May the Fourth Be With You! Blasting Space Opera.
By The Secret Bookshelf
By The Secret Bookshelf
We love Space Opera. Big, bold and pure escapism. For May the Fourth, here's our celebration of the best out there
Iain M. Banks Culture - 25th anniversary box set: Consider Phlebas, The Player of Games and Use of Weapons
Iain M. Banks
£24.99 £23.24Such a fabulous writer, the Culture universe is one of the best loved in SO.
Dune
Frank Herbert
£12.99 £12.08The Daddy of the genre, Dune is an epic, sprawling family dynasty drama set in space. With drugs and giant sandworms. What else could you want in a book?
Luna: New Moon
Ian McDonald
£10.99 £10.22Ian McDonald is Northern Ireland's leading science fiction author, building on the greats such as James White and Bob Shaw, and this is his epic, sprawling luna-based Dynasty.
Prador Moon
Neal Asher
£8.99 £8.36Another of the great SO worlds, the Polarity has the breadth and depth you'd hope for.
Star Wars: Thrawn
Timothy Zahn
£9.99 £9.29The Star Wars extended universe is vast, fitting for a film that spawned so much interest in the genre (is it sci fi? Or is it fantasy? We reckon it's Space Opera). This is one of the recently loved additions
Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope: Official 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition
George Lucas
£16.98 £15.79But for those who like their Star Wars tradition, here's the original novel.
Star Trek: The Wisdom of Picard
Chip Carter
£9.99 £9.29We know better than putting the Star Wars universe in and leaving out the Trekkies....
We are Legion (We are Bob)
Dennis E. Taylor
£11.50A recent addition to the SO canon, this series is so much fun, from an independent author.
Revelation Space: The breath-taking space opera masterpiece
Alastair Reynolds
£12.99 £12.08Vast, epic and imaginative, Reynolds captures the feel of Space Opera so well.
Leviathan Wakes: Book 1 of the Expanse (now a Prime Original series)
James S. A. Corey
£9.99 £9.29The Expanse universe is one of the must-reads of the SO world.
Old Man's War
John Scalzi
£9.99 £9.29Scalzi is one of the newest exponents of Space Opera, and this is his most acclaimed entry into it. For a bit of fun, we'd also recommend Red Shirts.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet: Wayfarers 1
Becky Chambers
£9.99 £9.29Immersive, character led and diverse this is the entry book into Becky Chambers fabulous series.
Starship Troopers
Robert A. Heinlein
£9.99 £9.29Love it or hate it, Starship Troopers - and Heinlein - are quintessential SO. (We love it)
The Star Beast
Robert A. Heinlein
£11.99 £11.15Jo's entry book into SF, Heinlein wrote more YA sci fi than is often known. This one, about an alien pet is one of the best fun.
The Skylark of Space
Edward E Smith, E E Doc Smith, et al.
£16.98An oldie but a goodie, EE Doc Smith is one of the greats.
Red Rising: Red Rising Series 1
Pierce Brown
£9.99 £9.29The entry novel into Pierce Brown's epic series.
Ender's Game: Book 1 of the Ender Saga
Orson Scott Card
£8.99 £8.36The classic book about child soldiers, Ender's Game is the first - and best - in the Ender universe. Remember, the enemy's gate is always down.
A Fire Upon the Deep
Vernor Vinge
£10.99 £10.22Superhuman intelligences, aliens, awesome physics. Space opera in a nutshell.
Foundation
Isaac Asimov
£8.99 £8.36Asimov's classic Space Opera - a must read for anyone loving the genre.
Rendezvous With Rama
Sir Arthur C. Clarke
£8.99 £8.36A C Clarke's classic first-contact story is compact, exciting and entirely unforgettable.
Tau Zero
Poul Anderson
£15.99Space Opera doesn't have to be escapist - it can also be awesome science fiction in its own right, and this is a great example.
Ancillary Justice: THE HUGO, NEBULA AND ARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARD WINNER
Ann Leckie
£8.99 £8.36So many awards and all richly deserved. Combining themes of AI, what it is to be human, and a rocking secondary world, this is modern SF at its best.
The Secret Bookshelf, Carrickfergus