Space Opera
"Mankind will not get to fight for its destiny. They must sing. A century ago, the Sentience Wars tore the galaxy apart and nearly ended the entire concept of intelligent space-faring life. In the aftermath, a curious tradition was invented by the remnants of civilization. Something to cheer up everyone who was left. Something to celebrate having escaped total annihilation by the skin of one's teeth, if indeed one has skin. Or teeth. Something to bring the shattered worlds together in the spirit of peace, unity, understanding, and the most powerful of all social bonds: excluding others. Once every cycle, the great galactic civilizations gather for Galactivision--part gladiatorial contest, part beauty pageant, part concert extravaganza, and part, a very large, but very subtle part, continuation of the wars of the past. Thus, a fragile peace has held. This year, a bizarre and unsightly species has looked up from its muddy planet-bound cradle and noticed the enormous universe blaring on around it: humanity. Where they expected to one day reach out into space and discover a grand drama of diplomacy, gunships, wormholes, and stoic councils of grave aliens, they have found glitter. And lipstick. And pyrotechnics. And electric guitars. A band of human musicians, dancers, and roadies have been chosen to represent their planet on the greatest stage in the galaxy. And the fate of Earth lies in their ability to rock"
Stats for nerds
3recommend
3mentions
3people
2020–2021years
100% recommend
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- Reading Catherynne M. Valente's 'Space Opera' was like going back to those glorious days when I first discovered HHGTTG.
- Of recent laureates I really loved This Is How you Lose The Time War as well as Binti (this is a trilogy, but combined form something novel-length). Becky Chambers's recent novella To Be Taught, if Fortunate was a major step up imo, and the more utopian view of space exploration (less SpaceX hype machine, more cooperative citizen science) is incredibly welcome for me. (I also liked her previous novels, but level of prose did not match the high-quality world-building - but if you are an sf fan you are probably used to this.) I'd suggest Aliette de Bodard's Xuya universe to anyone who likes The Culture, Immersion is often recommended but the one that's stuck most with me is The Shipmaker. If you like Douglas Adams, Catherynne Valente's Space Opera is in a similar vein but also beautifully extra. If you like your sf humor darker and more muted, try Johanna Sinisalo's The Core of the Sun.
Other than Binti none of these are a multi-novel series, which I agree is way too common. ("Thanks" for that among many other terrible directions in sf literature, Robert Jordan.)
- Given that these are the five most popular series in modern fantasy, you've certainly got good taste! I'm always on the prowl for new books to read. Do you have any favorite SF/F books that are less well known?
Here's a few dozen or so of my favorites. I'd love to hear what HN thinks is good fantasy!
My recs (in no particular order):
- Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett -- heist novel with talking objects!
- Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente -- David Bowie meets Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy!
- The Sacred Throne series by Myke Cole (book 1: The Armored Saint) - Steampunk armor!
- The Shards of Heaven by Michael Livingston - Great historical fantasy set in the time of Augustus Caesar
- The Red Threads of Fortune / The Black Tides of Heaven by Jy Yang - Two paired novellas!
- The Craft Sequence by Max Gladstone -- Law = Magic! Extremely well written
- Assassin's Apprentice (The Farseer Trilogy) by Robin Hobb -- One of my favorite series of all time.. I cried!
- Amberlough by Lara Elena Donnelly -- A spy thriller set in a Vaudeville-era secondary world. Burlesque! Spies! Politics!
- I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells -- Title says it all, really...
- The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin -- Fascinating series...
- All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anderson -- A mix of sci-fi/fantasy set in San Francisco, incredible
- The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anderson -- A tidally locked planet! Monsters! Escapes!
- The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg -- Origami as magic!
- Damselle in Distress by Kiley Kellermeyer -- Fairy tale satire!
- The Thousand Names (The Shadow Campaigns series) by Django Wexler -- Napoleonic era military fantasy!
- The Promise of Blood (The Powder Mage series) by Brian McClellan -- Dudes snort GUNPOWDER and get magic!
- Wool by Hugh Howey -- Post-apocalyptic world where everyone lives in a silo! NUTS.
- Disenchanted by Robert Kroese -- Hilarious fantasy world, several books in this world
- The Lies of Locke Lamora (The Gentlemen Bastards series) by Scott Lynch -- Best heist novel of all time? You decide!
- The Queen's Poisoner by Jeff Wheeler -- Secondary world that feels like King Arthur and the Round Table adventures
- The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers -- A space ship with crazy aliens!
- City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett -- The gods are DEAD! ...or are they??!
- Saint's Blood (The Greatcoats series) by Sebastien de Castell -- Snarky adventurers? Yes. Rodents of unusual size? No.
- Kill the Farm Boy by Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne -- Fantasy satire, with a FEARSOME Dark Lord Toby who yells about crackers!
- Spellslinger (Spellslingers series) by Sebastien de Castell -- Snarky magicians? Yes. Talking squirrel cats? ALSO YES.
- Justice Calling (The Twenty-Sided Sorceress) by Annie Bellet -- A lil romance + A lil D&D = fun times!
