# Suggest a space opera for a person who doesn't read science fiction **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [March 15, 2021, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-space-opera-for-a-person-who-doesnt-read-science-fiction/937902 "2021-03-15T00:12:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-space-opera-for-a-person-who-doesnt-read-science-fiction/937902/21 "2021-03-15T02:03:49Z")
Scalzi might be a good one, to be honest. Oh, I sent the link to her and she sez hello. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-space-opera-for-a-person-who-doesnt-read-science-fiction/937902/22 "2021-03-15T02:07:35Z")
Sounds good! And I’ll just hype _Ninefox Gambit_ one more time: it’s deliciously strange space opera, like if Feineman took some bad acid and wrote Warhammer fan-fic, in the best possible way. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-space-opera-for-a-person-who-doesnt-read-science-fiction/937902/23 "2021-03-15T02:08:28Z")
> [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](#): > > And of course the grand-daddy of space opera series, E.E. “Doc” Smith’s **Lensman** or **Skylark** series I second that recommendation, of course. I’d just finished re-reading “Children of the Lens” back in early 2000 when I decided to register as a poster here at SDMB. Hence my posting name. **Klono’s brazen hoofs and diamond-tipped horns!** ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-space-opera-for-a-person-who-doesnt-read-science-fiction/937902/24 "2021-03-15T02:10:29Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Oh, I sent the link to her and she sez hello. We’re waving! Hey, sign up (without John knowing) and join in the fun! If you play Settlers, we know you’re smart, fun and… already on the road to nerd-dom. Sorry, but some sci-fi is in your future even if you try to resist. But “Spaaaace Oppppera” (said like “Pigs In Space”) might be too much… I’ve got to be in the mood to really think. Oh, reciprocate by giving John your favorite book(s). And, off topic, feel free to tell John to shut up once in a while. We do! ---
**Author:** ![Galactus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galactus/32/3581_2.png) [@Galactus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galactus)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-space-opera-for-a-person-who-doesnt-read-science-fiction/937902/25 "2021-03-15T02:13:52Z")
Anything by [Peter F Hamilton](https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/peter-f-hamilton/). ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-space-opera-for-a-person-who-doesnt-read-science-fiction/937902/26 "2021-03-15T02:37:19Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Okay, maybe Hamilton’s recent Salvation series, but not his seven Commonwealth novels, which are some of _my_ favorites. I think _Pandora’s Star_ really exemplifies everything I like in a space opera - deep themes regarding technology and how they impact human culture, multiple interlocking narratives from all strata of society, shit blowing up all over the place, and a depth where it wasn’t needed, but welcome (Paula Myo’s backstory). I just hated how the 2nd book [ended in a damn chase sequence](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-f-hamilton-pandoras-star/407730/15). Such a disappointment and that, by itself, gets Pandora’s Star voted off this island. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-space-opera-for-a-person-who-doesnt-read-science-fiction/937902/27 "2021-03-15T03:11:23Z")
All of these. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-space-opera-for-a-person-who-doesnt-read-science-fiction/937902/28 "2021-03-15T03:27:19Z")
For a single book, that stands alone and talks about the interaction of technology and society, maybe _Forever War_? There are sequels, but they’re not necessary to enjoy the first book—it doesn’t end on a cliffhanger. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-space-opera-for-a-person-who-doesnt-read-science-fiction/937902/29 "2021-03-15T04:05:25Z")
I’ll risk revealing what a lightweight I am and suggest Asimov’s _Foundation_ series. ---
**Author:** ![Dancer\_Flight](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dancer_flight/32/7601_2.png) [@Dancer\_Flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dancer_Flight)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-space-opera-for-a-person-who-doesnt-read-science-fiction/937902/30 "2021-03-15T04:45:38Z")
I would recommend Elizabeth Moon’s Serrano Series. I didn’t tackle them in order - I picked up a Baen Special: Once a Hero, about midway through the greater arc, for about 2 bucks and then later discovered the remaining volumes. Whilst there’s (mis)adventure galor, there is also in various of the books, discussion of the effects of rejuvenation on greater society, as well as thought around an effectively hereditary military caste in at least two different contexts. The politics aren’t nearly as weighty or overbearing as the latter part of Weber’s Honor Harrington. -DF ETA: James Alan Gardner’s League of Peoples is a decent series as well, well worth a read and each novel is fairly self contained. Again an interesting exploration of the effects of a major what if (What if there was a universally applied 100% effective prohibition on violence?) on the human societies described. You would want to start with Vigilant, or Expendable. ETA- Again - For TV Series for You, have you seen Babylon 5? If the somewhat dated effects don’t throw you off, it is a very solid space opera T.V. series covering an intended 5 year arc. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-space-opera-for-a-person-who-doesnt-read-science-fiction/937902/31 "2021-03-15T04:53:26Z")
Has “The Mote in God’s Eye” been mentioned? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-space-opera-for-a-person-who-doesnt-read-science-fiction/937902/32 "2021-03-15T05:40:39Z")
Might as well go back to the classics. I recommend _Citizen of the Galaxy_ by Robert Heinlein. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-space-opera-for-a-person-who-doesnt-read-science-fiction/937902/33 "2021-03-15T05:49:45Z")
I just came in to recommend the same book. “Have Space Suit - Will Travel” is another one. It’s the same basic story arc as Star Wars. Young Restless kid itching for adventure finds it in spades. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-space-opera-for-a-person-who-doesnt-read-science-fiction/937902/34 "2021-03-15T06:09:25Z")
Stephen R. Donaldson’s _Gap Cycle_ series is a very intelligent, well-written space opera… but it’s also exactly the kind of story that the term “trigger warning” was invented for, so if you have a problem with people doing horrible things to other people, best steer clear. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-space-opera-for-a-person-who-doesnt-read-science-fiction/937902/35 "2021-03-15T06:20:50Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > for many of my favorites the plot is little more than a backdrop for the tech. I love tech-porn, but it is a little much to drop a newbie directly into. (So no Iain Banks Banks wasn’t tech-porn. He wrote character-forward work, and the plot was _always_ the main focus. Sometimes the characters _were_ the tech, but that doesn’t mean it was _about_ the tech. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-space-opera-for-a-person-who-doesnt-read-science-fiction/937902/36 "2021-03-15T06:35:05Z")
Cherryh’s _Chanur_ series is pretty good. I would say it’s a very good starting point for a lady who is a) into action movies and b) would enjoy a series written from a feminist perspective. The first book especially has many incredibly tense action scenes. > **[Treachery to species: C.J. Cherryh's Chanur Trilogy - Reactor](https://reactormag.com/treachery-to-species-cj-cherryhs-chanur-trilogy/)** > > The Pride of Chanur is an introduction to the universe and a introduction to the characters. For the trilogy, which are all one non-stop story, you’re assumed to be confident with a hani point of view and happy to be thrown in at the deep end.... > **[The Chanur novels](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chanur_novels)** > > The Chanur novels are a series of five science fiction novels, forming three separate stories, written by American author C. J. Cherryh and published by DAW Books between 1981 and 1992. The first novel in the series is The Pride of Chanur (1981), which was nominated for both the Hugo and Locus Awards in 1983. The Pride of Chanur, originally a stand-alone story, was followed by the Chanur's Venture trilogy (also referred to as "Chanur's Revenge"), Chanur's Venture (1984), which was shortlisted An... > Set in Cherryh’s Alliance-Union universe, but in a different region of space inhabited by numerous alien spacefaring civilizations, **the Chanur novels are unusually realistic examples of space opera** , with ship-to-ship shooting minimized in favor of coercion, manipulation, politics, pride contests, and clashing economic interests, driven in many cases by species-to-species miscommunication and misunderstanding. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-space-opera-for-a-person-who-doesnt-read-science-fiction/937902/37 "2021-03-15T11:07:28Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Banks wasn’t tech-porn. He wrote character-forward work, and the plot was _always_ the main focus. Sometimes the characters _were_ the tech, but that doesn’t mean it was _about_ the tech. Tech porn has many long descriptive passages of the fine details of how technology works. I opened a Banks book, looked at a few early paragraphs, and picked this one: > With no interval to provide a margin for error at all, the drone shunted its personality from its own AI core to its back-up picofoam complex and at the same time readied the signal cascade that would transfer its most important concepts, programs and instructions first to electronic nanocircuitry, then to an atomechanical substrate and finally - absolutely as a last resort - to a crude little (though at several cubic centimetres also wastefully large) semi-biological brain. The drone shut off and shut down what had been its true mind, the only place it had ever really existed in all its life, and let whatever pattern of consciousness had taken root there perish for lack of energy, its collapsing consciousness impinging on the machine’s new mind as a faint, informationless exhalation of neutrinos. Banks absolutely, positively, unequivocally, beyond any shadow of a doubt whatsoever wrote tech porn. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-space-opera-for-a-person-who-doesnt-read-science-fiction/937902/38 "2021-03-15T11:55:41Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Banks absolutely, positively, unequivocally, beyond any shadow of a doubt whatsoever wrote tech porn. You characterized this as > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > the plot is little more than a backdrop for the tech And that is _absolutely, positively, unequivocally, beyond any shadow of a doubt whatsoever_ not true for Banks. And a paragraph you admit to cherry-picking doesn’t change that. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-space-opera-for-a-person-who-doesnt-read-science-fiction/937902/39 "2021-03-15T11:56:56Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > And a paragraph you admit to cherry-picking doesn’t change that. Fine, dude, whatever. I’m not interested in playing your game. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-a-space-opera-for-a-person-who-doesnt-read-science-fiction/937902/40 "2021-03-15T13:32:34Z")
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