(Last week was paranormal romance.)
Space opera.
Like with all the subgenres, the definition floats a little bit, but for now we’ll cleave to the Wikipedia definition, which is: “a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes romantic, often melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in outer space, usually involving conflict between opponents possessing advanced technologies and abilities.”
Time to ask you:
What are your three essential space opera reads?
Drop ’em in the comments!
DebE says:
I haven’t read many, but I can safely plug one: Space Games by Dean Lombardo! Great read. A mirror held up to our own obsessions with “real life” TV and the Internet…
July 22, 2013 — 12:03 AM
KL Klein says:
The Miles Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold, and the Honor Harrington series by David Weber.
July 22, 2013 — 12:07 AM
Jed Thomas says:
THE FOREVER WAR by Joe Haldeman is one of my favorites. I believe it’s considered a space opera. I only have one suggestion for now.
July 22, 2013 — 12:08 AM
K. Tagher says:
Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge, Pandora’s Star by Peter F. Hamilton, and Leviathan Wakes by James SA Corey. They all knocked my socks off in their own special way.
July 22, 2013 — 12:30 AM
Sparky says:
Unfortunately my first thoughts of space opera aren’t novels. But here are three excellent examples of the genre in other media: Mass Effect (video game series), Eclipse Phase (tabletop RPG) and Cowboy Bebop (anime)
July 22, 2013 — 12:40 AM
Envy Augustine says:
<3 Eclipse Phase. Really awesome core book. Whenever I need some writing inspo I pick it up.
Double plus <3s to Mass Effect.
July 22, 2013 — 8:56 AM
Ryan Viergutz says:
I second Eclipse Phase and Cowboy Bebop. Eclipse Phase (at least in reading, I haven’t had the pleasure of playing it yet) is /amazing/.
I’ve heard excellent things about Mass Effect from all corners. That’s hearsay, though.
July 22, 2013 — 9:03 AM
C.G. Cameron (@jazz2midnight) says:
Price of the Stars by Doyle & Macdonald — it’s the War for the Oaks of space opera
July 22, 2013 — 12:46 AM
Sarah says:
Always great to find another fan. This series is my all time favorite.
July 22, 2013 — 10:27 PM
dancingcrow says:
I particularly loved how it felt like it started as Star Wars with the serial numbers filed off, then blossomed into something entirely itself, and riveting!
July 23, 2013 — 4:02 PM
Hudds says:
I’m not sure if it fits the exact definition, but “A Game of Universe” by Eric S. Nylund is the best sci-fi, space adventure I’ve read. It’s a tough-to-find read, though. I found a copy in a bookstore in Massachusetts 15ish years ago. Now I can’t find my copy anywhere and “new” copies are going for $200 on the Amazon.
July 22, 2013 — 1:08 AM
Carol McKenzie says:
Amazon shows used copies starting at $22.00.
July 22, 2013 — 8:33 PM
Sarah says:
The Mage Worlds series by Debra Doyle and James D MacDonald – amazing. The Liaden series by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, and the Dune series (the ones by him, not the spinoffs) by Frank Hebert, I’ve re-read them all many times.
July 22, 2013 — 1:14 AM
Maree Anderson says:
The Gap Sequence by Stephen Donaldson. Mind-blowing….
July 22, 2013 — 1:16 AM
Lila says:
Yes. I love these books. Starts small, ends big, so much drama and character development the whole way through.
July 22, 2013 — 11:34 AM
Recknar says:
Culture series by Ian.M Banks
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
Spatterjay series by Neal Asher – not a very well known author I think, but so much fun to read.
A universe where people can choose their path to immortality and a planet full of a virus that grants it, with great benefits and some fairly substantial risks.
Humanity is ruled by “mostly” benevolent A.I.s, hornets were the only other intelligent species to come from earth and humanities greatest enemy in the universe are large lobster walking tank things that enslave their young.
July 22, 2013 — 1:30 AM
AFOdom says:
+1 for the Hyperion series. I hadn’t thought of that one as space opera until now, but it definitely qualifies. Every time I wish our world had already invented teleportation, I think of Dan Simmons.
July 22, 2013 — 7:42 AM
Harlequin Felis says:
It’s a bit OTT and a deconstruction, but Deathstalker by Simon Green’s one of my staples. I have a soft spot for the old Perry Rhodan series since I read a few as a kid…
And I can’t let a list go by without /the/ original space opera, and godfather of all who came after; the Lensman series by E.E. ‘Doc’ Smith! 😀
July 22, 2013 — 1:54 AM
Ahimsa says:
I am really digging the James SA Corey’s series that began with LEVIATHAN AWAKES.
July 22, 2013 — 1:56 AM
Harlequin Felis says:
Wish I could edit that comment, but a bonus recommendation would be the Agent Cormac books by Neal Asher.
Funnily enough Cormac wasn’t the most compelling character to me in those books, but the golem Mr. Crane.
July 22, 2013 — 2:01 AM
Steve says:
The original Foundation trilogy. Ringworld. Stainless Steel Rat.
In spite of its many faults, the Lensman series had some epic and original ideas.
July 22, 2013 — 2:43 AM
jenniferbrozek says:
The “Matadora” series by Steve Perry, starting with “The 97th Step.” Some of the best space opera I’ve read. It’s older SF but such an excellent series.
July 22, 2013 — 3:04 AM
oshvat says:
A really amazing set of books.
July 28, 2013 — 11:01 PM
Jonathan D. Beer says:
I am a huge fan of space opera, but bizarrely haven’t read very much of it. I would certainly recommend The Forever War – one of the best SF books I’ve ever read. I would also put forward everything by Peter . Hamilton, but especially Pandora’s Star and Judas Unchained. The end of Judas Unchained lets the duology down a bit, but for the majority of both books you get excellent, interesting characters, and a fascinating, believable interstellar world.
July 22, 2013 — 3:30 AM
Pugnacious P says:
Elizabeth Moon: Serano series, and Vatta’s War series
July 22, 2013 — 6:38 AM
LaMinda says:
Dune’s at the top of the list, followed closely by The Snow Queen and The Summer Queen by Joan D. Vinge.
July 22, 2013 — 7:25 AM
Sebastian Peters (@SebThePeters) says:
The Risen Empire by Scott Westerfield is one of the few books that I’ve ever re-read. If you haven’t read it you need to. Period.
July 22, 2013 — 7:38 AM
AFOdom says:
I haven’t read much space opera, but I burned my way through Catherine Asaro’s “Saga of the Skolian Empire” completely powerless to stop myself (http://www.goodreads.com/series/40379-saga-of-the-skolian-empire). It was years ago, and I still find myself thinking about it. I may even read the whole thing again. And there are only two other series I’ve read more than once in my entire 40 years (says the ridiculously compulsive reader).
July 22, 2013 — 7:40 AM
Mike Berkey says:
Just off the top of my head and probably omitting some serious classics…the Lensman Series by Doc Smith would be at position numero uno. “Seminal” comes to mind when thinking of Doc Smith. Not having read Lensman and being a space opera fan is like being a fantasy fan and not having read any Conan. The series has a bit of a rocky start, but at its peak, it’s great stuff: all duranium space axes and inertialess drives, massive space battles, hot semi-naked redheads and implausibly bad-ass aliens.
For something newer, Fire Upon The Deep by Vinge is a hell of a lot of fun–crazy awesome aliens, an intergalactic usenet, a basic premise I’ve not seen anywhere else, a killer transcendent AI, gods and FTL and Bussard ramjets. It has it all. The sequels are also awesome and technically don’t have to be read in any order, but I’d recommend starting with Fire.
And finally, I’m going to second Dune after that. For obvious reasons.
And then I’m going to hit “post comment” and kick myself for not mentioning some other, more obvious, ones.
July 22, 2013 — 8:10 AM
Mike Berkey says:
Bonus recommendation: for current stuff, I’ve really been enjoying Tobias Buckell’s Ragamuffin series. So there. Four recommendations. But the first three have already been recommended upthread so they don’t count.
July 22, 2013 — 8:14 AM
Dan Thompson says:
_Downbelow Station_ by CJ Cherryh, though I’d also toss in the rest of that Merchanter’s Universe series.
_Vatta’s War_ by Elizabeth Moon, a 5-book series starting with _Trading in Danger_
The Quarter Share series by Nathan Lowell, starting with _Quarter Share_.
July 22, 2013 — 8:36 AM
Troy L says:
Dune by Frank Herbert. The best are the odd number books and the only good carry-ons are Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson
Starfishers by Glen Cook. Three books – Shadowline, Starfishers, Stars’ End
X-wing series, particularly the later books by Aaron Allston.
July 22, 2013 — 8:38 AM
Gaye Weekes says:
The Culture books of Iain M Banks (1954-2013 RIP), or Dan Simmons series inc. Hyperion, Illium, Endymion etc. No contest…
July 22, 2013 — 9:05 AM
Ryan Viergutz says:
Dune, the first novel, is uber. It is legendary. I like the first three especially as a trilogy.
Hyperion is much like Dune… massive, complex, mysterious and overwhelming. I suggest that you should read “The Fall of Hyperion” with it because it’s one story in two volumes. You wouldn’t strictly, I don’t think, /have/ to but it works much better.
Alastair Reynolds’s books (start with Revelation Space, Chasm City or House or Suns) rock my world. They’re giant, gothic, bizarre and have, through the terms of space opera, a really unique atmosphere, in that they’re /hard science fiction/ (it takes a REAL long time to travel through space, dozens, hundreds of years) meets space opera. I’ve never read anything like them.
July 22, 2013 — 9:09 AM
M.A. says:
1. Hyperion/Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons
2. Dune by Frank Herbert
I’m kind of coming up blank for an essential #3. Just for historical reasons, arguments could be made for either Foundation, Starship Troopers, or Forever War (and probably other books that I haven’t read).
I don’t know if you could call it ‘essential’ with Dan Simmons already on the list, but Ilium/Olympos is really good too.
July 22, 2013 — 9:18 AM
David Griner (@griner) says:
Definitely Leviathan Wakes and the subsequent books from James S.A. Corey’s Expanse series. I’m currently reading the recently released third volume, Abaddon’s Gate, which (unlike the more slow-burn first two volumes) dives right into the interplanetary intrigue and brink-of-war goodness. Fun reads.
July 22, 2013 — 9:36 AM
Richard Kellum says:
The Player of Games (or indeed any of the Culture novels of Iain M Banks).
July 22, 2013 — 9:39 AM
Dave Perry says:
E. E. Smith’s Lensman books are “important,” though they probably don’t hold up very well. You could probably just watch Babylon 5 and get the gist, though that probably doesn’t hold up very well, either.
Niven and Pournelle’s The Mote in God’s Eye is one of the best SF novels I’ve ever read, and I think it qualifies as space opera despite not being a big sprawling series.
I keep trying to read Peter F. Hamilton’s stuff and failing miserably, but that seems like some epic space opera stuff, and most people dig it.
July 22, 2013 — 9:40 AM
Rebe says:
Don’t see Liaden Universe by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller on the list yet (if I missed someone’s comment, apologies).
July 22, 2013 — 9:47 AM
Mike says:
1. Fall of Hyperion. (Hyperion is basically Canterbury Tales with sci fi genres. “The Priest’s Tale” is space anthropology. “The Soldier’s Tale” is, yup, military SF. “The Poet’s Tale” is scientific romance and franchising. “The Detective’s Tale” is cyberpunk. “The Scholar’s Tale” is time travel. “The Consul’s Tale” is the only one to reach the true scope of space opera, and Fall of Hyperion takes that and runs with it.
2. Dune. Classic.
3. Apparently this Iain Banks kid is supposed to be promising.
July 22, 2013 — 9:50 AM
Johnny (@copybeard) says:
This may be unpopular, but I think the three MUST READ space opera novels for me are the Timothy Zahn follow up to Star Wars, “The Thrawn Trilogy”. Expanding on the characters in the films beautifully, some excellent tactics and plots-within-plots, and the whole setting of just-because-the-rebels-blew-up-the-death-star-and-killed-the-emperor-doesn’t-mean-the-Empire-just-stopped-existing is something most people don’t really consider. Looking forward to seeing how that setting is handled in JJ Abrams’ sequels.
But there’s so much more out there…
I’ve read Dune more times than any other book. And unlike a lot of people I know, I enjoyed the entire series, including the stuff by his son Brian Herbert (even if he did top-and-tail the whole fantastic series with a much more mainstream and expectable sci-fi element).
I was utterly blown away by Peter F Hamilton’s Night’s Dawn trilogy – I’ve never read a book that spanned so many genres. Sci-fi. Gangster. Fantasy. Romance. Western. It’s all in there. Go read them. Brilliant.
Iain M Bank’s Culture novels are a genre unto themselves. The vast scope of them (and a vision for the future of humanity that far out-sci-fi-s the likes of Star Trek). Even the names of the ships step beyond the norm (see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_spacecraft_in_the_Culture_series). The novel ‘Inversions’ surprised me recently too – a fantasy novel set in the Culture universe. Sad there will be no more.
I’ll definitely be picking up a few of the novels mentioned in previous comments too – particularly the “The Saga of the Skolian Empire”, “Stainless Steel Rat” and “The Gap Cycle”.
Good work everyone.
July 22, 2013 — 9:56 AM
Ash says:
Am I the only person to recommend The Well World Series by Jack L. Chalker?
July 22, 2013 — 9:58 AM
Rhonda says:
Dune by Frank Herbert. (Strangely enough, never read the follow-ups because I didn’t feel you could do better than the first.) Bio of a Space Tyrant by Piers Anthony, The Starfire series by Margaret Weis, The Ship Who Sang by Anne McCaffrey and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I know that’s more than 3, but I put in extras in case other recommend the same books. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it ;-).
July 22, 2013 — 10:18 AM
Claire Andress says:
The Ship Who Searched is excellent too – a collaboration with Mercedes Lackey.
July 22, 2013 — 12:53 PM
Rhonda says:
So true! Really enjoyed that.
July 23, 2013 — 12:41 PM
Rhonda says:
That should really be, Star of the Guardians series instead of the Starfire series. Sorry!
July 22, 2013 — 10:21 AM
Jeb says:
Dread Empire Falls series by Walter John Williams, a cracking read.
July 22, 2013 — 10:32 AM
Stephanie S. says:
Gabriel’s Ghost (Dock Five series) by Linnea Sinclair
July 22, 2013 — 10:51 AM
Selene says:
And the second book which continues the story, Shades of Dark.
August 2, 2013 — 1:12 PM
Greg says:
Ok here we go…
Consider Phlebas by Iain Banks
Reap the Whirlwind by Walter John Williams
Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds
July 22, 2013 — 10:52 AM
MLinn says:
The Stars My Destination – Alfred Bester
July 22, 2013 — 11:28 AM
Jan S says:
+100 This is the first of two novels that hooked me into SF. The other was Andre Norton’s Moon of Three Rings.
July 29, 2013 — 3:13 PM
June Weiss says:
Stephen Donaldson’s “The Gap into…” series. Quite literally a space opera, based on Wagner’s Ring cycle and brilliant!
July 22, 2013 — 11:56 AM
Katherine says:
James SA Corey’s Expanse series which began with Leviathan Wakes. I’ve met both of the authors, and they’re a great pair!
July 22, 2013 — 12:32 PM
conniecockrell says:
The entire Lensmen series by E.E. ‘Doc’ Smith
July 22, 2013 — 12:55 PM
cleo says:
Games of Command by Linnea Sinclair
I second the Forever War recommendations.
July 22, 2013 — 1:21 PM
Heather Greye says:
Totally agree with the Mage Worlds series by Debra Doyle and James D MacDonald. I don’t re-read a lot of books, but those make the short list.
Honor Harrington series by David Weber, although I didn’t read the series to the end. I was endlessly amused by the flipbook explosion in “Honor Among Enemies.”
And although the last few books got really ANGSTY, I enjoyed the Seafort Sage by David Feintuch.
July 22, 2013 — 2:21 PM
quillet says:
I know it’s already been mentioned, but I’m seconding: the Miles Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold. Why? MILES! Best. Character. Ever. Hyperactive crazy daredevil genius trapped in a body with sooooo many problems.
July 22, 2013 — 3:01 PM
Leifthesailor says:
Revelation Space by Alistair Reynolds. All of his stuff is amazing.
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Heinlein. Not sure if that falls under Space Opera though.
Hitch Hikers series by Douglas Adams.
July 22, 2013 — 5:06 PM
Dr. Krog says:
The Cat Who Walks Through Walls – Heinlein
July 22, 2013 — 8:42 PM
im_not_a_lizard says:
Consider Phlebas by Iain M Banks every single time.
July 22, 2013 — 8:42 PM
S. J. Pajonas (spajonas) says:
I’m old school and love the Foundation series from Isaac Asimov and its companion Robot series. I consider them essential!
July 22, 2013 — 8:44 PM
Eridani says:
A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge. The second one is one of the saddest books I’ve ever read – but only because I read the first book. If you don’t read the first book, the second one would seem to be filled with hope and wonder and the joy of exploration. I love that Vinge never says one word in the second book that would derail that optimistic message. But you know.
Look to Windward by Iain M. Banks. It’s so beautiful. I like all the Culture books, but Look to Windward is absolutely heartbreaking. I’m pretty sure I bawled through most of it. I was reading it right before Banks died, and I felt his loss keenly.
Boy, I’m maudlin today.
July 22, 2013 — 8:46 PM