Best Space Opera Books

Adventures & adventurous life always loved by all regardless of whether they are young or old. Life is full of fantasies but along with those fantasies, when they give a chance to see them in reality, then their level of curiosity reaches another level.

Their imaginations go beyond the boundaries and they get more attracted to a world full of fiction and thoughts that made them watch & read such cosmic, thoughtful literature & movies.

 As Catherynne M. Valente

“People are mostly happiest when they think they’re just about to get the thing they want most. Before and after, they’re all monsters.”

In outer space or on distant worlds, space opera is adventure science fiction. Action is more important than characters or research. Typically, there is a good hero and a very large conflict. Often the action moves to several different locations.

Space Opera is the best-selling science fiction novel of all time. Below are the few top-rated books of space opera that gain marvelous appreciation by the readers:

Contents

1: Dune (Dune Chronicles, Book 1)

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  • Author: Frank Herbert
  • Publisher: Ace
  • Publication Date: August 2, 2005
  • Pages: 704

Book Description:

Dune is the tale of the boy Paul Atreides, heir of a noble family charged with ruling an inhospitable world where the “spice” melange is the only thing of value. The destruction of Paul’s family, when House Atreides is betrayed, will set the boy on a journey to a destiny where he grows into a mysterious man.

Book Author:

Frank Herbert is the best-selling author of the Dune Saga. Before becoming a full-time writer, he worked as TV cameraman, radio commentator, oyster diver, jungle survival coach, lay analyst, creative writing tutor, reporter and editor of many West Coast newspapers.

Our Opinion:

Simon Vance, the primary narrator of the audible edition I’m listening to, definitely has one of my favorite voices of all time. Dune is a wonderful novel.

2: Frankenstein: The 1818 Text (Penguin Classics)

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  • Authors: Mary Shelley, Charlotte Gordon’s & Charles E. Robinson.
  • Publisher: Penguin Classics
  • Publication Date: January 16, 2018
  • Pages: 288

Book Description:

It is a pro-science novel that shows Dr. Frankenstein as the callous fiend of the narrative at its core. Frankenstein can still teach an important lesson in an era where the gap between technical life and death is narrower and scientists are playing with the make-up of what makes us human.

Book Authors:

Mary Shelley was born in London and lived as a professional writer of novels, tales, and essays until her death in 1851.

Charlotte Gordon is a distinguished professor of the humanities at Endicott College.

Charles E. Robinson was a professor of English at the University of Delaware, frequently lectured on “The Ten Texts of Frankenstein” and edited Frankenstein.

Our Opinion:

Shelley’s book, written by a woman under a cover to infiltrate popular acceptance, is transgressive in its substance, and more transgressive in its design.

3: Foundation

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  • Author: Isaac Asimov
  • Publisher: Happer Collins
  • Publication Date: September 22, 2016
  • Pages: 240

Book Description:

He is absolutely in another mode in the Foundation series, mapping the rise and fall of empires in sweeping brush strokes. Hari Seldon, who is the psycho-history architect who Seldon believes is important to save the human race from the dark ages, follows the Foundation series.

Book Author:

The career of Asimov as a science fiction writer began with the ‘Marooned Off Vesta’ short tale in 1939. He received four Hugo Awards and one Nebula Award.

Our Opinion:

The first book in a series that describes a time when the galaxy was colonized by human beings. With this one, the foundations of science are solid, and the storytelling mastery of Isaac Asimov is noticeable in all its glory.

4: Fahrenheit 451

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  • Author: Ray Bradbury
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster
  • Publication Date: January 10, 2012
  • Pages: 249

Book Description:

Guy Montag is a firefighter who lives a boring life with his wife. But when he encounters Clarisse, an eccentric young neighbor, who introduces him to a past where people were not afraid to live, Montag starts to doubt everything he’s ever learned.

Book Author:

Ray Bradbury received the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from the 2000 National Book Foundation, the 2007 Pulitzer Prize Special Citation, and several other honors.

Our Opinion:

I was very moved by this tale. I went on to read Bradbury’s other work now and was shocked to see how many excellent fantasy novels he wrote.

5:  Jurassic Park

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  • Author:  Michael Crichton
  • Publisher: Ballantine Books
  • Publication Date: September 25, 2012
  • Pages: 464

Book Description:

An astonishing technique has been discovered to retrieve and clone dinosaur DNA. Now the most exciting dreams of humankind have come true. With their amazing appearance and profound mystery, creatures extinct for decades roam Jurassic Park, and all the world can visit them for a fee.

Book Author:

The producer of the television series ER was Michael Crichton. His books have been made into thirteen films, and translated into thirty-six languages, as one of the world’s most famous authors.

Our Opinion:

The dinosaur book, and Michael Crichton’s’ best work. First of all, I saw the movie and even though it’s still amazing, I think the book is way above it.

6: Neuromancer

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  • Author: William Gibson
  • Publisher: Ace
  • Publication Date: July 1, 2000
  • Pages: 336

Book Description:

The first fully realized glimpse of the digital future of humanity was Neuromancer, a shocking vision that questioned the perceptions about technology and ourselves, reinvented the way humans talk and think, and changed the landscape of their imaginations forever.

Book Author:

Neuromancer, the first novel by William Gibson, won the Hugo Prize, the Nebula Award, and the Philip K. Dick Award. He is the bestselling author of The New York Times. He lives with his wife in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Our Opinion:

This book has real complexity and creativity, and really does a perfect job of evoking something of its protagonist’s state of mind with its confounding writing style.

7: Kindred

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  • Author: Octavia Estelle Butler
  • Publisher: Beacon Press
  • Publication Date: January 1, 2003
  • Pages: 264

Book Description:

Dana, a modern black woman, and her new husband are celebrating their twenty-sixth birthday when she is suddenly snatched from her California home and transported to South Antebellum. Rufus is drowning, the white son of a plantation owner, and Dana has been summoned to save him. Over time, Dana is drawn back to the slave quarters frequently, and each time the stay grows longer.

Book Author:

She was the recipient of a MacArthur Award and a Nebula Award, and she received the Hugo Award twice. Octavia Estelle Butler, sometimes referred to as the “grand dame of science fiction.”

Our Opinion:

I love sci-fi, so I jumped on Amazon when I first learned about Octavia Butler and purchased the first book I saw.

8: Oryx and Crake (MaddAddam Trilogy, Book 1)

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  • Author: Margret Atwood
  • Publisher: Anchor
  • Publication Date: March 30, 2004
  • Pages: 400

Book Description:

Oryx and Crake is an incredible tale of passion and a persuasive glimpse of the future at once. A snowman, known as Jimmy before the plague overcame mankind, struggles to live in a world where he might be the last human being and mourns the loss of his best friend, Crake, and the lovely Oryx they both cherished. In pursuit of answers, with the aid of the green-eyed Children of Crake, Snowman embarks on a voyage.

Book Author:

The author of more than fifty books of fiction, poetry, and critical essays is Margret Art wood, whose writing has been published in over forty nations.

Our Opinion:

A fantastic book by one of the most influential authors of our time. I’ve read this book many times, along with the other MaddAddam trilogy novels.

9: The Three-Body Problem

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  • Authors: CIXIN LIU & Ken Liu
  • Publisher: Tor Books
  • Publication Date: January 12, 2016
  • Pages: 416

Book Description:

A secret military project sends signals into space to create contact with aliens, set against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution. The signal and the preparations to conquer Earth are intercepted by an alien race on the verge of destruction. Meanwhile, numerous camps are starting to develop on Earth, preparing to either welcome superior beings or combat the invasion. That results in a masterpiece of science fiction.

Book Authors:

CIXIN LIU is the People’s Republic of China’s most prolific and influential science fiction writer. Liu is an eight-time Galaxy Award winner and a Chinese Nebula Award winner.

Ken Liu is an award-winning speculative fiction author. On subjects such as futurism, block chain, origami mathematics, and more, he also talks at conferences and universities.

Our Opinion:

Totally excellent – for those who love mind-games of intellectual sci-fi. A very easy guess – what exactly the implications will be.

10: The Martian

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  • Author: Andy Weir
  • Publisher: Ballantine Books
  • Publication Date: February 11, 2014
  • Pages: 395

Book Description:

An American astronaut, Mark Watney, follows the story as he becomes stranded on Mars alone in the year 2035 and must improvise in order to survive.

Book Author:

As a software engineer, Andy Weir built a two-decade career before the success of his first published novel, The Martian, allowed him to live out his dream of writing full-time. He’s a lifelong space enthusiast and a dedicated subject matter hobbyist.

Our Opinion:

Exceptional. I read this having seen the film already, and that often means the book loses some of its effect – but it did not disappoint even then.

11: The Power

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  • Author: Naomi Alderman
  • Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
  • Publication Date: October 1, 2017
  • Pages: 400

Book Description:

A universe is a recognizable place in The Power: there is a rich Nigerian boy who lounges around the family pool; a foster kid whose religious parents mask their true nature; an ambitious American politician; a tough girl from a tricky family in London. But then a new critical force takes hold that causes their lives to collide with a devastating result. The planet is being reset by teenage girls with tremendous strength.

Book Author:

The winner of the 2017 Baileys Women’s Award for Fiction for The Power is Naomi Alderman. She is also the author of The Gospel and Disobedience of the Liars, which was awarded the Orange Prize for New Authors, published in ten languages, and turned into a Rachel Weisz film.

Our Opinion:

By considering what would happen if it were reversed, it amplifies all the little regular niggles of injustice that it is so easy to overlook.

12: Moon Harsh Mistress

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  • Author:  Robert A. Heinlein
  • Publisher: Ace; Reprint edition (July 31, 2018)
  • Publication Date: July 31, 2018
  • Pages: 400

Book Description:

A lunar penal colony revolution sponsored by a self-aware supercomputer offers the basis for a tale of a diverse community of men and women dealing with the ever-changing conceptions of civilization, technology, and free will.

Book Author:

The books of Robert A. Heinlein were among the first science fiction works in both hardcover and paperback to achieve bestseller status. He was a writer whose unique vision, unflagging drive, and determination had a great influence on the American mind over the span of five decades.

Our Opinion:

The very best ever book by Robert Heinlein. I’ve been waiting for a long time for this to come out in eBook format and now I can take it with me and bring a classic to friends.

13: Consider Phlebas (Culture)

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  • Author:  Iain M. Banks
  • Publisher: Orbit
  • Publication Date: March 26, 2008
  • Pages: 544

Book Description:

Battle was raging all over the galaxy. The Idirans had struggled for their confidence. No surrender may occur. A human crusade inside a celestial war. A fugitive mind lay deep inside a fabled labyrinth of a barren universe, a Planet of the Dead forbidden to mortals. It was pursued both by the society and by the Idirans. It was the destiny of Horza, the Changer, and his multi-faceted team of chaotic mercenaries, human and computer, to locate it and to kill it themselves.

Book Author:

The publication of his first book, The Wasp Factory, in 1984, brought Iain Banks to controversial public attention. Since then for both his mainstream and his science fiction novels, he has received immense public and critical acclaim.

Our Opinion:

What a great writer. CP is remarkable as a first foray into sci-fi. Imaginative, smart, funny and all too practical in spite of being totally foreign.

14: Snow Crash

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  • Author: Neal Town Stephenson
  • Publisher: Del Rey
  • Publication Date: January 1, 2000
  • Pages: 440

Book Description:

In reality, for Uncle Enzo’s CosoNostra Pizza Inc., Hiro Protagonist delivers pizza, but he’s a warrior prince in the metaverse. He races through the neon-lit streets on a search-and-destroy mission for the shadowy virtual villain trying to bring about the apocalypse, plunging headlong into the mystery of a new computer virus that reaches hackers everywhere.

Book Author:

Neal Town Stephenson is an American writer known for his works of speculative fiction, which have been classified variously as science fiction, historical fiction, maximalist, cyberpunk, and post-cyberpunk.

Our Opinion:

Fantastic. I think the first introduction to Neal Stephenson, a brilliant writer, should be everyone.

FAQs:

What is meant by the term “Space Opera”?

The term space opera can be defined as a book, film, or television show, usually of a simplistic and melodramatic type set in outer space.

What is the difference between space opera and science fiction?

Science fiction is the parent genre, explicitly targeting space opera as a sub-genre: technologically advanced futuristic worlds built around amazing technologies.

What is meant by hard science fiction?

Hard science fiction is a science fiction genre that is characterized by respect for scientific precision and logic. In 1957, P. first used the phrase in print. Schuyler Miller in the November issue of Astounding Science Fiction in a review of John W. Campbell’s Islands of Space.

Who is science fiction’s father?

H.G. Wells was once referred to as The Science Fiction Shakespeare.’ ‘He is most commonly referred to as the father of science fiction,’ and is known as one of the genre’s founders, along with Jules Verne.

Who is the father of science opera?

Galileo Galilei is considered to be the father of science opera.

Name the first space opera novel?

The Skylark of Space, Doc Smith’s first published work written in collaboration with Lee Hawkins Garby, is sometimes referred to as the first great space opera.

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