aliens and now huddle together in remote areas of space where humans continue to prey on each other in order to survive.
Joseph Rhea’s novella is called Novum and it is set in the inner space of a future Earth where everyone lives underwater. It’s like an underwater Firefly. I finished it in two days and wanted more.
Being an indie author myself, I love it when someone discovers my work. As a reader of SF I never forget to dip into the indie waters to find interesting, cool new stories like the ones above. Sure, I still read the Big 5 novels, but more and more I’m supplementing with liberal amounts of indie novels. You should too.