Need space opera recommendations

[caleb72]

I've never really tried to understand what a "space opera" actually is, but I understand Iain M Banks Culture novels are considered space opera and I really like them. They do quite often have a strong female character somewhere too.

Regards
Caleb

[Terisa de morgan]

Thank you for the recommendation about Linnea Sinclair, I have some of her books but they're always at the bottom of the TBR (by the way, I like the ick covers )

[jehane]

A few not yet mentioned:
CS Friedman (she has both SF and F titles, but her SF is mostly standalones)
Anne McCaffrey's Rowan and Crystal Singer series
SL Viehl
Catherine Asaro
David Weber's Path of the Fury/In Fury Born (one is an expanded version of the other, I forget which) as well as Honor Harrington
Julian May

[gtriever]

Niven & Pournell usually get my attention for Space Opera, and I second the recommendation for Peter Hamilton. Plus, you can't go wrong with a good search of Baen's site.

[Joykins]

I'm a big romance fan as well as sf, and enjoy sf with a strong romantic element. Thanks for the Linnea Sinclear rec!

[Joykins]

I'm not really sure what everyone else means by space opera either but I generally mean good adventure/character-driven stories set in space. I don't like things that are too deep-techy or difficult to understand , e.g. (Jor l'en put on his blue f'garran and snapped the symbiotic voo'fl to his ear-implant" as the first sentence, and then ten million other characters /plot lines are introduced). Space pirates, on the other hand, are cool.

[Joykins]

I've downloaded some of these books. Keep 'em coming if you think of anything new!

[sabredog]

Randolph Lalonde's Spinward Fringe is a classic Space Opera series without being too "military"

Another good space opera series would be Rogue Hunter series by Kevis Hendrickson.

Plenty out there that are worth a look.

Elizabeth Moon - Vatta's War for additional series

[Darqref]

Originally Posted by Joykins

I've downloaded some of these books. Keep 'em coming if you think of anything new!

Someone upstream said Niven and Pournelle, but Larry Niven has a large string of books that fit into his "Known Space" series/timeline. One set that is currently being published is his " XXX of Worlds" series co-written with Edward Lerner. Also, I suspect you would like the original "Ringworld" and all it's sequels.

Another entry into Niven's series and worlds is through the Man-Kzin War anthologies from Baen. Originally, Larry used to say he didn't write good military fiction, but his timelines demanded several large wars. He ended up inviting selected co-authors to write stories in the settings of these wars, and I think they're now up to volume 12 or so.

Side distraction: At an SF con some years ago, I heard a description of Niven-Pournelle as something like "Niven is independently wealthy, but is driven to write. Pournelle is very much not."

[kurzon]

Try Debra Doyle and James MacDonald's "Mageworlds" series. Classic space opera.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...e_of_the_Stars

Book One of the Mageworlds--the breakneck SF epic of the most brawling family in the human galaxy. The centuries-long conflict between the human Republic and the mysterious Mageworlds has been over for 30 years. But now an assassination on the Senate floor threatens to shatter the fragile peace.

[jehane]

Originally Posted by Joykins

I'm a big romance fan as well as sf, and enjoy sf with a strong romantic element. Thanks for the Linnea Sinclear rec!

You might like to check out The Galaxy Express for recommendations. It focusses on SF romance (romance is main plot eg Linnea Sinclair) but many of the authors listed on the left are more romantic SF (eg Shards of Honor).

[WillAdams]

Timothy Zahn has authored a number of books which are excellent space opera --- his _Icarus Hunt_ is one of the best (and if you like MilSF then you'll probably like his _Blackcollar_ and _Cobra_ trilogies).

Mike Brotherton's _Star Dragon_ is an interesting new twist on old problems and has a somewhat space opera like feel (what w/ all the Hemingway references and all).

Some of Walter Jon Williams' books have a space opera like feel, esp. the Drake Majistral stories _The Crown Jewels_ et. al.

William

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Belfaborac

The Night's Dawn trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton

Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton

Judas Unchained by Peter F. Hamilton

The GAP sequence by Stephen Donaldson

The Culture sequence by Iain M. Banks

The Xeelee sequence by Stephen Baxter

The Mote in God's Eye by Nicen & Pournelle

The Forge of God + The Anvil of Stars by Greg Bear

The Eon sequence (Legacy, Eon, Eternity) by Greg Bear

A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky (separate stories) by Vernor Vinge

Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons

The Uplift War trilogy (Sundiver, Startide Rising, Uplift War) by David Brin

Those are the ones which immediately spring to mind. Whether they're all proper "Space Operas" I'm not entirely sure, but they're certainly some of the very best SciFi books I've read.

I'd like to second ALL of Belfaborac's excellent suggestions. Especially Hamilton, Donaldson and Simmons.

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by jehane

You might like to check out The Galaxy Express for recommendations. It focusses on SF romance (romance is main plot eg Linnea Sinclair) but many of the authors listed on the left are more romantic SF (eg Shards of Honor).

Wonderful! Thank you very much, I'll go there.

[Joykins]

Originally Posted by jehane

You might like to check out The Galaxy Express for recommendations. It focusses on SF romance (romance is main plot eg Linnea Sinclair) but many of the authors listed on the left are more romantic SF (eg Shards of Honor).

Ooh, thanks! I see some fave authors on the left along with a lot of new ones!