Epic SF and Space Opera: Here's my giant list, what's missing?

[Bob Gray]

Thanks Rob, I guess it is the space operas (is that really what they call it?) that I'm looking for. Also, I really loved King's Dark Tower series and Brian Lumley's Dreamland series so anything like that would work too.

[ian_sales]

Scott Westerfeld - The Risen Empire (2003)
Scott Westerfeld - The Killing of Worlds (2003)

M John Harrison - The Centauri Device (1974)
M John Harrison - Light (2002)
M John Harrison - Nova Swing (2006)
M John Harrison - Empty space (2012)

Michael Cobley - The Orphaned worlds (2010)
Michael Cobley - The Ascendant Stars (2011)

Iain M Banks - Consider Phlebas (1987)
Iain M Banks - The Player of Games (1988)
Iain M Banks - The State of the Art (1989) [SF]
Iain M Banks - Use of Weapons (1990)
Iain M Banks - Excession (1996)
Iain M Banks - Inversions (1998)
Iain M Banks - Look to Windward (2000)
Iain M Banks - Matter (2008)
Iain M Banks - Surface Detail (2010)

Colin Greenland - Take Back Plenty (1990)
Colin Greenland - Seasons of Plenty (1995)
Colin Greenland - Mother of Plenty (1998)

[Andols]

Scott Westerfeld - The Risen Empire (2003)
Scott Westerfeld - The Killing of Worlds (2003)

M John Harrison - The Centauri Device (1974)
M John Harrison - Light (2002)
M John Harrison - Nova Swing (2006)
M John Harrison - Empty space (2012)

Michael Cobley - The Orphaned worlds (2010)
Michael Cobley - The Ascendant Stars (2011)

Iain M Banks - Consider Phlebas (1987)
Iain M Banks - The Player of Games (1988)
Iain M Banks - The State of the Art (1989) [SF]
Iain M Banks - Use of Weapons (1990)
Iain M Banks - Excession (1996)
Iain M Banks - Inversions (1998)
Iain M Banks - Look to Windward (2000)
Iain M Banks - Matter (2008)
Iain M Banks - Surface Detail (2010)

Colin Greenland - Take Back Plenty (1990)
Colin Greenland - Seasons of Plenty (1995)
Colin Greenland - Mother of Plenty (1998)

Thanks for the addition.

Im going to shine this up a little and try and add some new pieces, for my own benifit as much as anyone elses.

[Danogzilla]

I've been trying to find this thread. Krisbslick was good enough to dig it out. There are literally hundreds of great recommendations here. I've pulled lots of books out of it. As many books are listed on the first page there are maybe twice as many on the second. Love it.

[runaroundace]

I've been trying to find this thread. Krisbslick was good enough to dig it out. There are literally hundreds of great recommendations here. I've pulled lots of books out of it. As many books are listed on the first page there are maybe twice as many on the second. Love it.

That second page is pretty insane. Almost too much for someone just getting into space opera like myself. I just finished Leviathan Wakes, I'm about halfway through Gridlinked, and my plan is to next read Consider Phlebas, by Iain M Banks, which will be my first time reading him, then Mindstar Rising by Peter F Hamilton, which will also be my first time reading him, then either reading the 2nd James S.A. Corey book, or the 2nd Neil Asher. Like ive said before on her though I'm a pretty slow reader so those books alone will take a few months (usually takes me about 2-3 weeks per book).

[Danogzilla]

That second page is pretty insane. Almost too much for someone just getting into space opera like myself. I just finished Leviathan Wakes, I'm about halfway through Gridlinked, and my plan is to next read Consider Phlebas, by Iain M Banks, which will be my first time reading him, then Mindstar Rising by Peter F Hamilton, which will also be my first time reading him, then either reading the 2nd James S.A. Corey book, or the 2nd Neil Asher. Like ive said before on her though I'm a pretty slow reader so those books alone will take a few months (usually takes me about 2-3 weeks per book).

Banks is my favorite SF writer. CP is considered the weakest in the series by most readers, but it was the first I read too and I was highly entertained throughout, and the series just got better from there.

[ian_sales]

There have been a few weaker Culture novels since Consider Phlebas.

[Mostlyharmless]

I've been trying to find this thread. Krisbslick was good enough to dig it out. There are literally hundreds of great recommendations here. I've pulled lots of books out of it. As many books are listed on the first page there are maybe twice as many on the second. Love it.

The search function here produces quite odd results. For example, if you search for "space opera" in the thread title, you find http://www.sffworld.com/forums/showt...st-Space-Opera and http://www.sffworld.com/forums/showt...ecommendations and then several threads with last posts in 2005 or earlier such as http://www.sffworld.com/forums/showt...te-space-opera or http://www.sffworld.com/forums/showt...od-Space-Opera.

However, threads such as http://www.sffworld.com/forums/showt...f-space-operas! don't appear even if you search for "space operas".

It seems that searching slowly by hand may find several additional threads.

[Isaac Law]

I plan to write epic space opera with hard science. Some of my ideas I posted as topics in this forum.

[psikeyhackr]

Don't know, haven't read anything by either!

Scalzi has also written The Ghost Brigades, The Last Colony, and Zoe's Tale, in the same universe as Old Man's War.

Read Old Man's War, I liked it but didn't think it was great so didn't get the next two for years. Finally broke down and got Ghost Brigade. Series got better, should have bought them earlier.

Now there is The Human Division.

I confess I was not enthusiastic about the lots of hostile aliens idea and constant war for planets. And then he had intelligent aliens one inch tall. Yeah right! But the politics of the later books made them more interesting.

psik

[runaroundace]

Banks is my favorite SF writer. CP is considered the weakest in the series by most readers, but it was the first I read too and I was highly entertained throughout, and the series just got better from there.

I am loving Consider Phlebas so far. I hope you are right about it just getting better. He may turn out to be one of my favorite authors as well.

[Andols]

Thanks for the addition.

Im going to shine this up a little and try and add some new pieces, for my own benifit as much as anyone elses.

well why don't you then!?

[Dalton]

Hello
I read a book in high school 7 or 8 years ago, and I cannot remember the name or the author, I was wondering if i give a little description if anyone would be able to recognize it and tell me the name of the book (granted that you've read it)? Well, it is a space opera, and the main character (male) is hairless (no head hair, facial hair, etc.) and ends up competing for a giant ship that has DNA of all species and cloning capabilities (interstellar ark i believe). After he obtains the ship, he does jobs for people, and at some point in the book he gets himself a mind reading cat. He also meets a woman from a very over populated planet, who he helps quite a bit, but later on ends up sterilizing the planet via food he gave them. She claims the reason for over population is because killing the sperm could kill the next Einstein.

Sorry, that's about all I can remember, but I enjoyed the book and really want to read it again, if anyone is able to help, would be much appreciated.

[Werthead]

Hello
I read a book in high school 7 or 8 years ago, and I cannot remember the name or the author, I was wondering if i give a little description if anyone would be able to recognize it and tell me the name of the book (granted that you've read it)? Well, it is a space opera, and the main character (male) is hairless (no head hair, facial hair, etc.) and ends up competing for a giant ship that has DNA of all species and cloning capabilities (interstellar ark i believe). After he obtains the ship, he does jobs for people, and at some point in the book he gets himself a mind reading cat. He also meets a woman from a very over populated planet, who he helps quite a bit, but later on ends up sterilizing the planet via food he gave them. She claims the reason for over population is because killing the sperm could kill the next Einstein.

Sorry, that's about all I can remember, but I enjoyed the book and really want to read it again, if anyone is able to help, would be much appreciated.

I'm pretty certain that's Tuf Voyaging by George R.R. Martin, which has literally just been republished. And the author is working on a potential TV version of it for HBO.

[Dalton]

wow just googled the title and author and recognized the book cover, thanks a lot.