Hey, really appreciate you reviewing modern sci-fi (and not just Tchaikovsky), it feels like so many booktube scifi channels are obsessed with the past - the 'golden age', but the genre's still alive and kicking! Some fantastic ideas and stories are being produced.
i have to agree with you for a light hearted romp through the killing fields of the future, i am prone to the 'mote in gods eye' for a more rounded 'original' series
Adrian Tchaikovsky is one of my favorite authors, especially science fiction. He and Alastair Reynolds are definitely my favorite modern Sci-Fi authors, though I will admit I haven't read any Peter F. Hamilton or Iain Banks yet. I've read the entire Final Architecture series and really loved it. Superb world building, big ideas, inventive alien civilizations, hints of past history without just info dumping, and enough character development with multiple POV's to keep things interesting in that regard. At this point I'm willing to read anything that he has published. Children of Time was just utterly brilliant, and I need to read the rest of that trilogy. I'm also planning on reading his fantasy novels including the Shadows of the Apt series.
I too am a fan of Adrian Tchaikovsky after a couple of his books I read last year. I think you will love Iain M Banks too though. He is at the top of any list of sci fi masters. Highest recomendation for quality writing and deep ideas.
Hard scifi? Not for beginners? Complex plot? Rereads provide more clarity? Count me in! Shards of Earth is definitely on my reading list now. I loved Children of Time and need to finish that series first but will queue the Shards of Earth for later in 2024.
Great list, most of these books I have not heard about. Just got Shards of Earth delivered today, and the Risen Empire duology is tempting. Thanks for the video.
I loved Children of time and Children of Ruin, currently reading Children of Memory! Definetly will carry on reading Tchaikovsky's books. Ancestral night is also on my wishlist.
I am not always sure how others define "space opera". If the term ,means stories that span wide space with lots of not ale ways sensible action. my personal favorites are Pandora's Star and Judas unchained, both by Peter F. Hamilton. They are the starting points for the 'Commonwealth series. I haven't read beyond these two hyperactive and fascinating storie s but enjoyed them on their own. If you crave stories in which distant planets are tied together economically and other wise by gigantic locomotives pulling huge trains through wormholes. and utterly disgusting aliens with no hesitation to liquidate opponents. this is a good place to start.
Nophek Gloss sounds like something I'd enjoy! I'm not terribly versed in sci-fi, so I doubt i could rec anything to you that you have read/heard of. But, my favorite sci-fi/SO books are ones that focus on the character(s). I love seeing how people behave and the choices authors imagine they would make in the vast scapes available on a galactic scale.
I just picked up Shards of Earth from the cheap rack at chapters. I have heard good things about Tchaikovsky in the past. I hope i enjoy it as much as you did.
Love your channel, Rachel. Definitely going to check out Shards of Earth. Ancestral Night looks good, too. OK, here's a rec... Recently finished and absolutely loved The Code trilogy by RR Haywood. First book is The Worldship Humility. Earth, about to be hit by an asteroid sends out a fleet of worldships to find a new planet and save humanity. This was the funnest space opera I've read in years. If you like the generational starship trope with great characters, then I can't recommend this enough. Wonderful mix of drama, mystery and humour. The banter between some of the characters is just priceless.
Great list , Having read Westerfield Y A Leviathan series .(an alternate history ) I will check out Then Risen Empire ( when it hits one of my fast vading book stores ) I am a bit of an old timer 😂 , so i first started out eons ago with the stories of E E Smith . And i mean eons ago 😂 . For more newer ones i read the stories of David Weber . In both we have worlds, space ships , good guys and women , villains, alliens , battles , romance et el . Thanks for the list .👍
all great recommendations! I really like the premise of Shards of Earth so might have to pick that up, I love anything with Ancient Aliens or theories of our beginnings that involves Aliens lol
Have you read any of the Serrano Legacy series by Elizabeth Moon? The first three are okay but the fourth (which has a different main character) is one of my absolute favourite space opera novels
Thanks for the recommendations Rachel 🚀 I've just binged read (listened) to 5 books of the Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruocchio. Wow! While it starts out with shades of Name of the Wind and Dune it turns into its own expansive space opera with horror elements. Highly recommended
I always recommend anything from Michael Manmay or Marko Kloos; also, the excellent Lost Fleet and follow ups from Jack Campbell, are prime space opera.
Its a little older series..80s-90s Bill Baldwins Helmsman series. I haven't got close to finish all 8 of the books. Fun classic tropes..sort of Top Gun in space but with more charcters and plot.
Good recommendations!👍👍👍 Most of these are already on my tbr📚 I'm almost done with shards of earth. The crew is not as charming as in the expanse or tim pratts axiom, for example, but great concepts to explore. Rachel, have you read the dreaming void by peter f hamilton? Ancestral night is going on my tbr📚
I think I have all of those except Fortuna. I read the synopsis and wasn’t sure if it was to my taste. Great video. I’ll watch again and check my library list to make sure I do have them
I really like your lists with modern picks. The classics have their own importance, don't get me wrong, but just like with any other subgenre of fiction, some readers are not interested in diving into our fathers of science fiction or they have already read treir works. Times change, some of these new books will be absolute nonsense, others will be a pleasant discovery. That's the fun part of reading - finding it out. I'm always interested in watching your videos because you read a lot of unknown (at least to me) authors that capture the space horror/space opera genre. And it's awesome! So thank you.
Wow this list intimidates me…. 😂 way better than my list! i didnt know u had already ancestral night 🎉 so glad u liked it, ill move that up in my TBR. Thanks for this video!
Shards: Great. Void: Strangest planet drama ever. Bib Fortuna sounds interesting. I'm reading "A Fire Upon The Deep" by Vernor Vinge mostly because I don't want to get President Rachel mad at me. 👾
I've gotten away from reading space operas for a couple of reasons but stolen earth sounds readable since it's a stand-alone and I always love mysteries⚛😀
Thank you for the great space opera gems, it is definitely {IMHO} one of those underrated sub-genres. I am going to check your previous video about it as well.
What I'm wondering: a lot of these authors I never even heard off. What are your sources, how do you learn of these, how do you discover them? Is there like a good website or forum or whatever that you follow yourself?
@@TheShadesofOrangeauthors obviously, corrected my comment, wasn't paying attention 🙂 So, still same question: where/how do you discover these? Except for Tchaikovsky I've never even heard of the others before. It's something I sometimes struggle with: how do I stay updated about the contemporary stuff? Except for CZcams channels like yours of course 🙂
Some of read through publicists that offer newer books for review. But honestly most of these come from blindly exploring my physical and digital library system. There are so many hidden gems in there
@@TheShadesofOrange Yes, it seems like few have but I'd recommend it and would love to see you tackle it someday here. It follows a bounty hunter named Zan Dane trying to track down his daughter through the Andromeda galaxy. It's sorta like if Alastair Reynolds wrote some Star Wars books.
In case you're still looking or want more: 1. There's a couple SF trilogies by Jessie Mihalik that are both space opera and have a persistent love story aspect. Very recent, very accessible. For adults, in rare sections. 2. T. A. White's The Firebird Chronicles also has a strong romance subplot...and certainly affects the main plot, reflects on the setting, etc. 3. Perhaps the Audacity Saga by R. K. Thorne might interest. I'd say while prevalent, it's less prominant an aspect in this series. 4. Gini Koch's "Alien" novels are more on-Earth, not actually Space opera but SF, lighter, and the romance aspect features heavily. Nothing to do with the movie; look, the first book is called Alien Tango. 5. Skyler Ramirez's Dumb Luck and Dead Heros series has a love story subplot. Also light, more mutual infatuation than romance, perhaps but variety is the spice of a book collection. Chapters often switch between the two characters. 6. Kacey Ezell's Ashes of Entecea series perhaps, but again as something different. The love subplot [backstory] in the first book is one that has ended, but continues (hah) and also develops another "love story". The second is more the establishment of a father-daughter "love story" (not that way, wholesome). The third takes the characters, relationships, and events of the first two and develops another romance subplot. I read them in 2, 1, 3 order by accident. Worked out nicely. I enjoyed these. I especially like Jessie Mihalik characters and writing. In general, the romance aspects are a nice departure from my usual SF fare. YMMV--my bar for enjoyment is admittedly low. I have of course added Winter's Orbit and Fortune's Pawn to my shopping cart, hah.
@AyarARJ OMG!! Thank you!! This list is awesome! I did end of reading Fortune's Pawn and absolutely loved it. I'm reading The Blighted Stars by Megan O'Keefe now and am about halfway through the first book and really enjoying it, too. Happy Reading!!! Thanks again for all the recommendations!
Hardly call ‘The Expanse’ a space opera in the classical sense. Great read but not…. Alistair Reynolds would be the current master of the classical space punk/opera. It’s like comparing J K Rowling to JRR Tolkien, absolutely no comparison in scope
Hey, really appreciate you reviewing modern sci-fi (and not just Tchaikovsky), it feels like so many booktube scifi channels are obsessed with the past - the 'golden age', but the genre's still alive and kicking! Some fantastic ideas and stories are being produced.
Oh thanks. I get a lot of complaints that I read "too much new stuff" so it's nice to hear that you don't mind it
I agree with this 🙂
Am I FIRST? AMOS BURTON #1
The Vorkosigan Saga is one of my favorites definitely recommend
That's a series I need to get back to
i have to agree with you for a light hearted romp through the killing fields of the future, i am prone to the 'mote in gods eye' for a more rounded 'original' series
Adrian Tchaikovsky is one of my favorite authors, especially science fiction. He and Alastair Reynolds are definitely my favorite modern Sci-Fi authors, though I will admit I haven't read any Peter F. Hamilton or Iain Banks yet. I've read the entire Final Architecture series and really loved it. Superb world building, big ideas, inventive alien civilizations, hints of past history without just info dumping, and enough character development with multiple POV's to keep things interesting in that regard. At this point I'm willing to read anything that he has published. Children of Time was just utterly brilliant, and I need to read the rest of that trilogy. I'm also planning on reading his fantasy novels including the Shadows of the Apt series.
I too am a fan of Adrian Tchaikovsky after a couple of his books I read last year. I think you will love Iain M Banks too though. He is at the top of any list of sci fi masters. Highest recomendation for quality writing and deep ideas.
Man did I LOVE Nophek Gloss
Saw it on the shelf at barnes and noble a while back, and it was honestly such a fun read
Highly recommend finishing the trilogy. I loved the final book that came out this year
Hard scifi? Not for beginners? Complex plot? Rereads provide more clarity? Count me in! Shards of Earth is definitely on my reading list now. I loved Children of Time and need to finish that series first but will queue the Shards of Earth for later in 2024.
Sounds like it will be right up your alley!
Great list, most of these books I have not heard about. Just got Shards of Earth delivered today, and the Risen Empire duology is tempting. Thanks for the video.
Hope you enjoy
I read Machine and will look for some of the others mentioned. Still missing the Expanse. Thanks for the video 😊
Yeah it's a big gap to fill
I loved Children of time and Children of Ruin, currently reading Children of Memory! Definetly will carry on reading Tchaikovsky's books. Ancestral night is also on my wishlist.
I am not always sure how others define "space opera". If the term ,means stories that span wide space with lots of not ale ways sensible action. my personal favorites are Pandora's Star and Judas unchained, both by Peter F. Hamilton. They are the starting points for the 'Commonwealth series. I haven't read beyond these two hyperactive and fascinating storie s but enjoyed them on their own. If you crave stories in which distant planets are tied together economically and other wise by gigantic locomotives pulling huge trains through wormholes. and utterly disgusting aliens with no hesitation to liquidate opponents. this is a good place to start.
Nophek Gloss sounds like something I'd enjoy! I'm not terribly versed in sci-fi, so I doubt i could rec anything to you that you have read/heard of. But, my favorite sci-fi/SO books are ones that focus on the character(s). I love seeing how people behave and the choices authors imagine they would make in the vast scapes available on a galactic scale.
I hope you enjoy it
Great list. I've only heard of shards of earth and it's on my TBR. Nice to hear unfamiliar books.
Happy to put some different books on your radar
I just picked up Shards of Earth from the cheap rack at chapters. I have heard good things about Tchaikovsky in the past. I hope i enjoy it as much as you did.
I hope you enjoy it
I just caught up on the latest Red Rising book and am sooooo thirsty for more space opera~ Thanks for all the recs! Adding good bulk to my TBR lol.
Yay!
Love your channel, Rachel. Definitely going to check out Shards of Earth. Ancestral Night looks good, too.
OK, here's a rec... Recently finished and absolutely loved The Code trilogy by RR Haywood. First book is The Worldship Humility. Earth, about to be hit by an asteroid sends out a fleet of worldships to find a new planet and save humanity. This was the funnest space opera I've read in years. If you like the generational starship trope with great characters, then I can't recommend this enough. Wonderful mix of drama, mystery and humour. The banter between some of the characters is just priceless.
Thanks for the rec
Thanks Rachel ! I reserved Ancestral Night at the library😊
I hope you enjoy it
Love the 1st two Architecture Trilogy. Must read the last book.
Risen Empire! Havent read that in a while. Quite a few there i don't know, good to get some new recs. Thanks!
Surprisingly I've only read one of those books, but some of the others are on my radar. I'm very keen to try Nophek Gloss
It was great
Reading The Risen Empire right now. Very engaged so far.
Glad you're enjoying it
I literally was searching Space Opera recs this morning!!! Wild. Thanks for the recommendations, great list
What great timing
I added so many to my TBR! I'm excited to get to Shards of Earth in January!
Great list , Having read Westerfield Y A Leviathan series .(an alternate history ) I will check out Then Risen Empire ( when it hits one of my fast vading book stores ) I am a bit of an old timer 😂 , so i first started out eons ago with the stories of E E Smith . And i mean eons ago 😂 . For more newer ones i read the stories of David Weber . In both we have worlds, space ships , good guys and women , villains, alliens , battles , romance et el . Thanks for the list .👍
Oh yes I really enjoyed Leviathan
Great Recommendations will check their audio versions
all great recommendations! I really like the premise of Shards of Earth so might have to pick that up, I love anything with Ancient Aliens or theories of our beginnings that involves Aliens lol
I'm the same way
Definitely adding some of these to my never ending TBR list!
Have you read any of the Serrano Legacy series by Elizabeth Moon? The first three are okay but the fourth (which has a different main character) is one of my absolute favourite space opera novels
No I haven't it
Thanks for the recommendations Rachel 🚀 I've just binged read (listened) to 5 books of the Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruocchio. Wow! While it starts out with shades of Name of the Wind and Dune it turns into its own expansive space opera with horror elements. Highly recommended
Oh yes that's a good rec
Have you done a video on top ten strong character development/ focus in science fiction? I’d love your opinions on this.
Hmm no I haven't
I always recommend anything from Michael Manmay or Marko Kloos; also, the excellent Lost Fleet and follow ups from Jack Campbell, are prime space opera.
I will start reading the Elizabeth Bear book, and then the others. Thanks! Your show is so friendly. :)
Glad to hear it
Loved Ancestral Night and it's indirect sequel The Machine, especially with the Goodlaw making a welcome appearance.
Yeah I really loved Machine
Someday I'll read Scott Westerfeld's Evolution's Darling, from back in his weird adult sf phase.
I'll have to look up that one
@@TheShadesofOrange The OP isn't wrong about it being really, really weird. Also: lots of explicit sex.
Its a little older series..80s-90s Bill Baldwins Helmsman series. I haven't got close to finish all 8 of the books. Fun classic tropes..sort of Top Gun in space but with more charcters and plot.
That sounds fun
Good recommendations!👍👍👍 Most of these are already on my tbr📚 I'm almost done with shards of earth. The crew is not as charming as in the expanse or tim pratts axiom, for example, but great concepts to explore. Rachel, have you read the dreaming void by peter f hamilton? Ancestral night is going on my tbr📚
I haven't read any Peter F Hamilton yet. I know ! It's shameful
@TheShadesofOrange Me, neither.
I think I have all of those except Fortuna. I read the synopsis and wasn’t sure if it was to my taste.
Great video. I’ll watch again and check my library list to make sure I do have them
Not sure if this counts as a space opera, but An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon is *chef’s kiss*! 🥰🚀
Oh yes I need to reread that one
Gonna try that Architect series on this recommendation. Thanks!
I love White Space! I wish Elizabeth Bear would write more in this universe.
good video. thanks rachel
I really like your lists with modern picks. The classics have their own importance, don't get me wrong, but just like with any other subgenre of fiction, some readers are not interested in diving into our fathers of science fiction or they have already read treir works. Times change, some of these new books will be absolute nonsense, others will be a pleasant discovery. That's the fun part of reading - finding it out. I'm always interested in watching your videos because you read a lot of unknown (at least to me) authors that capture the space horror/space opera genre. And it's awesome! So thank you.
Yes there are some fantastic classics but I feel like there are a million internet lists of them so I try to bring something new to CZcams
Reading the Architect series because of your video popping up in my feed, and loving it! Thanks so much!
I hope you enjoy it
@@TheShadesofOrange Absolutely love the first two and can't wait to get to the third!
Wow this list intimidates me…. 😂 way better than my list! i didnt know u had already ancestral night 🎉 so glad u liked it, ill move that up in my TBR. Thanks for this video!
Hey we don't need to compete. I bet you'll have some series I haven't read yet
Thanks I love when you do science fiction reviews. I love space opera.
Thanks
Nice. Glad I came across this.
The first book is going on my tbr. I own Shards of Earth and the Scott Westerfield duology but haven't gotten to them yet
I hope you enjoy them
Shards: Great. Void: Strangest planet drama ever. Bib Fortuna sounds interesting.
I'm reading "A Fire Upon The Deep" by Vernor Vinge mostly because I don't want to get
President Rachel mad at me.
👾
Haha I like to keep some fear in the Galactic citizens
Have you read "Pushing Ice" by Alastair Reynolds? One of my favorites. Thanks for your lists...very helpful.
It's on my spring tbr! I actually just got a copy this week
Good recommendations! I added a few to my TBR list. 🚀
I've gotten away from reading space operas for a couple of reasons but stolen earth sounds readable since it's a stand-alone and I always love mysteries⚛😀
I hope you enjoy it
Thank you for the great space opera gems, it is definitely {IMHO} one of those underrated sub-genres.
I am going to check your previous video about it as well.
Thanks!
Have you read the Spinward Fringe series by Randolph Lalonde which looks like is still going on. Starts with Spinward Fringe: Broadcast 0
No I haven't
What I'm wondering: a lot of these authors I never even heard off. What are your sources, how do you learn of these, how do you discover them? Is there like a good website or forum or whatever that you follow yourself?
Not sure what you mean by actors since these are books
@@TheShadesofOrangeauthors obviously, corrected my comment, wasn't paying attention 🙂 So, still same question: where/how do you discover these? Except for Tchaikovsky I've never even heard of the others before.
It's something I sometimes struggle with: how do I stay updated about the contemporary stuff? Except for CZcams channels like yours of course 🙂
Some of read through publicists that offer newer books for review. But honestly most of these come from blindly exploring my physical and digital library system. There are so many hidden gems in there
Great video. So many new and interesting recommendations. thanks!
Glad it was helpful
Will someone please review Jason Russell's 224-Verse? Nobody's talking about it but it's fantastic.
I haven't heard of that one
@@TheShadesofOrange Yes, it seems like few have but I'd recommend it and would love to see you tackle it someday here. It follows a bounty hunter named Zan Dane trying to track down his daughter through the Andromeda galaxy. It's sorta like if Alastair Reynolds wrote some Star Wars books.
nice review! thanks. 🚀
Gave uo on Expanse and watched the series, its cool but a little dry for me, series was awesome
Could you please make a video specifically for space opera audiobooks?
I almost always physically read space opera so I would basically just recommend the Expanse which I reread on audio
Just checking, but are you often combining Scavenger with Salvager? It sounds like you are saying Scalvengers :)
I just relistened to myself (something I hate to do haha) and I'm not hearing it but I do need to work on my enunciation at times
Great recs ❤🚀
Terminal alience by jim c hines, space zombies
Also, Long Way to a Small Planet by Becky Chambers, rag tag crew turns found family on a long work trip.
Thanks for the recs
🚀
🚀🚀🚀🚀
I know I'm late but I believe a Like, a comment and subscribing is still best.
Always appreciated!
I am looking for a space opera that has a love story or romance subplot. Any recommendations there?????
Maybe Winter Orbit or Fortune's Pawn
@@TheShadesofOrange Thank you for your reply!! 🥰
In case you're still looking or want more:
1. There's a couple SF trilogies by Jessie Mihalik that are both space opera and have a persistent love story aspect. Very recent, very accessible. For adults, in rare sections.
2. T. A. White's The Firebird Chronicles also has a strong romance subplot...and certainly affects the main plot, reflects on the setting, etc.
3. Perhaps the Audacity Saga by R. K. Thorne might interest. I'd say while prevalent, it's less prominant an aspect in this series.
4. Gini Koch's "Alien" novels are more on-Earth, not actually Space opera but SF, lighter, and the romance aspect features heavily. Nothing to do with the movie; look, the first book is called Alien Tango.
5. Skyler Ramirez's Dumb Luck and Dead Heros series has a love story subplot. Also light, more mutual infatuation than romance, perhaps but variety is the spice of a book collection. Chapters often switch between the two characters.
6. Kacey Ezell's Ashes of Entecea series perhaps, but again as something different. The love subplot [backstory] in the first book is one that has ended, but continues (hah) and also develops another "love story". The second is more the establishment of a father-daughter "love story" (not that way, wholesome). The third takes the characters, relationships, and events of the first two and develops another romance subplot. I read them in 2, 1, 3 order by accident. Worked out nicely.
I enjoyed these. I especially like Jessie Mihalik characters and writing. In general, the romance aspects are a nice departure from my usual SF fare. YMMV--my bar for enjoyment is admittedly low.
I have of course added Winter's Orbit and Fortune's Pawn to my shopping cart, hah.
@AyarARJ OMG!! Thank you!! This list is awesome! I did end of reading Fortune's Pawn and absolutely loved it. I'm reading The Blighted Stars by Megan O'Keefe now and am about halfway through the first book and really enjoying it, too. Happy Reading!!! Thanks again for all the recommendations!
@@kaylan5832 Awesome. And thank you, I've added 1st books of Megan E. O'Keefe's two series to the cart.
🚀
Hi there Hi there 😊
🛸
MaM Audiobooks
Hardly call ‘The Expanse’ a space opera in the classical sense. Great read but not…. Alistair Reynolds would be the current master of the classical space punk/opera. It’s like comparing J K Rowling to JRR Tolkien, absolutely no comparison in scope
👾
🚀
So many great recommendations! 🚀🛰️🔭🪐🛸
How old are you ?
🚀🛸🪐💫✨
🚀
🚀
🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀
🪐💫✨
🚀
🚀
🚀
🚀
🚀