|
To me a space opera is distinguished from other SF by the scale or scope of the story. Action on multiple planets at least (multiple star systems are more common), affecting millions or billions of people. But yeah, lots of space ships, lol.
I'll throw out The Algebraist by Iain M. Banks as a sprawling whimsical space opera contained in one book. A more serious one is A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge (more of a space opera than its follow up, A Deepness in the Sky).
|