Space Opera Books

Showing 1-50 of 21,558
Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse, #1) Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse, #1)
by (shelved 1415 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.31 — 312,822 ratings — published 2011
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Dune (Dune #1) Dune (Dune #1)
by (shelved 937 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.29 — 1,602,893 ratings — published 1965
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The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1) The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1)
by (shelved 933 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.17 — 181,261 ratings — published 2014
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Caliban’s War (The Expanse, #2) Caliban’s War (The Expanse, #2)
by (shelved 865 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.39 — 179,565 ratings — published 2012
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Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch, #1) Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch, #1)
by (shelved 851 times as space-opera)
avg rating 3.99 — 117,565 ratings — published 2013
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Abaddon’s Gate (The Expanse, #3) Abaddon’s Gate (The Expanse, #3)
by (shelved 730 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.28 — 151,670 ratings — published 2013
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Old Man's War (Old Man's War, #1) Old Man's War (Old Man's War, #1)
by (shelved 717 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.23 — 221,131 ratings — published 2005
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Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos, #1) Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos, #1)
by (shelved 687 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.27 — 293,449 ratings — published 1989
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Consider Phlebas (Culture, #1) Consider Phlebas (Culture, #1)
by (shelved 659 times as space-opera)
avg rating 3.85 — 99,504 ratings — published 1987
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Cibola Burn (The Expanse, #4) Cibola Burn (The Expanse, #4)
by (shelved 633 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.23 — 125,317 ratings — published 2014
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A Memory Called Empire (Teixcalaan, #1) A Memory Called Empire (Teixcalaan, #1)
by (shelved 589 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.11 — 70,594 ratings — published 2019
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Revelation Space (Revelation Space, #1) Revelation Space (Revelation Space, #1)
by (shelved 577 times as space-opera)
avg rating 3.99 — 61,094 ratings — published 2000
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Nemesis Games (The Expanse, #5) Nemesis Games (The Expanse, #5)
by (shelved 576 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.44 — 112,560 ratings — published 2015
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Pandora's Star (Commonwealth Saga, #1) Pandora's Star (Commonwealth Saga, #1)
by (shelved 546 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.23 — 53,428 ratings — published 2004
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Shards of Honour  (Vorkosigan Saga, #1) Shards of Honour (Vorkosigan Saga, #1)
by (shelved 540 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.07 — 39,939 ratings — published 1986
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The Collapsing Empire (The Interdependency, #1) The Collapsing Empire (The Interdependency, #1)
by (shelved 531 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.13 — 59,221 ratings — published 2017
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Children of Time (Children of Time, #1) Children of Time (Children of Time, #1)
by (shelved 529 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.30 — 168,237 ratings — published 2015
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Foundation (Foundation, #1) Foundation (Foundation, #1)
by (shelved 511 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.17 — 589,765 ratings — published 1951
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Babylon’s Ashes (The Expanse, #6) Babylon’s Ashes (The Expanse, #6)
by (shelved 500 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.25 — 96,692 ratings — published 2016
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On Basilisk Station (Honor Harrington, #1) On Basilisk Station (Honor Harrington, #1)
by (shelved 481 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.14 — 48,686 ratings — published 1993
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A Fire Upon the Deep (Zones of Thought, #1) A Fire Upon the Deep (Zones of Thought, #1)
by (shelved 480 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.13 — 66,067 ratings — published 1992
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Ancillary Sword Ancillary Sword (Paperback)
by (shelved 435 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.08 — 59,952 ratings — published 2014
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Persepolis Rising (The Expanse, #7) Persepolis Rising (The Expanse, #7)
by (shelved 434 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.38 — 85,203 ratings — published 2017
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Ender’s Game (Ender's Saga, #1) Ender’s Game (Ender's Saga, #1)
by (shelved 408 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.31 — 1,463,558 ratings — published 1985
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The Warrior's Apprentice (Vorkosigan Saga, #2) The Warrior's Apprentice (Vorkosigan Saga, #2)
by (shelved 388 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.27 — 30,147 ratings — published 1986
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Dune Messiah (Dune #2) Dune Messiah (Dune #2)
by (shelved 381 times as space-opera)
avg rating 3.89 — 393,562 ratings — published 1969
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Tiamat's Wrath (The Expanse, #8) Tiamat's Wrath (The Expanse, #8)
by (shelved 374 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.57 — 79,724 ratings — published 2019
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The Player of Games (Culture, #2) The Player of Games (Culture, #2)
by (shelved 362 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.28 — 79,675 ratings — published 1988
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The Reality Dysfunction (Night's Dawn, #1) The Reality Dysfunction (Night's Dawn, #1)
by (shelved 357 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.12 — 37,923 ratings — published 1996
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A Closed and Common Orbit (Wayfarers, #2) A Closed and Common Orbit (Wayfarers, #2)
by (shelved 354 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.37 — 87,024 ratings — published 2016
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The Ghost Brigades (Old Man's War, #2) The Ghost Brigades (Old Man's War, #2)
by (shelved 354 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.12 — 95,203 ratings — published 2006
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All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries, #1) All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries, #1)
by (shelved 352 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.12 — 355,385 ratings — published 2017
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The Fall of Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos, #2) The Fall of Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos, #2)
by (shelved 345 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.24 — 145,625 ratings — published 1990
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Ancillary Mercy (Imperial Radch, #3) Ancillary Mercy (Imperial Radch, #3)
by (shelved 343 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.22 — 49,489 ratings — published 2015
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Ninefox Gambit (The Machineries of Empire, #1) Ninefox Gambit (The Machineries of Empire, #1)
by (shelved 340 times as space-opera)
avg rating 3.79 — 21,347 ratings — published 2016
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We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse, #1) We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse, #1)
by (shelved 323 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.27 — 119,371 ratings — published 2016
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Red Rising (Red Rising Saga, #1) Red Rising (Red Rising Saga, #1)
by (shelved 320 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.27 — 721,136 ratings — published 2014
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Judas Unchained (Commonwealth Saga #2) Judas Unchained (Commonwealth Saga #2)
by (shelved 319 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.30 — 40,161 ratings — published 2005
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The Forever War (The Forever War, #1) The Forever War (The Forever War, #1)
by (shelved 316 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.14 — 179,056 ratings — published 1974
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Shards of Earth (The Final Architecture, #1) Shards of Earth (The Final Architecture, #1)
by (shelved 311 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.18 — 32,560 ratings — published 2021
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House of Suns House of Suns (Paperback)
by (shelved 309 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.24 — 32,135 ratings — published 2008
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Fortune's Pawn (Paradox, #1) Fortune's Pawn (Paradox, #1)
by (shelved 306 times as space-opera)
avg rating 3.94 — 16,124 ratings — published 2013
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Golden Son (Red Rising Saga, #2) Golden Son (Red Rising Saga, #2)
by (shelved 300 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.49 — 442,413 ratings — published 2015
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The Vor Game (Vorkosigan Saga, #6) The Vor Game (Vorkosigan Saga, #6)
by (shelved 298 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.27 — 26,972 ratings — published 1990
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Foundation and Empire (Foundation, #2) Foundation and Empire (Foundation, #2)
by (shelved 298 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.22 — 223,875 ratings — published 1952
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The Honor of the Queen (Honor Harrington, #2) The Honor of the Queen (Honor Harrington, #2)
by (shelved 295 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.23 — 29,819 ratings — published 1993
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Star Wars: Heir to the Empire (The Thrawn Trilogy, #1) Star Wars: Heir to the Empire (The Thrawn Trilogy, #1)
by (shelved 292 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.17 — 101,763 ratings — published 1991
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Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries, #2) Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries, #2)
by (shelved 290 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.25 — 206,145 ratings — published 2018
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Morning Star (Red Rising Saga, #3) Morning Star (Red Rising Saga, #3)
by (shelved 290 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.54 — 361,845 ratings — published 2016
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Use of Weapons (Culture, #3) Use of Weapons (Culture, #3)
by (shelved 290 times as space-opera)
avg rating 4.16 — 52,063 ratings — published 1990
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Christopher Ruocchio
“Evil occurs because we are insufficient to challenge it. Too weak to stop it at the gates, too blind to see it bubbling within. Were we all angels in our virtue and heroes in our capacity, we might hold all chaos at bay, might stop even the unkindling of the stars. Yet we are but men.”
Christopher Ruocchio, Ashes of Man

Leigh Brackett
“Space opera, as every reader doubtless knows, is a pejorative term often applied to a story that has an element of adventure. Over the decades, brilliant and talented new writers appear, receiving great acclaim, and each and every one of them can be expected to write at least one article stating flatly that the day of space opera is over and done, thank goodness, and that henceforth these crude tales of interplanetary nonsense will be replaced by whatever type of story that writer happens to favor — closet dramas, psychological dramas, sex dramas, etc., but by God important dramas, containing nothing but Big Thinks. Ten years late, the writer in question may or may not still be around, but the space opera can be found right where it always was, sturdily driving its dark trade in heroes.”
Leigh Brackett, The Best of Planet Stories 1

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