Summer reading, space operas

Philocthetes

Join Date 10/2003

+153

Summer reading, space operas

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Last week, I finished reading Scott Westerfeld's "Succession" (published as "The Risen Empire" and "The Killing of Worlds" in the US). It reminded me of a past thread here that I liked very much that asked for reading suggestions for GC2 fans.

This Westerfeld work really fired up my appetite for space operas, so I'm hoping the crowd here can exert a little self discipline and just post authors and/or titles with short blurbs about why you think a GC2 fan might like the work.

I'm sure "Succession" will please several folks around here because it is full of richly detailed space battles, very "modern" SF treatment of ground battles, and a swell backdrop of sub-light interstellar conflict. The setting is much closer to the galactic core than we are, so the 80-world empire where the action happens has a volume about 30 light years across. The piece covers more than ten years thanks in part to no FTL, but it stays very fast-paced.

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The games too (well I did not played X3 yet, I am finishing X2 at the moment). Well at least those games are excellent, if you like trading space simulators like hte good old Wing commander: Privateer.

The sequel to X3 is coming later this year, so get playing!

I made a post about it awhile back just look under "GeneralEtrius' posts"

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Philocthetes

Join Date 10/2003

+153

Is it me or has noone mentioned the excellent Iain M. banks yet?

Not in this thread, but I'm not the only one around here who's mentioned him before. Depending on exactly what you mean by space opera, I'm a bit inclined to put Banks and Vernor Vinge tied for first on my Most Especially Favorite Favorites list. Both of those authors have a feeling for "galactic" scale that really works for me.

Does anyone have a good "authors like" suggestion for Iain Banks or Vernor Vinge fans?

I'd almost put Mr. Westfeld on that list, but I he's very new to me and I have some fundamental difficulties with the whole rank-ordered list thing...

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David Weber

Didn't he write 1632?

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WIllythemailboy

Join Date 03/2006

+70

David WeberDidn't he write 1632?

Nope, that was Eric Flint. Weber cowrote 1633 though, as well as a couple short story/sequels in The Ring Of Fire and Grantville Gazette books. I didn't mention that becasue the request was for space opera, not alternate history.

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I finished reading 1632 yesterday. Very good book in my opinion. I have just started reading 1633.

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I'm not sure that Ender's Game is Space Opera, but since it's already been mentioned, I figure I should mention that after reading Ender's Game, you should read Ender's Shadow. Yes, there are other sequels as well, but I prefer the Shadow set of books to the original sequels.

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Philocthetes

Join Date 10/2003

+153

I probably should admit that I was almost disagreeing with myself by using a genre name like "space opera." It was mainly b/c I saw several commentaries on Succession that put it in the category and thought I'd play along.

IMO, genres are about as precise as major nationalities or faith groups--just what is a Briton, Christian, Arab, Chinese, or Hindu these days? No simple thing, that's for sure.

I don't recall much about Ender's Game except that I liked it and I think it had some interstellar something going on. I've read Dune (plus the rest of the core trilogy) enough to remember it well, and I'd put it in the "space opera" bucket, but some folks might think there's too much character work and/or mysticsm.

I'm actually quite happy to get "off topic" suggestions and my only real intention with the genre + call for "self-discipline" at top was a hope of making the thread consistently useful for folks who wanted fiction with interstellar conflict as a major theme.

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Don't forget Fred Saberhagen's Beserker series! Great stories about man's unending fight against ancient killing machines. Try Berserkers: The Beginning for a great collection of classic short stories set in the Berserker's universe.

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